Word: hmos
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...current system used to measure the quality of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) is inefficient, researchers at Harvard Medical School found in a study released yesterday...
...NCQA’s current “health care quality report cards,” HMOs gain quality points based on their performance in five areas: preventative health care measures, more complex operations, claims processing, communication with physicians and general “effectiveness of care...
...HMOs can choose not to disclose their rankings—which undercuts the effectiveness of this system, researchers said...
Unfortunately for doctors, they can't say the same. Because their reimbursement rates are often fixed by contracts with HMOs and managed-care groups, doctors cannot readily pass on their increased costs. To pay higher insurance premiums, some doctors have cut back on staff. But others are dropping high-risk specialties or retiring early. "I would be working just to pay my malpractice costs," said Debra Wright, a Las Vegas obstetrician who took a leave of absence this spring to avoid a premium increase to $180,000, from $50,000 last year. She hopes to resume her work if rates...
...conditions, sports injuries and chronic pain. Prenatal and infant massage are also catching on and a rape-crisis center in North Carolina even offers massage or "safe touch" as part of its therapy. A national survey of employer-sponsored health plans by William M. Mercer found that 15% of HMOs offer massage. Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield cover massage in some packages...