News From Around the Web
> In response to concerns about the CMS-Hierarchical Condition Category risk adjustment model for predicting costs of dual eligible beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is proposing changes to the model in order to "improve the predictive ratios for full benefit and partial benefit dual-eligible beneficiaries in the community." Announcement
> While MNsure has named Mark Nyquist as the finalist to become the Minnesota exchange's new CEO, as MPR News reports, a prominent Republican lawmaker in the state accused MNsure's current executives of misleading him about their budget, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Article
> In a notice to state Medicaid directors, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services warns them not to impose conditions for coverage that could unreasonably restrict beneficiaries' access to hepatitis C drugs. Notice
Health Finance News
> Healthcare executives saw salary increases in 2015 even as chief executive officer and chief financial officer salaries in publicly-traded companies in general saw slower growth, due in large part to the increasingly consumer-centered healthcare market, according to a new study. Article
Healthcare News
> Efforts to fight hospital-acquired conditions are succeeding, with the number of cases falling by 17 percent between 2011 and 2013, according to a study published this week by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Article
And finally… Australia, where even the clouds are scary. Article