The comment period for the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) has closed, with policy and payment updates drawing a typically mixed reaction from stakeholders within the industry.

Health insurer Centene announced on Sept. 12 it had entered into a definitive agreement to buy Fidelis Care, the leading Medicaid managed care insurer in New York, for $3.75 billion.

Online ratings of physicians do not accurately represent quality or value of care, according ot a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

One-sixth (17 percent) of physician practices responding to a Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) poll said they’re paying fees from 2 to 5 percent for receiving payments electronically—a practice the MGMA wants CMS to prohibit.

Last week, Allergan sold patent rights to a big-selling eye drug called Restasis to a Native American tribe, which is protected from the lawsuits generic drugmakers use to challenge pharmaceutical patents. As STAT News reports, it’s just one of several tricks big pharma companies use to maintain a monopoly on a product.

UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the U.S., is considering acquiring Banmedica, an insurer based in Chile, for an undisclosed amount.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) saw its credit rating downgraded by Moody’s Investor Service, along with maintaining a negative outlook on the system, citing its “accelerated expansion and high execution risk” with the acquisition of the seven-hospital PinnacleHealth System.

Over-treating patients means wasted resources and increased exposure to harm for individuals. In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers surveyed physicians on causes, prevalence and consequences of over-treatment.