New guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) ensures that individuals in employer-sponsored or individual market health plans will be protected from cost-sharing for completion of colorectal cancer screening through a colonoscopy after a positive screen from a non-invasive, stool-based test or direct visualization. DOL included the guidance in an FAQ issued Jan. 10 that also delineated a requirement that insurers pay for at-home COVID testing. Read More
A new federal law, the No Surprises Act, seeks to protect patients from surprise medical bills. In an interview Tuesday with KATV, ACHI Health Policy Director Craig Wilson explained what surprise billing is and how the law is supposed to work. Read More
Many of us are committing to health behaviors in the new year, including engaging in more physical activity. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has been devastating for gyms, with an estimated 25”’30% closing since the beginning of the pandemic. Read More
The Arkansas Department of Human Services announced Jan. 3. that adult enrollees ages 21 and older in the fee-for-service Medicaid program are now allowed up to six prescriptions per month without prior authorization — a change that took effect on the first of the year, pursuant to Arkansas Act 758 of 2021. Read More
Telemedicine utilization among Medicare beneficiaries was 30 times higher during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the 12 months preceding the pandemic, according to a recent report released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Read More
In an opinion piece for Talk Business & Politics, ACHI Health Policy Director Craig Wilson looks at a new task that healthcare providers are increasingly taking on: addressing patients’ unmet social needs. Read More
In his regular column in the November-December issue of the Healthcare Journal of Arkansas, ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson discusses plans for a first-of-its-kind medical marijuana study to be conducted by researchers with ACHI and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Read More
Arkansas is ranked 30th out of 47 states and the District of Columbia in healthcare affordability in a new analysis from the Altarum Healthcare Value Health. Read More
On Nov. 2, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, which focuses on promoting the use of telehealth and other telecommunications technologies. Read More
