In the U.S., a person’s health status is impacted by a variety of factors such as race/ethnicity, disability status, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, geography, and more. These differences in society are linked to inequalities in health status that are referred to as health care disparities. The CDC defines health disparities as “preventable differences in the … Read more
Salt Lake City, August 8, 2017 – Today, Leavitt Partners released “Price, Consumer Choice, and Health Care Marketplaces,” a new white paper addressing the need for more clarity about what dynamics are driving consumer choice in the health insurance marketplaces. Using data on plan premiums, brand, network size, and the exchange-eligible population for ten total … Read more
Dual eligibles, individuals enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, are among the highest-need, highest cost patients in the United States. Although it is difficult to determine the exact number of dual eligibles, a 2012 Kaiser Family Foundation report estimates that dual eligibles comprise 21 percent of the Medicare population and 15 percent of the Medicaid population. However, … Read more
Salt Lake City, June 23, 2017 — Leavitt Partners is pleased to announce that the firm will present 10 research posters and provide three presentations, supported by eleven researchers, at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in New Orleans, LA June 25-27, 2017. The ARM is the premier forum for health services research, with a … Read more
Introduction Dual-eligible enrollees account for a disproportionately sizeable proportion of spending in both Medicare and Medicaid programs. However, until recently, these nearly 11.5 million[i] enrollees have not been in the spotlight in discussions regarding the move toward value-based payments. One of the biggest challenges in moving dual eligibles to value-based payments is solving the logistical and … Read more
Micro-Hospitals Defined While the health care industry continues to shift from volume to value, costs of inpatient care continue to rise, averaging $2,346 per inpatient per day. Consequently, payers and providers are seeking new ways to reduce hospital length of stay (LOS) and deliver care at less costly locations. One such mechanism is the emerging trend … Read more
The Affordable Care Act turned Medicaid into America’s largest public health care coverage program. While the volume associated with this growing program created increasing opportunities for providers, health systems, health plans, and vendors, these same stakeholders shouldn’t write off opportunities in Medicaid now simply because of the change in direction at the federal level. Instead, … Read more
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report outlining five key areas in which smaller, rural physician practices tend to struggle as they shift from fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based care. Given the unique nature of rural medicine, and the fact that value-based payment will continue to grow, it is important to understand these challenges … Read more
