Managed Care News and Research

RSS

Illness severity and clinical instability linked to risk of psychiatric hospitalization

For patients with psychiatric conditions, illness severity and instability are key factors in predicting future risk of hospitalization, according to a new study by Holmusk, a leading behavioral health real-world evidence and data analytics company, that has been published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

28 Mar 2023

Medicaid health plans try to protect members — and profits — during unwinding

The federal covid-19 pandemic protections that have largely prohibited states from dropping anyone from Medicaid since 2020 helped millions of low-income Americans retain health insurance coverage — even if they no longer qualified — and brought the U.S. uninsured rate to a record low.

9 Mar 2023

UCLA Health receives two-year state grant to expand access to health care services for the homeless

The UCLA Health Homeless Healthcare Collaborative has received a $25.3 million, two-year state grant to expand access and enhance coordination of medical and behavioral health care provided to people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

1 Mar 2023

Government lets health plans that ripped off Medicare keep the money

Medicare Advantage plans for seniors dodged a major financial bullet Monday as government officials gave them a reprieve for returning hundreds of millions of dollars or more in government overpayments — some dating back a decade or more.

30 Jan 2023

Unmet needs: Critics cite failures in health care for vulnerable foster children

One night last month, a 9-year-old boy who had autism and talked about killing himself was among about 70 foster care children and youth under state supervision sleeping in hotels across Georgia.

25 Jan 2023

Centene, under siege in America, moved into Britain’s National Health Service

In the final days of 2020, the U.S. health insurer Centene made a swift incursion into Britain's prized National Health Service, one of the world's largest employers.

22 Dec 2022

Worries about emergency care costs keep older adults from seeking medical attention

Worries about what emergency care might cost them have kept some older adults from seeking medical attention even when they felt they might need it, a new study shows.

16 Dec 2022

Study analyzes Medicaid programs for children with medical complexity

Medicaid eligibility and coverage for children with medical complexity vary substantially by state, which gives rise to health equity concerns, especially if families move across state lines, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in the journal JAMA Network Open. The study focused on Medicaid programs for these children beyond the traditional family income-based eligibility.

1 Nov 2022

Food insufficiency increased in US households by 25% after expiration of Child Tax Credit payments

When Congress failed to renew advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments last year, public health experts feared that the loss of this monthly federal pandemic relief benefit would push millions of families and children in America back into poverty and hunger.

21 Oct 2022

Centene gave thousands to Georgia leaders’ campaigns while facing Medicaid overbilling questions

A health insurance giant that has paid out more than $485 million in legal settlements with states over pharmacy billing allegations has also been a major donor to Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, according to campaign finance records.

18 Oct 2022

Survey: Majority of physicians favor using telehealth for delivering opioid use disorder treatment

A survey of more than 1,000 registered physicians who used telehealth services to treat patients with opioid-use disorder during COVID-19 found that an overwhelming majority favor making telehealth a permanent part of their practice.

13 Oct 2022

Health plan shake-up could disrupt coverage for low-income Californians

Almost 2 million of California's poorest and most medically fragile residents may have to switch health insurers as a result of a new strategy by the state to improve care in its Medicaid program.

27 Sep 2022

Simple phone-based outreach strategy can help engage low-income smokers to try quitting tobacco

New findings published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research show a simple, but valuable approach can help engage low-income smokers to try quitting tobacco.

14 Sep 2022

$Multidisciplinary effort enhances care for older patients with hip fracture$

Multidisciplinary effort enhances care for older patients with hip fracture

A multidisciplinary effort to improve care for older patients who arrive at the emergency room with a hip fracture has decreased the time before they have surgery, shortened hospital stays, and resulted in better follow-up care, UT Southwestern physicians reported in Geriatric Nursing.

5 Sep 2022

Formulary restrictions may increase the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for stroke, and for decades the anticoagulant warfarin was the standard treatment for lowering that hazard. However, numerous drug and food interactions make warfarin burdensome for patients.

10 Aug 2022

Study details post-COVID-19 symptoms and conditions among children and adolescents in the US

In a new study, researchers assessed the incidence of post-COVID-19 symptoms and conditions among children and adolescents.

9 Aug 2022

No-bid Medicaid contract for Kaiser Permanente is now California law, but key details are missing

California lawmakers have approved a controversial no-bid statewide Medi-Cal contract for HMO giant Kaiser Permanente over the objection of county governments and competing health plans.

19 Jul 2022

Study assesses the acceptance of Medicaid insurance among patients diagnosed with cancers

Although there has been a significant increase in the number of U.S. residents insured through Medicaid since the expansion of the Patient Protection and Afforadble Care Act (ACA) in March 2010, the ability of Medicaid-insured patients to access cancer care services has not been well understood.

15 Jul 2022

'Phantom' networks undermine access to mental health care for patients most in need, study says

Amid a surge in demand for mental health care, a new report from researchers at Oregon Health & Science University finds almost six out of 10 in-network providers listed under Oregon Medicaid provider directories are not actually available to see patients.

5 Jul 2022

Caregivers' easy access to produce and flexible resources can lead to improvements in children’s diets

What children eat affects their lifelong health. But influencing their habits can be difficult, especially for underserved families with fewer resources. However, providing caregivers easy access to produce and flexible resources can lead to improvements in kids' diets in a short time, according to a new study from researchers at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

27 May 2022