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A new evidence-based framework aims to establish a U.S. industry standard for measuring health equity efforts. Put out by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the white paper has been in the works for two years. It offers a four-step approach to help healthcare teams across settings identify health disparities. Advancing health equity is defined in the paper as reducing and eliminating health disparities that adversely affect historically underserved groups.
American businesses are burdened by financial healthcare costs that far exceed those of their global counterparts. In the U.S., per capita healthcare spending (in 2023) was more than $13,400, while other developed countries spent an average of $7,400. This means comparable countries spent an average of 55 cents for every dollar we spent on healthcare, per person. The significant direct cost of employee healthcare often influences where companies choose to grow or allocate resources. For many employers, healthcare costs may force them to hire fewer workers, reduce benefits or limit investment in innovation. That ripple effect is felt across the economy.
CMS has awarded four contracts for companies to help establish a national healthcare provider directory. The agency granted the $1 awards Sept. 30 to Availity, the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, Palantir and Gainwell Technologies for “proof of concepts for the development of the national provider directory.” The contracts expire Nov. 13.
CMS slows technical support for rural health fund despite looming deadline
The CMS is reducing technical support for states applying to the Rural Health Transformation Program ahead of next month’s application deadline, citing impacts from the government shutdown. The federal government launched the $50 billion program this summer, billing it as an opportunity for states to invest in rural health, including through provider recruitment initiatives and emergent technologies. It has a tight turnaround window — applications opened Sept. 15 and are due Nov. 5.
Humana, Providence Leverage FHIR to Streamline Data Exchange
Insurance company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) and Providence, a Washington-based health system with 51 hospitals, are working on an initiative to streamline data exchange that they say is setting a new standard for interoperability between payers and providers in support of value-based care. By leveraging national HL7 FHIR standards, Da Vinci Project Implementation Guides and modern application programming interfaces (APIs), the data exchange initiative is designed to empower clinicians with timely, actionable insights while reducing administrative complexity and protecting patient privacy.
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