Marc Ryan

Chronic Care Cost-Sharing Targeted A new bill would eliminate Medicare cost-sharing on care coordination services. Supporters argue the cost-sharing on the services creates financial barriers to deploying such services for many. They also argue charging seniors for the behind-the-scenes services is confusing. Further, the services have documented savings, but utilization is low due to the cost-sharing impediment. About 40 healthcare and patient groups have endorsed the measure. #chroniccare #medicare https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/providers-back-new-bipartisan-bill-eliminating-medicare-chronic-care-management-cost Wegovy Gets Boost GoodRx is making available the new higher 7.2 mg dose of Wegovy for weight loss at $399 per month. This is a boost to embattled drug maker Novo Nordisk, which has lost major market share in the weight-loss drug market to Eli Lilly. #weightlossdrugs #drugpricing https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/telehealth/goodrx-launches-72-mg-wegovy-dose-self-pay-patients-399-month Most Physician Pay Up Average physician pay rose about 3% between 2024 and 2025, from $374,000 to $386,000. #providers #healthcare https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/physician-compensation-3-2025-not-all-specialties-saw-raises-medscape Wakely: Exchange Enrollment Could Fall Further Wakely Consulting examined latest enrollment

Bill Would Force Insurers To Count DTC Drugs Against Deductible, MOOP North Carolina Republican Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, has introduced a new bill that would compel insurers to apply the cost for drugs purchased from direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms to deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums (MOOPs) in insurance. Using these platforms, patients can often find prices that cost far less out-of-pocket, especially for brand drugs, Murphy’s office said. #drugpricing #dtc #branddrugmakers #healthplans https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/bill-seeks-force-payers-apply-dtc-drug-purchases-patient-deductibles Safety Net Hospitals Lag On Cost Reporting An analysis published in JAMA Network Open finds that hospitals serving more disadvantaged populations lag on complying with price transparency regulations.  #pricetransparency #hospitals https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/hospitals-more-disadvantaged-patients-fall-short-price-transparency-study — Marc S. Ryan

Healthcare Costs Vary Across Regions A new report titled the Health Cost Landscape from the Health Care Cost Institute found that healthcare spending per person with employer coverage was $6,711 but the figure can vary significantly by region. Spending was 70% higher than the national average in Charleston, West Virginia, while costs were 41% below the national average in Bakersfield, California. The report looked at more than 1.3 billion medical claims submitted from 2018 to 2022, with data from 38 million people. The report also found that the price of services, utilization trends and the types of services used all contribute to the spending figures. Prices were the largest driver in variation. Most of the metropolitan areas included in the study were highly concentrated hospital markets, with 88% either highly or very highly concentrated. #healthcare #costs #employercoverage https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/healthcare-spending-varies-widely-between-metropolitan-areas-hcci ACCESS Winners Announced The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced

New Drug PA Requirements In Government Programs Notwithstanding the voluntary prior authorization reforms, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new proposed rule that extends recent non-pharmacy prior authorization requirements to retail drug requests. In the case of retail drugs, urgent requests would have to be fulfilled in government programs within 24 hours, with all others in 72 hours. The requirement is within a broader Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs rule. The PA requirements are effective October 1, 2027. The rule would also require insurers to publicly report certain metrics around prior authorization, including approval and denial rates, appeal outcomes, and decision timeframes. As well, CMS is proposing to require payers to support three National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) standards—the SCRIPT, Formulary & Benefit (F&B), and Real-Time Prescription Benefit (RTPB) standards–beginning October 1, 2027. The proposed standards allow providers to query formulary information,

Priority Health Overpayment Audit The Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) says Priority Health may have collected at least $4.4 million in Medicare Advantage (MA) overpayments throughout 2018 and 2019. The targeted audit focused on ten high-risk diagnosis groups. Auditors found medical records did not back diagnosis codes across 252 of 300 sampled enrollee-years, prompting $828,010 in net MA overpayments — an 84% error rate. OIG says many codes were for a previous diagnosis that was no longer active. #medicareadvantage #radv #riskadjustment #overpayments https://www.beckerspayer.com/legal/priority-health-estimated-to-have-received-4-4m-in-overpayments-audit/ Wakely Details LEAD A great Wakely Consulting white paper detailing the ACO LEAD model, which will succeed ACO Reach and run from 2027–2036. LEAD will eliminate rebasing (locking in base years), expand capitation and specialist risk-sharing, integrate high-needs populations into a unified ACO structure, and offer more flexible alignment mechanisms. Benchmarking and value-based care incentives also evolve along while strengthening quality incentives