Spending growth per Medicare beneficiary has slowed considerably since 2005, and 56 percent of that decline can be linked to reduced spending on cardiovascular disease and related risk factors, researchers reported Feb. 4 in Health Affairs.

After signing a letter of intent to explore a merger in October 2018, Baylor Scott & White Health and Memorial Hermann Health System have dissolved the plan.

For CFOs, whose roles have changed and expanded, rising pressures in the healthcare landscape have led to a greater need for coordination across financial, clinical and operational stakeholders, according to a recent CFO outlook report from Kaufman Hall. 

As healthcare continues to shift toward automation and AI, a new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program suggests a need for changes in both education and workplace culture for individuals to cope with the transition. 

Since CMS proposed expanding supplemental benefits for Medicare Advantage for the 2020 plan year, several industry groups have voiced their support, seeing opportunities to improve care for individuals with chronic illnesses and lower costs.

An individual who signed off on or dispensed more than 745,000 prescriptions over roughly a decade at three Walgreens stores in the Bay Area was not a licensed pharmacist, The LA Times reported.

HHS has proposed lowering drug costs by targeting the rebate system, which has recently come under scrutiny as an opaque setup that keeps drug prices high.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, could lose its Medicare funding if it doesn’t shape up after a recent inspection found serious problems at the institution, The Tampa Bay Times reported.