DistilINFO News Of The Week | Edition 2
Sunil Kumar
Founder Member & Chief Managing Editor at DistilNFO Publications / Managing Editor at Omnitalk Retail
Welcome to DistilINFO News Of The Week! Here you will find the latest news and updates from DistilINFO, our news and information platform for the Payer, Provider, IT
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1.MagnaCare and International Association of Fire Fighters Health & Wellness Trust Grow Benefits Administration Partnership
MagnaCare and the International Association of Fire Fighters Health & Wellness Trust have expanded their relationship to make high-value healthcare benefits available to first responders and their families nationwide. MagnaCare, a third-party administrator with deep expertise supporting Taft-Hartley trusts, serves as the TPA for all IAFF Health & Wellness Trust health plans, delivering administrative services and technology tools to support the trust’s rapidly growing member base.
2.UnitedHealth CFO Named in Class-action Lawsuit Over 401(k) Plan
UnitedHealth Group CFO John Rex has been added to a class-action lawsuit alleging he put the company’s business relationship with Wells Fargo ahead of information the company’s 401(k) plan was filled with low-performing target-date funds, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 24.
3. Healthcare Costs for Employers to Rise 6.5% in 2023, Aon Report Predicts
Average costs for U.S. employers that pay for their employees’ healthcare will rise by 6.5% in 2023, global professional services firm Aon found Thursday. Costs per employee will be $13,800, up from $13,020 in 2022.
4. CMS Urges States to Tie Nursing Home Medicaid Payment to Quality
CMS is pushing for more value-based reimbursement, this time for nursing home Medicaid payment.
The federal agency has sent an informational bulletin to states urging them to tie Medicaid payments for nursing home services to quality outcomes. The push is part of the Biden Administration’s effort to reform nursing home care by holding providers accountable for the care they deliver.
5.With More Chronic Disease Comes More Medical Debt
Patients with chronic diseases face higher amounts of medical debt and are more likely to face adverse financial outcomes compared to patients with no chronic disease or just one diagnosis, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
1. Rural Healthcare System Launches New Virtual Care Center
To boost care access for rural communities that are often underserved, Sanford Health has created a virtual care center that aims to support a network of virtual clinics and telehealth services among those who lack sufficient access to care.
2. The Sequoia Project Selects HITRUST as TEFCA Security Certifying Body
The Sequoia Project has selected HITRUST as the first certifying body for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) security requirements.
Organizations must obtain the HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certification to prove they meet the security requirements for their Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) designation.
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3.ONC Outlines Upcoming Cures Act Deadlines for Certified Health IT Vendors
The 21st Century Cures Act infrastructure will come to fruition in 2022, with upcoming deadlines for the availability of standards-based FHIR application programming interfaces (APIs), according to a HealthITBuzz blog post.
The ONC Cures Act Final Rule requires certified health IT developers to update and provide their customers with FHIR-based certified API technology by December 31, 2022.
4. Interoperability Falls Short of Turning Innovation Into Transformation. Here’s Why.
The days of sitting in an orthodontist chair for hours bonding metal braces with cement, tooth by tooth, are largely over. They are instead replaced by an impossibly simple process of receiving Invisalign retainers in the mail, sending pictures to the dentist to monitor progress, and asking questions via text every step of the way — all from the comfort of a living room couch.
5. Data Exchange Challenges Impede Electronic Public Health Reporting
Survey data from 2019 found that more than 70 percent of hospitals experienced at least one major challenge with electronic public health reporting. Additionally, less than one in five primary care physicians—and about a quarter of pediatric and internal medicine primary care physicians—reported electronically sharing data with public health agencies.
1. Amazon is Shutting Down Its Telehealth Service, Amazon Care
Amazon is shutting down its telehealth service, Amazon Care, marking a major retreat by the retail behemoth in its efforts to break into the health care space.
Amazon will shutter the service after Dec. 31, Amazon Health Services lead Neil Lindsay announced Wednesday in a company email. The e-commerce giant decided to make the move after determining it wasn’t “the right long-term solution for our enterprise customers,” Lindsay wrote in the memo, which was previously reported by GeekWire.
2. Twitter is Officially Adding Podcasts to Its Platform
Twitter is officially delving into the world of podcasts. The social network announced today that it’s integrating podcasts into its platform as part of its newly designed Spaces tab. The revamped Spaces tab and the addition of podcasts will be visible to a group of global English-speaking audiences on iOS and Android starting today.
3.Healthcare IT Leaders on Cloud Adoption Challenges
Despite the much-needed push toward technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), a Presido survey found healthcare IT leaders are still struggling with cloud adoption issues.
4. eBay is Acquiring Trading Card Marketplace TCGplayer for up to $295M
eBay is acquiring TCGplayer, an online marketplace for collectible trading card games, in a deal valued up to $295 million, the company announced on Monday. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023. EBay says the acquisition furthers its commitment to trading card enthusiasts and also noted that trading cards are currently showing “substantial growth.”
5. Elon Musk says Tesla Will Hike the Price of FSD Driver Assistance Software By 25% in September
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday announced a 25% price increase for the company’s premium driver assistance system, which is marketed under the name Full Self-Driving, or FSD. The price will increase to $15,000 from $12,000 on Sept. 5, Musk said in a tweet.