MHA Today is provided as a service to members of the Missouri Hospital Association. Additional information is available online at MHAnet. Connect with us on LinkedIn. Celebrate Missouri hospitals by visiting mohospitals.com. In This Issue U.S. Department of Justice Sues To Block Insurance Mergers CMS Data Brief Explains Distribution Of Hospital Quality Star Ratings National Academies Release Social Risk Factors Analysis MLN Connects Provider eNews Available DHSS Posts Economic Impact Of CAHs Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital Names New President
Health Law Insight
Staff Contact: Jane Drummond The Department of Justice, along with several states, moved to block the Aetna/Humana and Anthem/Cigna mergers in two separate lawsuits filed today. The actions claim that the mergers, which involve four of the five largest health insurers, violate the Clayton Act and would result in higher prices and reduced benefits while stifling innovation needed to improve the quality of care. The department alleges that individuals who buy insurance through the public exchanges will be harmed by both mergers, including consumers in 14 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. The DOJ also claims that the Aetna/Humana merger would virtually eliminate competition in the Medicare Advantage market in hundreds of counties across the nation, including 54 counties in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Insurance based its recent denial of a post-merger license to Aetna on similar grounds. Back To Top
Regulatory News the latest actions of agencies monitoring health care
Staff Contact: Andrew Wheeler The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a data brief about the distribution of hospitals under the Overall Hospital Star Ratings system. CMS states that the star rating system is intended to reflect comprehensive quality information about the care provided within hospitals. Although the date of publication is unknown, CMS states that the ratings will be posted shortly. The data brief provides details about the measures used, the methodology and sources of data. The brief also illustrates the current distribution of star ratings. Back To Top
Staff Contact: Andrew Wheeler The National Academies Press released the third in a series of five reports which analyze the influence of social risk factors on the Medicare pay-for-performance programs. The report identifies potential criteria for determining whether social risk factors should be accounted for, then identifies potential metrics and methods in the application of social risk factors to quality, resource use or other measures used within the Medicare payment programs. Researchers provided eight conclusions.
Staff Contact: Andrew Wheeler The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issues updates to MLN Connects Provider eNews. eNews includes information about national provider calls, meetings, events, announcements and other MLN educational product updates. The latest issue provides updates and summaries of the following.
Noteworthy
Staff Contact: Jim Mikes The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services has posted a brief titled “The Economic Impact of Critical Access Hospitals.” This report calculates the downstream economic impact of CAHs and may be a useful tool for informing hospital boards and community stakeholders. Back To Top
CEO Announcements
Staff Contact: Carol Boessen Trish Lollo has been named President of Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis, effective Aug. 15. Lollo has been with Barnes-Jewish Hospital since 2011 and served as vice president of oncology services at the Siteman Cancer Center, as well as laboratories and radiology. Before joining Barnes-Jewish Hospital, she served as associate administrator of oncology services for the University of California San Diego Health System. She succeeds Doug Black, who left in January. A list of CEO changes is available online. Back To Top
In 2012, nearly 5,000 emergency department visits were linked to chemicals in pools. Almost half of the patients needing care were under 18 years old. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention