April 21, 2023
Payers | Tea Leaves
  • Express Scripts will increase reimbursement for independent rural pharmacies, whose ranks havecontinued to dwindle over the past decade. Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefit manager of insurer Cigna, plans to pay more to rural pharmacies that aren’t affiliated with a drug wholesaler, as well as increase outcome-based reimbursement, such as metrics related to drug adherence. (Article here)
  • The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) unveiled a public database containing ownership information on more than 6,000 hospices and 11,000 home health agencies that receive Medicare reimbursement. The database aims to increase transparency in health care by making it easier to determine the ownership of Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies. The announcement builds on the Biden administration’s efforts topromote competition and protect consumers. (Article here)