Steve Jacob

05/23/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Insurance/Benefits

Lack of Bank Accounts Could Hinder 1 Out of 4 Texans Eligible for Exchanges

More than 1 out of 4 Texans eligible for the subsidies on the health insurance exchanges do not have a bank account, according to a report by Jackson Hewitt. Many insurance companies plan to require customers to pay premiums automatically through a checking account. Those restrictions could undermine efforts to expand health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the report said. According to the report, 27 percent of Texans between 100-400 percent of the federal poverty level lack a checking account, compared with 14 percent with incomes above that. Nearly 4 out of 10 Texans below the poverty line… Full Story

05/23/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Finance

Healthcare Costs Exceed Annual Grocery Bill for Typical Family

The total share of healthcare costs for the typical American family of four—$9,144 in payroll deductions and out-of-pocket costs—now exceeds the cost of groceries, according to the 2013Milliman Medical Index (MMI). The out-of-pocket cost alone—$3,600 for co-pays, coinsurance, and other cost sharing—is more than the average U.S. household spends on gas in a year. Last year, household healthcare costs exceeded $20,000 for the first time. The 6.3 percent increase over 2012 is the fourth consecutive year of decreasing trends, but the total dollar increase of $1,302 is the fourth year in a row of increases over $1,300. The index assumes… Full Story

05/23/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

THR, Baylor Share ACO Growing Pains

Baylor Quality Alliance (BQA) President Carl Couch acknowledges his accountable care organization (ACO) is pursuing initiatives that are decreasing the health system’s revenue. Baylor chief executive officer Joel Allison also noted at a Dallas conference earlier this month that the company’s quality efforts “are hurting the bottom line.” “Why are we doing this?” Couch asked rhetorically. “Because we have to. It’s the only way to create value.” Couch and Karim Kaissi, a Texas Health Resources (THR) director of business development, recounted the challenges and lessons learned at an Executive Health Network panel discussion in north Dallas Wednesday as the two… Full Story

05/23/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Physicians

DCMS, TMA Form Physician Services Organization

Dallas County Medical Society (DCMS) is forming a physician services organization with the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and the Harris County Medical Society to assist physicians in navigating changes in the practice landscape. “I am confident the Physician Services Organization for Patient Care will save local practices,” said TMA President Stephen L. Brotherton, MD, of Fort Worth. “Texas doctors are determined to make health care better and more affordable for Texans. To do that, we need to shift the balance of power away from the government and the large hospital systems, and back to the patients and their physicians.” The… Full Story

05/22/2013 1 comment Bookmark and Share Share Post
Technology

North Texas Health Exchange Now Live and Gaining Steam

The North Texas health information exchange (HIE) is up and running. The North Texas Accountable Healthcare Partnership (NTAHP) HIE morphed from a pilot project in early May. Two major systems—Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and Methodist Health System—participated in the launch. Both were among nine hospitals and 1,000 physicians that launched the test last year in 13 North Texas counties—including Dallas-Fort Worth. The HIE attempts to link the electronic health records (EHRs) of North Texas providers to provide seamless, coordinated care for North Texas patients. Katherine Lusk, Children’s senior director of information management and exchange said, “The HIE affords providers… Full Story

05/22/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Insurance/Benefits

Humana to Open Mail-Order Pharmacy in Irving

Humana plans to open a mail-order pharmacy call center and support operation in Irving in August, and expects to create more than 620 new jobs over the next three years. The pharmacy, called RightSource, is Humana’s pharmacy management company that provides mail-order delivery to members. RightSource – with similar operations in Arizona and Ohio – serves 1.5 million customers and filled nearly 20 million prescriptions in 2012, making it one of the nation’s largest mail order pharmacies. Humana plans to renovate all three floors of a building at 2001 W. John Carpenter Freeway to accommodate operations. The location of LifeSynch,… Full Story

05/22/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Pharmaceuticals

Addison-based Concentra Sells Toxicology and Lab Business to Quest Diagnostics

New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, has acquired the toxicology and clinical laboratory business of Addison-based Concentra. Quest Diagnostics also has entered into a long-term agreement with Concentra to be its primary provider of workplace drug toxicology and clinical laboratory testing. “With this transaction, Concentra’s patients, physicians and employer clients will gain access to Quest’s industry-leading menu of innovative workplace drug and clinical lab diagnostic information services,” Steve Rusckowski, Quest Diagnostics president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. Concentra’s advanced toxicology network laboratory business is based in Memphis, Tenn. Under the service agreement,… Full Story

05/21/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Insurance/Benefits

Employers Not Backing Away from Health Benefits

Nearly all U.S. employers who offer employer-sponsored insurance are likely to continue to provide those benefits to workers in 2014, according to the 2013 survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP). Many feared firms would drop insurance coverage in 2014 because of Affordable Care Act mandates and the introduction of health insurance exchanges. The percentage increased nearly 98 percent, compared with about 95 percent in its 201 About 4 out of 10 say they will increase emphasis on high-deductible health plans with a health savings account and increase participants’ share of premium costs and increase their focus on… Full Story

05/21/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Staffing

DFW Healthcare Salaries Exceed U.S. Median

Dallas-Fort Worth healthcare workers are paid slightly more than the national average, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Healthcare practitioners and technical workers—such as physicians, nutritionists and therapists—earn a mean hourly wage of $35.53 an hour, which is 1 percent more than the U.S. average of $35.35. Healthcare support personnel –such as health aides and administrative staff—earn $14.11 an hour or 6 percent more than the U.S. average of $13.36. Although DFW has a reputation as a robust healthcare market, healthcare workers comprise a smaller proportion of the local labor market. In the U.S., healthcare workers account for… Full Story

05/21/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Pharmaceuticals

FDA Alert Targets Dallas-based NuVision Pharmacy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert to healthcare providers not to use sterile products made and distributed by Dallas-based compounding pharmacy NuVision Pharmacy because of concerns about a lack of sterility. The FDA issued the alert after a recent inspection of the NuVision Dallas facility, where FDA investigators observed what they considered poor sterile production practices. In April, NuVision recalled methylcobalamin and lyophilized injection products due to a lack of sterility assurance and concerns associated with the quality control processes identified a previous FDA inspection.