Here are seven updates:
Colorado to vote on universal healthcare in 2016
Coloradans will vote on whether Colorado will be the first state to implement universal healthcare. The initiative, ColoradoCare, will be featured on the 2016 ballot and listed as Initiative 20, "State Health Care System."
More physicians not selling practices
A recent CareCloud Practice Profitability Index survey found nearly 59 percent of physicians are not planning to sell or merge. In 2014, 54 percent of respondents said they were not planning to sell or merge their practice.
Blue Cross Blue Shield creates a new patient-focused care network, Blue Distinction Total Care
Total Care is comprised of nearly 450 patient-focused care programs with approximately 118,000 medical professionals across 37 states. The plan emphasizes the need to spend time on prevention, holistic care and personalized care planning for patients.
Medical Facilities reports Q3 results
Medical Facilities reported revenue from operations of $73.1 million, down 1.5 percent, from the same period the year prior. The company's income from continuing operations fell to $14.7 million in the third quarter compared to $16.6 million for the third quarter of 2014.
2 Mass. physicians agree to pay $445k for illegally charging opiate addiction patients
Two physicians in Massachusetts are paying $445,720 for allegedly charging opiate addiction treatment patients cash for services that were already covered by Medicaid. Investigators found Joshua Golden, MD, and Masoud Shahidi, MD, to allegedly require members of MassHealth — the state's Medicaid program — to pay out-of-pocket for Suboxone treatment.
Physician organizations urge federal antitrust enforcers to stop insurance mega-mergers
The American Medical Association sent a letter to the Department of Justice imploring the agency to ban the recent insurance mega-merger deals last week. The AMA urges the Department of Justice to block the pending Anthem/Cigna and Aetna/Humana mergers, claiming the mergers would stifle competition.
Regent Surgical Health promotes 4 leadership positions
Regent Surgical Health promoted four team members to new leadership positions. The promotions include:
1. Kathleen Bernicky, RN, is promoted to vice president of risk management and clinical operations.
2. Christine Henry Musa is promoted to vice president of development/analytics.
3. Michael Orseno is promoted to vice president of revenue cycle management.
4. Andrea Woodell is promoted to vice president of managed care.
For more on the promotions, click here.
More healthcare news:
5 key design points on Memorial Sloan Kettering's new Josie Robertson Surgery Center
Resurgens Orthopaedics, The Orthopaedic South Surgical Center host coat drive: 5 key notes
Utah School of Medicine receives $75k grant from AMA to research medical school costs: 5 notes