27 Feb Health Data News Roundup: Medicare Advantage Enrollment at 31 Million; ONC and Clinical Decision Support; and UnitedHealth Closes LHC Group Merger

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

CMS Data: Medicare Advantage Enrollment Now More Than 31 Million
Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) is nearing 31.2 million following the annual enrollment period, about half of the total Medicare population, according to recent data from CMS.

How 2023 Medicare Advantage Enrollment Growth Has Shifted
While Medicare Advantage enrollment has increased by 1.5 million beneficiaries in 2023, this marks a slower growth compared to the last three years, according to a new study.

AHIP: Proposed 2024 Medicare Advantage Advance Notice Cuts MA Rates
AHIP is pushing back on the proposed 2024 Medicare Advantage advance notice because it presents a dramatic rate cut that would impact beneficiaries, according to a recently published statement.

ONC Brief Outlines How Standardized SDOH CDS Can Support Health Equity
Clinical decision support (CDS) that includes social determinants of health (SDOH) factors could help advance health equity and improve health outcomes, according to an ONC brief.

Survey Finds Most Healthcare Orgs Struggle to Collect, Use SDOH Data
A recent white paper published by AHIMA shows that a majority of healthcare organizations are collecting SDOH data, but various challenges related to data collection, coding, and use prevent this information from being leveraged effectively to improve health outcomes.

DirectTrust Reports Over 72M Monthly Direct Secure Messages in 2022
Healthcare industry alliance DirectTrust facilitated an average of over 72 million direct secure messages monthly during Q4 2022, marking a continued growth trend in the past year.

UnitedHealth, LHC Group Close $5.4 Billion Merger Deal
UnitedHealth Group’s $5.4 billion acquisition of LHC Group has officially closed. LHC Group will be folded into UnitedHealth’s Optum subsidiary. The combination will allow Optum and LHC to harness their joint expertise to offer value-based home care, according to the filing.