• Private-equity-acquired nursing homes have worse resident outcomes, higher Medicare costs, study finds (Fierce Health)

• Sickle cell disease may impact a small portion of the Medicaid population, but this community of beneficiaries has high Medicaid spending and emergency care utilization (HealthPayer)

• Major psychiatric disorders may worsen COVID-19 outcomes (Healio)

• Study: Variation in COVID-19 Mortality in the US by Race and Ethnicity and Educational Attainment
• Study: Analysis of COVID-19 Infection and Mortality Among Patients With Psychiatric Disorders, 2020

• Ground ambulances, excluded from surprise billing ban, to get scrutiny from federal committee (HealthCareDive)

• Private equity-owned air ambulances receive bigger payments, issue more surprise bills (Beckers)

• Hospital Ransomware Attacks Go Beyond Health Care Data (SecurityIntel)

• Millions of Patients Receive Healthcare Data Breach Notifications (HealthIT)

• Pandemic drove less care, fewer medical bills for Minnesota patients in 2020 (Star Tribune)

• How Rural Communities Are Losing Their Pharmacies (KHN)

• How COVID-19 Impacted The Individual Health Insurance Marketplace (Health Payer)

• Medicare Part B Premium Jumps Dramatically for 2022 (Kiplinger/MSN)

• ACA coverage less affordable over time for middle-class families, study finds (Biznews)

• Analysis of health insurance data shows possible long-term health implications of COVID-19 (MedicalXpress)

• Medicare Punishes 2,499 Hospitals for High Readmissions (KHN)

• UnitedHealth lawsuit claims TeamHealth upcoded claims for $100M in fraud (FierceHealth)

• Higher Healthcare Utilization, Intensity Drive Healthcare Spending (RevCycle)

• AHA Report Summary

• The Provider Relief Fund distribution formula may have left some higher-need hospitals at a disadvantage, study finds (HFMA)

• Study:Association Between COVID-19 Relief Funds and Hospital Characteristics in the US
• Related: CARES funding to hospitals hit hard by COVID-19 was unevenly distributed, study finds (HealthcareDive)

• 3 States to Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care (NBCNewYork)

• WebMD Ranks 'Best in Class' Health Systems Across the Country (WebMD)

• Air Ambulance Costs Increased From 2017 to 2020 (AJMC)

• The high cost of just getting to the hospital (MSN)

• Here's what's behind 3 recent ASC certificate-of-need disputes (Beckers)

• Riverside Health System enters health insurance business with launch of Medicare HMO plan [Insurance Net/Daily Press]

• Provider believes re-launch of Kynect will result in more Kentuckians with health insurance (WDRB)

• Long-term COVID-19 could affect millions, particularly younger adults (The Almanac)

• Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Others Form ‘Advanced Care at Home Coalition’ (Home Health Care News)

• Characterizing Patient Flow After an Academic Hospital Merger and Acquisition (AJMC)

• Walgreens invests $330M in CareCentrix in post-acute care bet (HealthcareDive)

• Best Buy’s Current Health acquisition signals it’s elbowing into mainstream healthcare (InsiderIntel)

• Scrutiny of risk adjustment practices looms over Medicare Advantage as open enrollment starts (Fierce Health)

• 4 charts showing how health care spending has changed (BenefitsPro)

• Anesthesiologists ask for investigation on alleged UnitedHealth anti-competitive actions (Beckers)

• Congressional Budget Office Confirms The Folly And Waste Of Expanded Obamacare Subsidies (Forbes)

• Insurance Focused on Virtual Visits? The Pros and Cons of a New Twist in Health Plans (Medcape/KHN)

• COVID-19 led to a telehealth boom - now investors are betting it's here to stay (Business Insider)
• Telemedicine is here to stay, but how much you pay for a visit could change (Union Democrat)
• Telehealth Reimbursement Needed to Address Demand, Staffing Issues (RevCycle)

• A new partnership will provide CDC with de-identified health data for long-term and post-acute care facility residents to support of public health (HITInfrastructure)

• Surprise billing rule has providers fuming over insurer-friendly policies (Atlanta Business Journal)

• CMS unveils another surprise-billing rule: 12 things to know (Beckers)

• Maryland health care payment model reduces costs and complications, study shows (Houston Magazine)

• Study: Assessment of Costs and Care Quality Associated With Major Surgical Procedures After Implementation of Maryland’s Capitated Budget Model

• Survey Shows Staffing shortages at critical levels for long-term care facilities, according to survey (Herald Dispatch)

• AHCAA & NCAL Survey Resutls Summary (PDF)

• AMA Publishes New Study Monitoring Competition In U.S. Health Insurance (Insurancenet)

•  Competition in Health Insurance: A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Markets (PDF)

In the News

Blogs We Follow

Popular Site Destinations

Job Bank

No current postings at AHPA

Federal Agency Blogs

COVID-19 Information

Starting Points:

• U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• Cases, Data & Surveillance
• Covide Science Updates (Weekly)

• State Health Departments
• NACCHO Directory Local Health Departments
• CMS Nursing Home Covid Data (1st report 5/24/2020)

• Related GAO Report: Infection Control Deficiencies Were Widespread and Persistent in Nursing Homes Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic

Guides & Resources for Reopening Workspaces:

• Kaiser Permanente Releases COVID-19 Playbook: Planning For The Next Normal At Work
• CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

• CDC Workplace Decision Tree
• Summary of CDC guidelines on reopening businesses after the pandemic (Tech Republic)

Additional Resources:

• Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR) Report Summary on Pandemic and Rural Hospital Closure Risk
• Four COVID Vaccines Compared (Medscape)
• CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations
• The Costs of Coronavirus (JAMA Network)
• Largest COVID-19 contact tracing study to date finds children key to spread, evidence of superspreaders (Princeton)
• Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (National Acadamies 2020)
• National Insitutes of Health
• John Hopkins ABX Guide: Coronavirus COVID-19
• The Covid Tracking Project:
• Oxford Martin School’s Our World Data -Covid 19
• University Of Minnesotta CIDRAP Covid Resources
• JAMA Sponsored Live Stream Q & A with CDC
• Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 News and Reports
• NEJM : A collection of articles and other resources on the Coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): COVID-19 Resources
• Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens Webinars (You Tube Channel)

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