News From Around the Web
> White House officials said Wednesday a continuation of slowed healthcare spending could lead to more jobs, USA Today reported. Article
> Specialty drug spend will more than quadruple by 2020 to reach roughly $402 billion a year, according to a new CVS Caremark report that suggests payers can improve their specialty drug cost-management strategies. Announcement
> Cigna expects to grow its employment in the Pittsburgh area by more than 10 percent as national membership increases, reported the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Article
Healthcare Finance News
> Based on the latest round of data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals with the most low-income patients had their Medicare payments reduced by an average of 0.09 percent, while the hospitals with the lowest number of low-income patients received a bonus of 0.6 percent on average. Article
> The Office of the Inspector General has recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services develop a measure to determine the rate nursing home residents are being admitted to hospitals due to a deterioration of their medical condition. Article
And Finally… Just another angel versus devil situation. Article