Discussions for a blockbuster merger between Atrium Health (formerly Carolinas Healthcare) and UNC Health Care have ceased, according to the Charlotte Observer, because executives were unable to solve disagreements on the structure of the joint operating company’s leadership.

In a visit to the Dayton, Ohio area, HHS Secretary Alex Azar was asked by Yellow Spring News what role he’d envision for medical marijuana as an alternative to prescription opioids for pain relief.

Does immigration status affect Medicaid enrollment through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), both in states that expanded services and those that did not? Recent research found no differences in Medicaid coverage between mixed-status households and non-mixed-status households. But in states that did not expand Medicaid, coverage rates were lower for individuals in mixed-status households compared to the non-mixed-status population. 

This year, providers may be struggling with meeting deadlines on reporting for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and avoiding a negative payment adjustment. In a few years, however, they’ll expect solutions to more complicated issues surrounding value-based reimbursement, according to Tim Mills, chief growth officer at revenue cycle, coding and billing software company Alpha II.

Sentinel events are serious adverse incidents that result in a patient dying or suffering a serious physical or psychological injury. Last year, the Joint Commission reviewed reports of 805 such events, 700 of which (87 percent) were voluntarily reported by accredited or certified facility.

A group of U.S. senators has sent a letter to dozens of healthcare industry groups asking for more information on what price and quality information is available to consumers and what regulations may be getting in the way of greater price transparency.

The Trump administration’s plans to expand the availability of association health plans could siphon up to 4.3 million people from the individual and small group insurance markets over the next five years, raising premiums on those who remain in plans which are compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

A large majority of medical group professionals responding to a poll from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) was opposed to mandatory participation in alternative payment models in Medicare, a policy CMS has been moving away from under President Donald Trump.