Milliman Medical Index Predicts Families Will Spend More for Healthcare in 2018 Than Previous Years; Growth Trend Could Impact Clinical Laboratories Unprepared to Collect Fees at Time of Service

Employers and consumers continue to pay more for health benefits from one year to the next, continuing a trend that is not auspicious for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups Most clinical laboratories don’t have the capability to collect payments from patients at time of service the same way patients pay doctors during office visits. Thus, Milliman’s annual report which details the increasing amounts patients are expected to pay out of their own pockets should be of interest to...

KFF Study Finds HDHPs and Increased Cost-Sharing Requirements for Medical Services are Making Healthcare Increasingly Inaccessible to Consumers

Though ACA reforms may have slowed healthcare spending, rapidly increasing deductibles and cost sharing requirements have many experts questioning if patients can afford care at all, despite the increased availability of insurance coverage Much of the debate surrounding efforts to replace and repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has centered on premiums as a central facet of out-of-pocket spending. However, new data from a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey reveals that premiums are only...

Health Systems Putting Imaging Services, Such As MRIs, In Strip Malls and Shopping Centers To Help Patients with Cost and Convenience

Recognizing the need to serve patients with high-deductible health plans, hospital systems are opening healthcare centers in outpatient settings where patients can receive care and undergo procedures—including clinical laboratory tests—more conveniently and for less cost Health systems are putting medical imaging services, such as MRIs, in strip malls and shopping centers as a way to make it easier for patients. Such locations can also offer lower-cost procedures because of lower overhead...

Because of Expanded Numbers of Patients with High-deductible Health Plans, Patients Are Now Responsible for 30% of Hospital Revenues

Medical laboratories and pathology groups should expect point-of-service collection strategies to become increasingly important to their overall success Not only is patient bad debt a growing problem for the nation’s hospitals, but it is now getting national attention within the hospital industry. This is bad news for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups, because the same trends causing increased patient bad debt at hospitals are doing the same thing within the lab industry....
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