Behavioral Health Integration Program:

Behavioral health integration (BHI) was added to Medicare’s care management programs in January 2017, reimbursing physicians and non-physicians for BHI services provided to patients with mental, behavioral, or psychiatric conditions. Since the introduction of BHI, Medicare has continued to update the billing codes and expand the reimbursement opportunities for providers aiding the millions of Americans living with a mental health disorder.

Medicare's...

How Health Orgs Prepare for Senior Patients, Chronic Care Management

Healthcare organizations are stepping up to the plate when it comes to older adult care and chronic care management, according to a recent report from BDO Center for Healthcare Excellence & Innovation. The report, which was informed by an NEJM Catalyst survey, found that healthcare organizations are looking into home health services, strong chronic disease plans, and health IT to address the needs of a growing aging population.

Value-Based Payment Adoption Drives 5.6% Reduction in Care Costs

Payers that implemented value-based payment models reduced healthcare costs by an average of 5.6 percent, improved provider collaboration, and created more impactful member engagement, according to a new study from Change Healthcare.

How IT Can Help Support Patient Engagement After Discharge

Until fairly recently, patient engagement was not a business imperative for hospitals. The importance of patient engagement has increased primarily because of two changes in the way Medicare pays healthcare providers—the advent of readmission penalties and the transition to value-based reimbursement.

The Role Nurses Can Play in Bridging the Gap Between Behavioral, Physical Healthcare

A nurse is typically the first person a patient interacts with, and he or she can set the tone for the entire visit. This is especially crucial in treating patients with behavioral health conditions or addiction, as they may be afraid to open up about the situation, said Teresa Jacobson, project manager for the Holistic Health Integration Project in Clermont County, Ohio.

Integrating Behavioral Health, Primary Care can Save Money

The Sustaining Healthcare Across Integrated Primary Care Efforts (SHAPE) demonstration, a Colorado project that integrated behavioral health services into primary care settings, saved about $1.08 million in net cost savings for Medicare, Medicaid and dual-eligible patients, according to a new report in Translational Behavioral Medicine.

Updates for Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Expanded Model:

With the intent of lowering the rate of progression to Type II diabetes and improving overall health, the CMS has finalized the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) expanded model, which will allow qualified providers to begin furnishing MDPP services this year.

Longer Home Health Visits Tied to Lower Hospital Rates

Home health care visits that are longerby just one minutemay be tied to lower hospital readmission rates. That’s the keyfinding from a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

CMS Unveils Strategy to Improve Rural Healthcare

On Tuesday the CMS announced its first Rural Health Strategy, which looks to improve access to and quality of care in rural areas. CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the effort looks to “apply a rural lens to the vision and work of the agency” and was the culmination of input from rural providers and beneficiaries.

The Role of Palliative Care in Pediatrics

Since the 1960s when the hospice movement really began, we have been slowly changing our approach to management of chronic illness. With the addition of palliative care, a defined medical specialty since 2006, we have been able to take the lessons learned in that nearly 60 years of hospice experience and apply them to not only the terminally ill, but also for chronic disease management.