September 22, 2021
Payers
  • A report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General found that health insurers received $9.2 billion from Medicare in one year through controversial billing methods that may have allowed the companies to “inappropriately” inflate their payments. The report, which adds to the growing scrutiny of how insurers bill through Medicare Advantage, found 20 companies accounted for more than half of the payments. (Article here; Report here)
  • Data from UnitedHealth Group indicates that the number of patient visits for chronic kidney care dropped by approximately 26 percent in the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers say a total of 1.56 million in-person visits between March 1 and June 30, 2020, 40 percent less than the 2.74 million in-person visits they expected to see. Telehealth visits supplemented in-person care by almost 14 percent, leaving a utilization deficit of around 26 percent. (Article here)