14 Oct Health Data News Roundup: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Process; Digital Renaissance for Health Plans; and Hospital Price Transparency

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, HHS Update Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Process
HHS and CMS have announced the timeline and procedural changes for the next round of Medicare drug price negotiation efforts. This announcement initiated the second cycle of this process, which seeks to attain lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries.

The Digital Renaissance in Health Plan Ops: What Technologies Should Insurers Deploy?
With rising expectations from every stakeholder in the insurance ecosystem, the ability to quickly process data, automate key processes, and rapidly build and iterate on digitally supported health plans will be essential, according to this recent MedCity News Op-Ed.

GAO Wants CMS to Check Whether Hospitals’ Price Transparency Data Are Actually Usable
The Biden administration could stand to take a firmer hand on hospital price transparency, especially when it is unclear whether the price data being published are even accurate, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

Epic and Particle Health Continue to Spar Over Data Exchange Dispute
The Carequality interoperability framework released the results of an independent resolution in the dispute between Epic and Particle Health on Tuesday, but both parties appear further entrenched in their stated opposition, according to Healthcare IT News.

Improving Health Equity Could Add $2.8 Trillion to GDP by 2040
Addressing health inequities could add $2.8 trillion to the U.S. economy by 2040, significantly boosting GDP and improving population health, while corporate profits could increase by $763 billion by that time, according to a new Deloitte analysis.

UnitedHealthcare Expanding ACA Plans to Four New States
UnitedHealthcare is expanding its individual and family ACA marketplace plans to four new states and adding 119 new counties in 13 current states for 2025. In total, UnitedHealthcare will be in over 1,250 counties across 30 states for 2025, according to Becker’s Payer Issues.