Access to Care News and Resources for Healthcare

Reshaping the PBM, Payer Relationship Could Improve Access to Care

March 4, 2024 - Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health insurers have significant influence on prescription drug costs and, as a result, on access to care, but the traditional model for this relationship may not support affordability. PBMs were designed to alleviate payers of the responsibility of coordinating with pharmaceutical manufacturers. While the services that PBMs provide are...

How Lawmakers Use Shield Laws to Protect Abortion Care Access

November 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff

Shield laws have become a key tool for states in which abortion is legal to further protect abortion care access for people living out of state. The laws are set up to help individuals living in abortion-restriction states get the...

Enhancing Clinical Trial Diversity and Access in the US

July 17, 2023 by Alivia Kaylor

In this episode of Healthcare Strategies, Liz Beatty, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Inato, shared insights on the efforts to enhance clinical diversity and access in the United States. By...

Can Healthcare Confront Primary Care Access Shortages With NPs?

May 15, 2023 by Sara Heath

Healthcare is on the precipice of having 100 million people lack access to primary care, a problem that could have catastrophic downstream impacts. But according to April Kapu, the president of the...

Breaking the Stigma of Male Infertility to Promote Greater Health Equity

March 27, 2023 by Alivia Kaylor

Male infertility is a growing concern affecting millions of people worldwide. According to recent trends, male infertility accounts for 40–50% of infertility cases and affects roughly 7% of all...

Humana’s Shift to Public Insurance, CMS Proposes Changes to DSH Program

February 28, 2023 by Hayden Schmidt

This week, CMS proposed a rule that would update requirements for the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program following the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. And insurance giant Humana...

How Specialty Pharmacies Enhance Patient Outcomes with Digital Tools

February 13, 2023 by Alivia Kaylor

By leveraging several tailored communication methods, specialty pharmacies can improve patient engagement and outcomes using digital tools. Digital-driven tools, such as patient portals, mobile apps...

Introducing Gender-Affirming Care to Primary Care Settings, Telehealth Services

December 19, 2022 by Alivia Kaylor

Although primary care clinics offer numerous beneficial healthcare services to patients, they often fall short of delivering effective gender-affirming care (GAC), which requires empathy, trust, and...

How Telehealth Legislation Will Evolve During the Pandemic & Beyond

June 20, 2022 by Anuja Vaidya

The significant spike in the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic was made possible by numerous legislative waivers that were quickly enacted as in-person care stalled. Two years later, many...

How to Boost Virtual Care Access, Eliminate Demographic Barriers

May 23, 2022 by Kelsey Waddill

Despite a surge in virtual care utilization, virtual care access remains challenging for many individuals across the US, particularly due to cultural and geographic barriers. Adam Hornung, executive...

OIG Identifies Unnecessary Denials, Delays by Medicare Advantage Plans

May 03, 2022 by Kyle Murphy, PhD

The Medicare Advantage program has proven quite lucrative for commercial health plans over the years, but a federal agency is calling into question whether certain business practices are leading to...

VA EHR Project Scrutinized in New Report, Cybersecurity in the $1.5T Budget Bill

March 23, 2022 by Hayden Schmidt

A recent report from the Office of the Investigator General detailed multiple issues that the VA experienced in a pilot test of its new EHR software. The report found critical problems with the...

Healthcare Workforce Shortages to Likely Continue for Next Few Years

January 25, 2022 by Kyle Murphy, PhD

Healthcare talent shortages are expected to remain an ongoing challenge for healthcare organizations as a strained workforce looks for greener pastures elsewhere, barring significant changes to...

Expert Predictions on 2022 Consumer-Centered Healthcare Strategies

January 03, 2022 by Kelsey Waddill

Consumer-centered healthcare strategies will manifest in healthcare professionals’ interactions with consumers through improving health equity and increasing patient access to care, as well as in...

Medicare FFS Telehealth Visits Eclipsed 52.7 Million in 2020

December 07, 2021 by Kyle Murphy, PhD

What is the future of telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries? Data shows utilization skyrocketed between 2019 and 2020. Medicare Telehealth Use Reached New Heights in 2020 In one year, telehealth...

Rare Disease Has an Outsize Effect on Medicaid Spending, Utilization

November 16, 2021 by Kyle Murphy, PhD

Despite increased utilization and spending under Medicare, individuals with sickle cell disease are not seeing a reduction in mortality rates. Low-Income Areas Tied to Poor Care Access,...

Three Key Targets for Payers During Medicare Open Enrollment

November 08, 2021 by Kelsey Waddill

Affordability, simplicity, and accessibility remain the three targets that payers aim to hit during Medicare open enrollment season, according to Christopher Ciano, president of Aetna Medicare. Listen...

Pandemic Continues to Take Toll on Provider Financial Performance

November 02, 2021 by Kyle Murphy, PhD

Labor expenses and declining patient volumes are having a significant impact on provider financial performance throughout 2021. Hospital Volumes Declining, Healthcare Expenses Rising Healthcare...

Staffing Shortages Increasingly Impacting Healthcare Industry

September 28, 2021 by Kyle Murphy, PhD

The coming winter could prove calamitous for the healthcare industry due to a perfect storm of staffing shortages, COVID-19, and flu season. Clearly, more relief and mitigation efforts...

Administration Tackles Access to Care, FTC Expands Breach Rule

September 22, 2021 by Hayden Schmidt

The Biden-Harris administration continues its focus on expanding healthcare access as CMS and HHS announce three new initiatives that increase access to Medicare, Medicaid, and maternal care across the...

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