Fifteen Georgia hospitals scored an “A’’ grade on patient safety in the latest Leapfrog Group report. The ratings, released Tuesday, showed that 21 percent of hospitals evaluated in the state got a top grade. That’s a slightly higher percentage for Georgia hospitals than in the Leapfrog rankings issued last fall, but it trails the national average…
The pressure from Gov. Nathan Deal evidently worked. Deal announced Tuesday afternoon that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Piedmont Healthcare had reached a “handshake” agreement on a new contract. The accord thus met his deadline of close of business Tuesday, after which the state would have been forced, in his words, “to initiate executive action.”…
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with Piedmont’s estimate of the number of patients affected. Today, Easter Sunday, Piedmont Healthcare doctors and hospitals became out-of-network providers for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia members. Round-the-clock negotiations failed to bring an agreement on a new contract between Blue Cross, the state’s largest health insurer, and the…
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with Piedmont’s estimate of the number of patients affected. Gov. Nathan Deal said Friday that he’s “very concerned’’ that Piedmont Healthcare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia have not reached an agreement on a new contract, with a deadline looming Saturday night at midnight. If a new deal isn’t reached by…
Several health care bills still have a chance of passage (or defeat) as the Georgia General Assembly finishes its work for this session, which ends Thursday. One proposal with an uncertain fate is legislation that aims to reduce “surprise’’ medical billing. That occurs when when consumers have procedures or visit ERs at hospitals in their insurance network,…
What good is paying for health insurance if it doesn’t cover you when you need it most? Georgia insurance companies are increasingly narrowing their coverage networks and shifting more costs to patients, even as they enjoy record profits and a financial windfall from recent tax reform legislation. Patients deserve access to the quality health care…
The term “step therapy’’ sounds like an exercise routine for rehabbing patients. It’s actually a description of an insurance practice: requiring patients to try and fail on a series of treatments before they can obtain the medication prescribed by their physician. Legislation in the Georgia House and Senate would limit step therapy in some circumstances,…
When the story broke last month that a former medical director for insurance giant Aetna never reviewed patients’ medical records before denying care, the news media and insurance regulators seemed shocked. But for the millions of Americans – and thousands of Georgians – who are fighting for access to treatment, the news was likely just…
The Marcus Foundation has donated $15 million to create a network for stroke care to help reduce disability and death from the disease in the Southeast. A wide swath of the South is known as the Stroke Belt, due to the 11-state region’s unusually high incidence of strokes and other forms of cardiovascular disease. The Marcus Stroke Network…
A wild day in health care at the state Capitol on Tuesday began with a morning legislative hearing on something Democrats have sought for years: Medicaid expansion. No vote was taken on the expansion legislation, which was presented to the House Appropriations subcommittee on health. The day also included a health panel passing two bills to protect…