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CMMI
Welcome to the Weekly Gist, where we distill the latest healthcare news, trends and our conversations with industry leaders into actionable guidance for CEOs and senior executives.
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November
16
The Weekly Gist: The Gobble, Gobble Edition
by Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz MD
Walmart gets serious about spine surgery, Medicaid may start paying rent for enrollees, Oscar takes a Blues plan to court, and we look at new evidence on hospital mergers. All that, plus we binge on Orson Welles for Thanksgiving dessert!
Reading time: 15 minutes
Tags: Alex Azar, bad debt, CMMI, cost of care, Florida Blue, Medicaid, mergers, Orson Welles, Oscar, Walmart
May
25
The Weekly Gist: The Medicare Gold Rush Edition
by Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz MD
With news of more payers looking to acquire home health and hospice assets, we analyze the ongoing jockeying for position in the Medicare risk space. Also, a report from the future (artificial intelligence), and from the low-tech present (barber shops). And we recommend an alt-rocker from Down Under!
Reading time: 12 minutes
May
11
The Weekly Gist: The Murmurs and Reckonings Edition
by Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz MD
We read the tea leaves from remarks made by Alex Azar and Seema Verma about the future direction of health reform efforts and provide our own list of levers to reduce the cost of care. Also: data on the unsustainable burden of high-deductible plans, and the unusual prospect of genomic sequencing for all.
Reading time: 12 minutes
Tags: ACOs, Alex Azar, CMMI, cost of care, drug costs, freestanding EDs, genomics, high deductibles, HLTH, Medicare, R.E.M., Seema Verma
May
04
The Weekly Gist: The Star Wars Edition
by Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz MD
Big deals afoot among health systems: one moves to acquire a leading health plan; another doubles in size by taking over a postacute chain. Meanwhile, we take stock of Medicare innovation pilots, and share our favorite healthcare blogs to follow. Plus: high art and civilization!
Reading time: 12 minutes
April
27
The Weekly Gist: The Birth and Death Edition
by Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz MD
We begin with a birth announcement and end with a look at the funeral industry and its many parallels to healthcare. Between the bookends, hints at a new direction for CMS, and a must-read report from the other side of the pond on the many attempts to transform Britain’s strained National Health System.
Reading time: 12 minutes