Why Pharmacy Benefit Managers Matter for Drug Costs and Better Care
The debate about drug prices has raised the profile of a traditionally quiet player in health care: the pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM.
SEARCH:
With Affordability Cures, an Investment in Lasting Change
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas launched the $1.5 billion endeavor called Affordability Cures because the burden of paying for coverage and care is too often at odds with health and financial security.
Innovative Provider Networks May Deliver Higher Quality at Lower Costs
Variations on traditional HMO and PPO provider networks are helping consumers and employers save money while also providing access to quality health care.
5 Things We’re Reading on Health Care Costs
Find the four main reasons health spending has grown in recent years, how clinics are making big bucks on drug screens and why we’re looking back at a research article from 2003 in this week’s five must-reads on health care costs.
How Innovators Are Applying Artificial Intelligence in Health Care
Some believe artificial intelligence has the potential to transform health care from fighting diseases to preventing them in the first place.
Putting a Price Tag on Care
Patients often unknowingly choose higher-cost treatments and care settings that deliver no additional value. Sometimes they get tests and treatments they may not need at all.
5 Things We’re Reading on Health Care Costs
This week’s must-reads explore where our dollars go in the health care system, point to secret prices as a reason for out-of-control spending and uncover how something as small as an eye drop may be a hidden source of big waste.
Should Health Care Be a Package Deal?
The health care industry is moving toward viewing and paying for all of the care associated with a single condition or procedure — such as knee replacement surgery and rehabilitation — as one product.
Why Equal Care May Yield Lower Costs
Addressing the social determinants of health is an important piece of reducing health inequality, but the conversation must also be part of the emerging efforts between payers and providers to control costs.