Medicare

Premera Blue Cross Names Dr. Romilla Batra as Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
UCLA, University of California, Irvine, University, Premera Blue Cross, Pacific Northwest, Health equity, Population health, Business administration, Business, SCAN, Indiana University, Senior, Medicare, SCAN Health Plan, Nursing

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Premera Blue Cross, a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, today announced Dr. Romilla Batra joined the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

Key Points: 
  • MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Premera Blue Cross, a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, today announced Dr. Romilla Batra joined the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.
  • "Romilla brings a profound understanding of clinical strategy and an enduring commitment to improve the member experience, making her an excellent choice as our new Chief Medical Officer," said Lee McGrath, Executive Vice President of Healthcare Services, Premera Blue Cross.
  • Dr. Batra has accountability for the company's clinical strategy, focused on making healthcare work better for Premera members and improving the provider experience.
  • She served as their Chief Medical Officer for nearly nine years where she was accountable for SCAN's overall clinical strategy and operations.

Double Helix Deception: The Return of Genetic Testing Scams in Medicare Fraud

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Alzheimer's disease, Roger Hawkins (drummer), Cancer, Senior Medicare Patrols, Genetic testing, Confusion, DNA, Caregiver, Medicare, SMP, SMPS, Fraud, Pharmaceutical industry

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the biggest scams targeting Medicare beneficiaries in the last decade has been the genetic testing scam.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the biggest scams targeting Medicare beneficiaries in the last decade has been the genetic testing scam.
  • Recently, the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) has seen an increase in genetic testing complaints.
  • Across the nation, genetic testing company representatives are offering "free" genetic tests, also referred to as DNA screenings, cancer screenings, and hereditary testing, in exchange for the beneficiaries' Medicare numbers.
  • The SMP has also received reports of genetic testing claims on Medicare statements when the beneficiaries never received any contact about genetic testing.

Qualtrics Announces New Partner Solutions Accelerating XM Innovation With the Latest in Qualtrics AI

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Amazon Web Services, WorkJam, XM, CX, CAHPS, Net, Ecosystem, Learning, Transducer, EY, AI, Bain & Company, Star, Partnership, Collection, Workflow, Natural language processing, API, Entrepreneurship, NPS, CSAT, Public service, Medicare, Job satisfaction, STARS, AWS, Organization

SALT LAKE CITY, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- QUALTRICS X4 -- Qualtrics Partner Network (QPN) members are leveraging Qualtrics® AI to scale customer and employee experiences around the globe. As part of Qualtrics' $500 million commitment to AI initiatives, companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Bain, EY, Deloitte, Farlinium, Kipsu and WorkJam are using the latest innovations from the Qualtrics developer platform to innovate on new experience management solutions and services.

Key Points: 
  • SALT LAKE CITY, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- QUALTRICS X4 -- Qualtrics Partner Network (QPN) members are leveraging Qualtrics® AI to scale customer and employee experiences around the globe.
  • Leveraging the latest AI capabilities, Qualtrics and these partners are creating new offerings that create scale and a competitive advantage for customers.
  • Qualtrics partners have access to Qualtrics' nimble and secure API-rich platform, delivering easy access to the latest Qualtrics AI, including predictive and generative capabilities, conversational understanding, language generation and summarization, and automated actioning.
  • "As we continue to invest in the Qualtrics Partner Network, these partners, with their commitment to AI and XM together, are showing us the future of XM, powered by incredible innovation and co-created solutions for our mutual customers."

Wellcare and Wellvana Announce Partnership to Expand Patient-Centered Primary Care for Benefit of Medicare Advantage Members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Health, Centene Corporation, Partnership, CNC, Physician, Medicare

ST. LOUIS and NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellcare , the Medicare business of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), and Wellvana , a value-based care physician enablement company, today announced a multi-year partnership that seeks to expand affordable, patient-centered primary healthcare to thousands of Wellcare Medicare Advantage members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

Key Points: 
  • ST. LOUIS and NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellcare , the Medicare business of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), and Wellvana , a value-based care physician enablement company, today announced a multi-year partnership that seeks to expand affordable, patient-centered primary healthcare to thousands of Wellcare Medicare Advantage members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
  • The partnership will support independent primary care physicians involved in valued-based care in those states to improve clinical outcomes for Wellcare's Medicare Advantage members.
  • "Wellvana and Wellcare share a vision for driving innovation to accelerate patient-centered care delivery," said President and Chief Executive Officer at Wellvana, Kyle Wailes.
  • Since 2019, Wellvana has invested financial resources, human capital and technology into practices that enable more clinicians to succeed in value-based care.

