Great news for Amazon shoppers and Regence Blue Cross members.
Retail medical supplies and equipment can now be purchased through an Amazon Local Associates shopping page. Blue Cross members can shop, buy and file a claim through the Regence website at:
1) Members will be prompted to sign an authorization agreement opting them into the program
2) They will be given a unique, one-time 10% off discount code that they can apply in the discount coupon field on the Amazon checkout page for applicable equipment and supplies
3) The member is then redirected to the Amazon Local Associates shopping page where they can shop for and purchase medical equipment and supplies
o Please remember to apply your unique discount code upon checkout to receive the 10% discount.
o This program will be in place until the end of September, with the potential to extend further based on member engagement.”
https://www.ark-ins.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Depositphotos_9807485_l-2015.jpg13282000Rebecca Yates/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ark-logo@2x.pngRebecca Yates2018-08-14 09:00:042018-08-15 14:37:28Amazon Partners with Blue Cross, Medical Supplies Now Available for Purchase
According to a recently published healthcare economics paper, different insurers pay varied prices for the same services and procedures at the same hospital, indicating that bargaining leverage really does impact healthcare prices.
Authors took actual data from claims for three national insurers. Studies showed that dominate hospitals can dictate how much they are going to get paid for specific services and procedures. For hospitals that hold an monopoly in their area, that number was 12.5% higher than those who had nearby competitors. For more concentrated markets, providers can shift more risk to insurers, which affects the ability to keep prices at a set standard.
“The two main types of contracts use prospectively set prices that pay a fixed dollar amount based on the DRG classification code, or a model that sets payments as a percentage of hospital charges.
Hospitals are likely to prefer the latter because they get paid for every service they provide, and thus bear less risk. This drives prices up and also places less pressure on the hospital to reduce costs.”
In simply terms, it’s about negotiation. The hospital may charge $50,000 for a hip replacement, but the negotiated price may be more like $22,000, Medicare reimbursements would be even less.
“Researchers also found that prices increased by more than 6% when merging hospitals were less than 5 miles apart. They didn’t find significant price impact when the hospitals were separated by at least 25 miles.”
Sources: The Price Ain’t Right? Hospital Prices and Health Spending on the Privately Insured Zack Cooper (Yale University) Stuart V. Craig (University of Pennsylvania) Martin Gaynor (Carnegie Mellon University and NBER) John Van Reenen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CEP, and NBER)
Modernhealthcare.com
Health Care Cost Institute
https://www.ark-ins.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/health.jpg298530Rebecca Yates/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ark-logo@2x.pngRebecca Yates2018-05-15 09:00:142018-07-12 07:31:46Recent Study Looks At Health Care Pricing
Did you know that eighty percent of people addicted to heroin started with a legal prescription of an opioid?
Opioids are a common medication given to treat pain. Often, a patient prescribed these medications does not need the entire prescribed amount, leaving extra pills unused. Opioids can also be very addictive, thus a safe way to dispose of any unused amounts is important.
Amazon Partners with Blue Cross, Medical Supplies Now Available for Purchase
/by Rebecca YatesGreat news for Amazon shoppers and Regence Blue Cross members.
Retail medical supplies and equipment can now be purchased through an Amazon Local Associates shopping page. Blue Cross members can shop, buy and file a claim through the Regence website at:
https://www.regence.com/web/regence_producer/
“Once members have accessed this page:
1) Members will be prompted to sign an authorization agreement opting them into the program
2) They will be given a unique, one-time 10% off discount code that they can apply in the discount coupon field on the Amazon checkout page for applicable equipment and supplies
3) The member is then redirected to the Amazon Local Associates shopping page where they can shop for and purchase medical equipment and supplies
o Please remember to apply your unique discount code upon checkout to receive the 10% discount.
o This program will be in place until the end of September, with the potential to extend further based on member engagement.”
Source: https://www.regence.com/web/regence_producer/
Recent Study Looks At Health Care Pricing
/by Rebecca YatesAccording to a recently published healthcare economics paper, different insurers pay varied prices for the same services and procedures at the same hospital, indicating that bargaining leverage really does impact healthcare prices.
Authors took actual data from claims for three national insurers. Studies showed that dominate hospitals can dictate how much they are going to get paid for specific services and procedures. For hospitals that hold an monopoly in their area, that number was 12.5% higher than those who had nearby competitors. For more concentrated markets, providers can shift more risk to insurers, which affects the ability to keep prices at a set standard.
“The two main types of contracts use prospectively set prices that pay a fixed dollar amount based on the DRG classification code, or a model that sets payments as a percentage of hospital charges.
Hospitals are likely to prefer the latter because they get paid for every service they provide, and thus bear less risk. This drives prices up and also places less pressure on the hospital to reduce costs.”
In simply terms, it’s about negotiation. The hospital may charge $50,000 for a hip replacement, but the negotiated price may be more like $22,000, Medicare reimbursements would be even less.
“Researchers also found that prices increased by more than 6% when merging hospitals were less than 5 miles apart. They didn’t find significant price impact when the hospitals were separated by at least 25 miles.”
Sources: The Price Ain’t Right? Hospital Prices and Health Spending on the Privately Insured Zack Cooper (Yale University) Stuart V. Craig (University of Pennsylvania) Martin Gaynor (Carnegie Mellon University and NBER) John Van Reenen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CEP, and NBER)
Modernhealthcare.com
Health Care Cost Institute
Safe Opioid Disposal
/by Rebecca YatesDid you know that eighty percent of people addicted to heroin started with a legal prescription of an opioid?
Opioids are a common medication given to treat pain. Often, a patient prescribed these medications does not need the entire prescribed amount, leaving extra pills unused. Opioids can also be very addictive, thus a safe way to dispose of any unused amounts is important.
Some common opioids include:
Intermountain Community Pharmacies provide collection sites for free.
For more information on safe disposal visit http://useonlyasdirected.org/
Source: Use Only As Directed