In one of the largest healthcare deals to date, Kaiser Permanente is acquiring Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health and investing $5 billion to fold it into a new nonprofit subsidiary called Risant Health, which is set to purchase additional medical groups in coming years.
While regulators still must review this initial acquisition, the marriage of Kaiser and Geisinger would create a behemoth with more than $100 billion in annual revenue — 95% of it coming from the Kaiser side of the equation.
Like Kaiser, Geisinger both owns hospitals — 10 of them — and operates its own health insurance program. Unlike California-based…
Health Insurance
Neighborhood health clinic plans to open in this northeast Wichita church and school
A neighborhood clinic opening Saturday at a northeastern Wichita church and school aims to offer close-to-home primary care and reduce costs for people without health insurance.
The grand opening of the Holy Family Fairmount clinic will be part of a community health fair that will include diabetes and blood pressure checks in addition to music, food and face painting from 10 am to 2 pm
The clinic, at Holy Savior Catholic Church and Academy, 3000 E. 13th St. N., will offer primary care services to patients of all ages. It is a satellite office of Holy Family Medical and offers…
What is a Medical Power of Attorney?
One document that we recommend for almost all of our estate planning clients is a Medical Durable Power of Attorney. This document allows you to select the person who will make medical decisions on your behalf, if you are incapacitated or unable to make them yourself.
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A Medical Durable Power of Attorney is an essential document, as no one can predict their incapacity.
This legal document allows you to list medical…
State alleges Health Partners illegally denied mental health coverage, says the company is cooperating
Updated: 2:00 p.m
Minnesota officials hit Bloomington-based insurance and health care company Health Partners with a consent order for allegedly violating laws related to mental health parity.
State and federal laws prohibit health insurance companies from evaluating mental health diagnoses or treatments more stringently than they do for other forms of care.
“This is one example of our commitment to enforcing mental health parity laws and making sure that Minnesotans can get access to the coverage that they’ve paid for,” said Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold. “We want to make sure that people have fewer barriers, and this is a way…
“High performance network” health care insurance plans to leave patients with unexpected medical debt
A Tennessee family faced a potentially catastrophic situation when Joe Smith — a husband and father of four — was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Smith, of Chattanooga, had health insurance through his job with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, but the insurance company refused to pay for the surgery necessary to prevent a life-threatening rupture.
“We knew that he kind of had this ticking time bomb in his head,” Stacie Smith, Joe’s wife, said.
The insurer claimed that the neurosurgeon that Smith’s family had chosen was out of the network, and the plan had no coverage for out-of-network…
Sun Life’s innovative approach to mental health treatment
“Becoming a first-time mother has been incredibly exciting and fulfilling. However, I found myself needing extra support for my mental health,” she said. “There were several barriers preventing me from getting this, including cost. I was able to navigate my situation by working with a Mental Health Coach. A quick response and an action plan were what I needed and helped me to feel better.”
Half of all disability claims for people under 44 are for mental diseases, making younger Canadians the group most affected by mental health problems. With MHC’s individualized and proactive approach, participants can take control of…
Can Your Practice Afford a Data Breach?
Probably not.
A recent study found that the total average cost of a healthcare breach is $10.10 million.
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Can your healthcare practice afford a breach? Most healthcare entities cannot.
Since 2020, healthcare breach costs have risen by 42%.
As we know healthcare breaches are incessant, it is important to understand trends.
The trends that have emerged over the past few years are:
Repeat attacks. Many healthcare entities have seen repeat attacks.…
UC San Diego Health Spotlights SMART Health Insurance Cards
highlights
– First demonstration of the new QR code standard for health insurance cards.
– New model will allow providers to scan QR code, verify its authenticity and ingest the data into their systems automatically.
– Collaborating partners include UC San Diego Health, UC Irvine Health, UCLA Health, UCSF Health, UC Davis Health, UCR Health, Evernorth Health Services, Healthcare Financial Management Association, The Commons Project, VCI Coalition and CARIN Alliance.
SMART Health Insurance Card Initiative
During a digital health symposium this week, Christopher Longhurst, MD, with UC San Diego Health, pulled up a QR code from his phone’s digital wallet,…