| Bipartisan coalition looks to solve problem of individual market
In the wake of the Congress’ failure to pass a bill repealing and replacing Obamacare, the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus is advancing a set of principles aimed at bringing stability to a shaky insurance market. READ MORE
Skilled-nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities will get pay increases next year, but nowhere near the ones they got for 2017. READ MORE
There has been a recent wave of consolidation among contract research organizations as companies look to grow their pharmaceutical services and cut costs. READ MORE
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MARKETS/FINANCIALS
Poor earnings, rather than ACA repeal efforts, now pressure hospital stocks Hospital stocks have received a one-two punch thanks to the Senate’s attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and a poor start to the second-quarter earnings season. READ MORE
Zuckerberg and Chan donate $10 million to UCSF for big-data projects The money from the pediatrician and her Facebook co-founder husband will fund several big-data projects including one to unite health records from several medical campuses into one database. READ MORE
PAYMENT
What’s the right Rx for lowering hospital readmissions? Skilled-nursing facilities are changing their operations in reaction to the ongoing push to minimize hospital readmission rates. Worried about losing out on Medicare payments, some facilities are investing in unique approaches. READ MORE
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LAW AND REGULATION
Florida healthcare official charged in $1B Medicare/Medicaid fraud case The healthcare administrator allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for helping a nursing home owner accused of orchestrating a $1 billion Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme keep his license, federal prosecutors said. READ MORE
CMS seeks to automate hospice selection process The CMS will change an enrollment policy that prevented hospices from being reimbursed for nearly 90,000 days of end-of-life care for Medicare beneficiaries. That amounted to more than $14 million in lost revenue. READ MORE
POLITICS AND POLICY
Alabama scuttles plans for managed care Alabama killed plans to switch its Medicaid program to managed care due to uncertainty over the future of federal Medicaid funding and strict federal rules. READ MORE
House moves to extend choice program, end VA budget crisis The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a $3.9 billion emergency spending package to address a budget shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs that threatens medical care for thousands of veterans. READ MORE
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