04 Dec Health Data News Roundup: Potential Humana and Cigna Merger; Medicare ACO Enrollment and Mental Healthcare Outcomes; and UnitedHealth Group Projects $400B in 2024 Revenue

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.

Humana and Cigna in Talks to Merge
In what is definitely the biggest news in the health payer sector this week, Cigna is in talks to merge with peer Humana, a deal that could exceed $60 billion in value and would be certain to attract fierce antitrust scrutiny.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Eliminates More Prior Authorizations
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts joined other payers in eradicating prior authorizations for certain services as part of an effort to accelerate members’ access to care and reduce provider burden.

Preventive Care Visits Among Medicare Beneficiaries Grew, Study Finds
The share of primary care visits focused on preventive care nearly doubled between 2001 and 2019, with the steepest growth among Medicare beneficiaries, a Health Affairs study found.

Medicare ACO Enrollment Did Not Improve Mental Healthcare Outcomes
Medicare beneficiaries newly enrolled in ACOs did not see any improvements in their depression and anxiety symptoms, suggesting Medicare ACOs may need better incentives to improve mental healthcare, according to a new study.

UnitedHealth Group Projects $400B in 2024 Revenue
Sharing this information ahead of its of its annual investor conference, UnitedHealth Group expects 2024 revenues to be at least $400 billion.

CMS Cut Medicaid Improper Payments in 2023
The Medicaid improper payment rate significantly decreased from 2022 to 2023 — the improper payment rate in the program was 8.58%, or $50.3 billion, in fiscal year 2023, down from 15.62% in 2022.

Improving Provider-Payer Interoperability to Drive Meaningful Collaboration
Industry players need to evolve beyond mere data exchange to achieve activation, which can support a transition that achieves improved patient outcomes through better provider-payer interoperability – according to this recent Health Data Management article.