Wellcare and Wellvana Announce Partnership to Expand Patient-Centered Primary Care for Benefit of Medicare Advantage Members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Health, Centene Corporation, Partnership, CNC, Physician, Medicare

ST. LOUIS and NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellcare , the Medicare business of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), and Wellvana , a value-based care physician enablement company, today announced a multi-year partnership that seeks to expand affordable, patient-centered primary healthcare to thousands of Wellcare Medicare Advantage members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

Key Points: 
  • ST. LOUIS and NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellcare , the Medicare business of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), and Wellvana , a value-based care physician enablement company, today announced a multi-year partnership that seeks to expand affordable, patient-centered primary healthcare to thousands of Wellcare Medicare Advantage members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
  • The partnership will support independent primary care physicians involved in valued-based care in those states to improve clinical outcomes for Wellcare's Medicare Advantage members.
  • "Wellvana and Wellcare share a vision for driving innovation to accelerate patient-centered care delivery," said President and Chief Executive Officer at Wellvana, Kyle Wailes.
  • Since 2019, Wellvana has invested financial resources, human capital and technology into practices that enable more clinicians to succeed in value-based care.

TIME Reveals the Inaugural TIME100 Health List of the World's Most Influential People in Health

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Cancer, EVP, CDC, Bionics, Eli Lilly, Medicaid, Migrant Clinicians Network, Podcast, TIME, Future, Novo Nordisk, HEALTH, Medicare, Eli Lilly and Company, Apple, Letter, AstraZeneca, Woman, Northwell Health

--See the complete 2024 TIME100 Health list: time.com/time100health --See the TIME100 Health cover featuring an illustration by Peter Greenwood for TIME: https://bit.ly/3Uojcso 

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, TIME reveals the inaugural TIME100 Health list recognizing the 100 most influential individuals in health.
  • Health innovation, like this list, reflects humanity at its best: people using all their resourcefulness and ingenuity to help one another live better….
  • The youngest individual recognized on the inaugural TIME100 Health list is 28-year-old Dale Whelehan, CEO of Four Day Week Global.
  • See the full 2024 TIME100 Health list here: time.com/time100health
    TIME will convene the TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Shaping the Future of Health to spotlight an array of leaders including those featured on the new TIME100 Health list of 100 individuals on May 13th in New York City.

Lucid Diagnostics Announces Peer-Reviewed Publication of Positive Data from National Cancer Institute-Sponsored, Prospective, Multicenter Clinical Validation Study of EsoGuard® Esophageal Precancer Testing

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Johns Hopkins University, University, Mayo Clinic, Cancer, SOS, American College, Case Western Reserve University, AUC, ACG, Esophageal cancer, Prevalence, Methylation, Risk, Barrett's esophagus, Cleveland Clinic, American Journal, Lucid, Adenocarcinoma, National Cancer Institute, NPV, NGS, University of North Carolina, Gold, Detection, EGD, Patient, Research report, NCI, PPV, Medicare, Manuscript, GERD, Guideline, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Medical imaging

NEW YORK, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucid Diagnostics Inc. (Nasdaq: LUCD) ("Lucid" or the "Company") a commercial-stage, cancer prevention medical diagnostics company, and majority-owned subsidiary of PAVmed Inc. (Nasdaq: PAVM), today announced the peer-reviewed publication of positive data from a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored, prospective, multicenter clinical validation study assessing the performance of Lucid's EsoGuard® Esophageal DNA Test on samples collected with its EsoCheck® Esophageal Cell Collection Device. This case-control study, led by Case Western Reserve University's Amitabh Chak, M.D., was funded through the NCI's Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet), and included renowned investigators from leading academic medical centers, including Case Western Reserve University, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of North Carolina, and Cleveland Clinic. EsoGuard demonstrated unprecedented early precancer detection compared to the gold standard of upper endoscopy (EGD). The manuscript, entitled Multicenter, Prospective Trial of Non-Endoscopic Biomarker-Driven Detection of Barrett's Esophagus And Esophageal Adenocarcinoma, was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, the leading clinical journal covering gastroenterology published on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).

