Model ACO Health Centers Skeptical of Proposed Rule

The nation's highest-profile health care centers—think of the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, Intermountain Healthcare or the Geisinger Health System—are the models for the Obama administration's accountable care organization (ACO) proposal. But officials at those tightly organized institutions have so many concerns with the proposed rule to create ACOs that they doubt that they will participate. Read more »

The Dawn of New Era in Testing Doc Pay Methods?

While a House subcommittee hearing yielded no clues in the unending mystery over how Congress will fund an overhaul of the Medicare physician payment system, it did reveal a consensus among physician groups that a five-year period of experimentation is needed to test new ways to pay doctors. Read more »

Vermont Governor Ready to Sign Universal Health Care Bill

The Vermont House of Representatives has cleared for Gov. Peter Shumlin's signature a bill to create a publicly financed health care program that some supporters call a state "single payer" system. Read more »

HHS: Enrollees in High-Risk Pools Grow to 18,000

A report to be released by the Department of Health and Human Services will show that more than 18,000 Americans now have signed up for the high-risk pools created in the health care law, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told lawmakers. Read more »

Berwick Sees Surge in Hospitals Joining Patient Safety Partnership

The number of hospitals that have agreed to join a patient safety partnership announced several weeks ago by Medicare officials has grown to more than 1,200 now, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald M. Berwick said. Read more »

Gallup Poll Finds Fewer Young Adults Lack Health Insurance

The percentage of young adults going without health insurance took a big drop, according to a recently released Gallup poll. Read more »