Here is a link to a story about how one hospital charged a woman nearly $40 to hold her baby after it was delivered. https://www.vox.com/2016/10/4/13160624/medical-bills-birth-delivery And here is a link to Steven Brill’s article, “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills are Killing Us” from TIME magazine. This article, “The $21,000 Heartburn Bill,” discusses other outrageous charges. … Read more
Some Fortune 500 companies – adept at tracking the costs and location of every product they make – are surprisingly lax when it comes to double-checking healthcare costs. See Employee Benefit News for the full article. Randy King is president of Healthcare Horizons Consulting Group, Inc. Healthcare Horizons has performed healthcare claims audits for over … Read more
In a recent study by the Ponemon Institute (PI), roughly 90% of healthcare organizations have been impacted by a data breach. While most of those participating in the study reported that data breaches impacting their organization were small in nature (less than 500 individuals), the overall impact to the healthcare industry is estimated to be … Read more
Pace of U.S. Healthcare Spending Increased in 2015 http://www.wsj.com/articles/pace-of-u-s-health-spending-increased-in-2015-with-further-rise-expected-1468440002 Health insurance mega-deals aren’t winning over large employers http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160601/NEWS/160609999
Recently in the news… Approximately $900 Million in False Billing https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/national-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-301-individuals-approximately-900
Mistakes are part of daily life – including the life of a business. Human error is inevitable, and most day-to-day mistakes do not end up costing much in the long run. In many cases, mistakes can teach valuable, long-term lessons at little cost. However, in some cases, simple, unintended errors end up costing a tremendous … Read more
April News Wrap Up SIAA Announces National Conference and Expo http://www.siia.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=6336 Medicare to Cut Payments to Employer Sponsored Advantage Plans http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160222/NEWS/160229986/medicare-to-cut-payments-to-employer-sponsored-advantage-plans Will the Anthem Express Scripts Battle Change the PBM Landscape? http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160321/NEWS/160329976/will-the-anthem-express-scripts-battle-change-the-pbm-landscape
Last week, the eyes of the nation were trained on the so-called “Super Tuesday States,” as voters took to polling places for the presidential race. Our news cycles have been dominated not only by the results, but also by the polling leading up to Election Day. There have been moments during the past few months … Read more
At Healthcare Horizons, we’re pleased to provide a wrap-up of news of interest to self-insured employers: Does Google Really Plan to be a Payer? Biggest healthcare frauds: Running list Two Mexican Doctors Accused in $5M Claims Fraud As Medical Provider Fraud Evolves so Should the Investigation
Thanks for taking the time to visit the new Healthcare Horizons website, and for pausing to read On the Horizon. In this space, we hope to offer observations, guidance, and insights for a landscape that is increasingly complex and confusing. One of our core values is a focus on relationships with our clients. Our interest … Read more