Key Points: 
  • EsoGuard demonstrated unprecedented early precancer detection compared to the gold standard of upper endoscopy (EGD).
  • Dr. Aklog concluded, "The publication of the BETRNet study is the culmination of a period of rapid expansion of EsoGuard's clinical evidence base.
  • It represents the second peer-reviewed, and third overall, clinical validation study demonstrating consistently excellent EsoGuard performance.
  • Soon to be released data from a fourth such clinical validation study tells the same story.

ICF Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Welfare, Public, GAAP, CMS, TTM, Policy, Climate, European Commission, Health, ICF, ICFI, Federation, Tax, EPS, Medicare, Civil service commission, Data management, Adjustment, Government, Growth, C&I, Video game

RESTON, Va., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ICF (NASDAQ: ICFI), a global consulting and technology services provider, reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. 

Key Points: 
  • Commenting on the results, John Wasson, chair and chief executive officer, said, "This was a record first quarter for ICF.
  • First quarter 2024 total revenue was $494.4 million, a 2.3% increase from the $483.3 million reported in the first quarter of 2023, and up 8.7% from last year's first quarter revenues adjusted for the divestiture of our commercial marketing business lines.
  • In the 2024 first quarter, the company's tax rate was 20.4% compared to 23.5% in the 2023 first quarter.
  • On May 2, 2024, ICF declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.14 per share, payable on July 12, 2024, to shareholders of record on June 7, 2024.

The ALS Association Kicks Off ALS Awareness Month and Commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
FDA, ALS Awareness Month, Social media, Advocacy, Research, ALS Association, Heart, Gene, Edaravone, Human, Ice Bucket Challenge, Disease, Family, Access, Challenge, Medicare, Confetti, ALS, Phenomenon, Memory, Health, Head

ARLINGTON, Va., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The ALS Association today celebrated the beginning of ALS Awareness Month and the 10th Anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge, which inspired the world to join the fight against ALS in the summer of 2014. Throughout May and the summer, the ALS Association will highlight stories of the people affected by ALS and point out the impacts made as a result of the $115 million the Association raised from the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Key Points: 
  • Global Phenomenon Raised Awareness and Advanced ALS Research, Care, and Advocacy
    ARLINGTON, Va., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The ALS Association today celebrated the beginning of ALS Awareness Month and the 10th Anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge, which inspired the world to join the fight against ALS in the summer of 2014.
  • "We are here fighting for Shelby and everyone living with ALS," said Calaneet Balas, president and CEO of the ALS Association.
  • The Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $115 million for the ALS Association in the summer of 2014.
  • The ALS Association is working to make ALS a livable disease while urgently searching for new treatments and a cure.

New Hospital Safety Grades Find Significant Improvements in Patient Experience Reports and Health Care-Associated Infections

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
CMS, Patient safety organization, Safety, Hospital, Health care, Patient, Movement, Medicare, Infection, Approximation error, Letter, Accident, Nursing

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit driving a movement for patient safety, today released its spring 2024 Hospital Safety Grades, assigning an "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" to nearly 3,000 general hospitals on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. Nationally, patient experience—a set of measures using patient-reported perspectives on hospital care—indicates significant signs of improvement since the fall 2023 Safety Grades, and preventable health care-associated infections show a sustained drop after unprecedented rates during the height of the pandemic.

Key Points: 
  • Nationally, patient experience—a set of measures using patient-reported perspectives on hospital care—indicates significant signs of improvement since the fall 2023 Safety Grades, and preventable health care-associated infections show a sustained drop after unprecedented rates during the height of the pandemic.
  • For the first time, The Leapfrog Group ranks metro areas on hospital patient safety performance.
  • In addition to assigning letter grades to individual hospitals, The Leapfrog Group also reports best patient safety performance by state and, for the first time, by metro area based on highest percentage of "A" hospitals.
  • Of the over 30 measures used to generate Hospital Safety Grades, The Leapfrog Group reports on five patient experience measures that have a direct impact on patient safety outcomes: