October 01, 2006
Paul Handel, MD, has enjoyed a long, distinguished career as a physician in Texas, and now he wears two distinctive hats-neither of which is a Stetson.
May 01, 2006
Every time a new stop light goes up in a growing neighborhood,BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BlueCross) wants to have acustomer within a block of it. This health plan, nested withsubsidiary businesses, has prioritized growth through an aggressivebranching out from its core competencies. Half of its totalbusiness comes from selling products to other healthcareorganizations.
May 01, 2006
Every time a new stop light goes up in a growing neighborhood,BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BlueCross) wants to have acustomer within a block of it. This health plan, nested withsubsidiary businesses, has prioritized growth through an aggressivebranching out from its core competencies. Half of its totalbusiness comes from selling products to other healthcareorganizations.
December 01, 2005
Just mentioning "contract negotiations" can put plans and providers on the defensive or maybe even the offensive. The sometimes-contentious relationship between the two, triggered by the high cost of healthcare and complaints from providers about not being paid enough, escalates while both parties try to come to some kind of agreement.
October 01, 2005
The high cost of emergency department (ED) care is a concern for commercial and government insurers, hospitals, physicians and patients. Two-thirds of EDs operate at full capacity or over capacity, a situation exacerbated by increased ED visits from both insured and uninsured patients. Software applications that automate the ED can help improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. Payer organizations should be aware of four key adoption trends in ED automation.
October 01, 2005
While healthcare is highly competitive from a business perspective, when it comes to the actual delivery of care, everyone is on the same team. The ultimate goal is to provide the best possible care at the lowest possible cost, and that's exactly why the Cleveland Clinic created its Disease Management Project.
September 01, 2005
Critics contend that DTC promotion boosts medical costs.
April 01, 2005
About three years ago I asked a large group of health plan executives if they knew how much they spend annually for ?specialty pharmacy? products. Few could respond, and virtually none had launched any efforts to control the then unknown rapid increase in these costs.Today, this is not the case.