.jpg)
To speed technology modernization efforts, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established an Office of Health Technology and Products (OHTP) to provide enterprise leadership and oversight for CMS healthcare technology and digital products. A document published in the Federal Register said the new office will oversee the design, development, delivery, and operation of CMS digital products and platforms, including beneficiary-, provider-, and state-facing systems.
Telehealth utilization increased 10.1% across the U.S. from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first three months of 2026, a new report from Fair Health found. For Q1 2026, mental health conditions topped each diagnostic category for every age group nationally and in every region. At the national level, the overall share of patients with a telehealth claim for a mental health condition was 52.1%. Following mental health, the other diagnostic categories in the top five were acute respiratory diseases and infections, overweight and obesity, endocrine and metabolic disorders and joint and soft tissue diseases.
Multicare CFO: Decades of CMS Underpayment is Creating an Unfair Two-Tiered System
MultiCare CFO James Lee said decades of government underpayment have pushed U.S. healthcare to a breaking point. He thinks the nation is headed toward a two-tier system — one for patients with commercial coverage, and another for those covered through CMS. Hospitals have historically offset the government’s underpayment for Medicare and Medicaid patients by charging commercial health plans more, but Lee noted employers are becoming increasingly unwilling to fund this.
OIG Report Reveals High Denial Rates for Long-Term Care in Medicare Advantage Plans
The National Association of Long Term Hospitals (NALTH) has highlighted findings from a newly released report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), which found that the nation’s three largest Medicare Advantage organizations (MAOs) denied requests for long-term acute care hospital (LTCH) and inpatient rehabilitation facility services at some of the highest rates within the Medicare Advantage program.
47% of US adults say corporate health insurers ‘primary drivers’ of rising health costs
As healthcare costs continue to spike in the U.S., a new survey from the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare found that nearly half of Americans (47%) view corporate health insurers as the primary driver behind affordability issues. The federal government and drug companies followed closely behind, at 36% and 34% respectively.
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn