Practice Management
CVS Health plans to close 16 Oak Street Health centers, representing about 7% of its total portfolio of these senior-focused primary care clinics. Doors will shutter by the end of February, and CVS cites rising medical costs as the main reason driving the reduction, according to Forbes. The company did not specify which locations will close but said it will continue to operate 230 Oak Street clinics across 27 states. Increased costs to deliver care …
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Several large health insurers are drawing provider backlash for relatively new payment policies that reduce certain reimbursements. Cigna is automatically downcoding 6 evaluation and management (E/M) billing codes (99204- 99205, 99214-99215, 99244-99245) for a small percentage of providers starting this month, for example, resulting in lower payments for some routine office visits. The insurers are leveraging algorithms and claims data to automatically downgrade the codes—often relying on third party vendors to do the adjustments. According …
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Starting January 1, 2026, Elevance Health will consider “corrective measures” that penalize healthcare facilities in 11 states for using out-of-network providers to deliver care for the large insurer’s Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield commercial health plan members. Health systems may be subject to an administrative penalty of 10% of the allowed claim amount and potential network termination, and the penalty cost cannot be passed on to the patient, according to an Anthem memo. Emergency care …
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Today’s rapidly expanding hydration and “detox” spas are coming under scrutiny for safety concerns. The spas typically offer vitamin- and fluid-based IV infusions claiming to boost wellness almost completely without evidence. However, most of the hydration spas lack state regulations and operate with little or no medical oversight, according to a recent article in JAMA Internal Medicine. There are about 9,000 such spas in the United States, and researchers found only Alabama, North Carolina, South …
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In Tennessee, Covenant Health Urgent Care has acquired 3 independently operated Well-Key Urgent Care centers in the state, bringing the Covenant Health portfolio to a total of 6 urgent cares. This month, the 10-hospital nonprofit also opened a new urgent care rooftop as part of its planned expansion. The organization is one of 6 health system partners of Urgent Care Group. Well-Key was founded by 2 physicians in 2010 and offers urgent care services to …
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Harbor Health, a startup primary-care and specialty group that also offers individual and employer health plans, announced it is acquiring 32 clinics from VillageMD, which is now in the middle of a breakup as part of the $10 billion acquisition of Walgreens by Sycamore Partners. Some of the acquired VillageMD locations include those within Walgreens stores. Harbor Health grew from 3 clinic locations in 2022 to 11 clinics most recently, including 3 that offer extended …
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Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) this week acquired RMS Healthcare Management’s Med First Primary & Urgent Care, a portfolio company of private equity firm Sverica Capital Management. Founded in 2007, Med First operates a hybrid model for both primary care and urgent care services, and it’s also one of the frontrunners in risk-based accountable care in the North Carolina market. The acquisition by CCNC is unique because Med First represents a private-equity-backed platform operating …
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The seemingly ubiquitous Apple smartwatch now has another feature that could be useful in screening users for health conditions. In addition to its approved method for alerting users for possible atrial fibrillation, the latest version of the wearable device includes a tool to detect chronic hypertension, according to the company’s press release. The watch would display a heart-shaped symbol and a “possible hypertension” notification based on data from an optical heart sensor that analyzes how …
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After months of restructuring, Walgreens Boots Alliance is now a private company following its acquisition by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, according to an announcement. Part of the deal includes the majority investment in Village Medical/Village MD’s healthcare offerings. The entire portfolio will now operate as 5 standalone companies: Walgreens; The Boots Group; Shields Health Solutions; CareCentrix; and VillageMD. Each will continue to function independently, retaining their existing brands. The total Sycamore Partners transaction value …
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Emergency department (ED) visits in the United States appear to be improving when comparing length-of-stay numbers year-over-year, according to a recent analysis tracking utilization trends. The report examines visit duration in 4-quarter increments, showing the ED length of stay from Q2 2023 through Q1 2024 averaged 5 hours, compared to 4.2 hours in the period from Q2 2024 through Q1 2025. This represents a 16.2% reduction in length of stay. Meanwhile, the inpatient admission rate …
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