- Cigna was planning on launching a dental health rating system in 2015 – until the New York State Dental Society stopped the plan.
http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2014-archive/october/cigna-launches-rating-system-that-ada-calls-scientifically-flawed - Highmark executive pay structure under fire (more industry salary discussion in the article)
http://triblive.com/business/headlines/7153144-74/health-million-highmark - United Health has a executive shake up:
The nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group, announced changes Wednesday to its lineup of top executives, including the departure of executive vice president (CEO) Gail Boudreaux.
- Humana’s revenues are up, but profit is down 21%
http://www.healthcaredive.com/news/humana-revenues-soar-in-q3-but-profits-plunge/333149/ - Samsung announces partnership with several health companies including Aetna and Cigna
What’s not clear here is how well these platforms will be able to integrate data into EMRs. With Epic Systems being the only EMR vendor working with any of these players to date, linking up any of these platforms smoothly with other EMRs is still in question. Still, it seems likely the IT powerhouses like Apple, Samsung and Microsoft will soon find robust EMR partners that can link up with their platforms. It’s not a question of if, but when.
- Highmark conducting study to see if lifestyle factors into MS diagnosis:
http://www.bcbs.com/healthcare-news/plans/highmark-innovative-pilot-to-learn-if-lifestyle-factors-can-predict-ms-symptoms.html - How do national insurance companies compare on claims denial?
In its most recent report from 2013, the association found Medicare most frequently denied claims, at 4.92 percent of the time; followed by Aetna, with a denial rate of 1.5 percent; United Healthcare, 1.18 percent; and Cigna, 0.54 percent. But the report also shows significant year-to-year variability. In 2008, Aetna denied claims 6.8 percent of the time; Cigna, 3.44 percent; and United, 2.68 percent of the time.
- Highmark expands cost estimator tool:
The calculator includes prices for more than 1,600 medical services, a fourfold increase in the number of estimates that were previously available. The care cost estimator is available to all Highmark PPO and EPO plan members under age 65 and will soon expand to include Highmark’s Medicare Advantage plan members.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2014/11/11/highmark-expands-cost-estimator-tool.html
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