By Melissa Bruno
Don’t let the heat and the glare of flashing neon lights on the Vegas strip distract you at next week’s America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute show (June 9-11). Much like the sun-baked Nevada desert, the payer community has taken quite a beating, particularly over the last year, so it should make for an interesting environment.
Schwartz Communications caught up with Eric Wicklund, managing editor of Healthcare Finance News to get his thoughts before he heads out West. Keeping true to his healthcare finance beat, Eric will be on the lookout to see “whether any big healthcare finance deals will be made or broken on the casino floor or at the poker table.”
Like many vendors, members of the press and attendees, Eric’s most interested in the mood at the show––especially since insurers are being portrayed as the villains in Washington and on Main Street. He wants to know, “will they be apologetic or will they take a hard line on responsibility for rate increases?”
At Institute, make sure to set some time aside to catch the sessions for the latest news, challenges and trends in the payer space––many of them will examine the impact of the healthcare reform bill on payer/provider interactions, the adoption of technology, reimbursement and improving the cost and quality of care, not to mention the renewed interest in wellness and preventative care and the latest hot topic: HIEs. With all that's on the docket, there's ample opportunity to use the conference’s focus on these high-level trends to make your company––and news––relevant to the bigger stories that reporters are going to be focusing on in coming months.
Finally, we’ll leave you with a few PR tips from the strip to help you survive Vegas unscathed:
• Stay hydrated. Between air travel and high temperatures, you won’t be on you’re A-game if you aren’t getting enough H20.
• Know the show. Institute has limited exhibit hall hours––usually centered around food and drink––so if you’re planning on making the rounds to network and see the vendors, know the hours, plan ahead and avoid the snack lines to make the most of your time: Wednesday, June 9: 5-7 p.m., Thursday, June 10: 10-10:30 a.m.; 2:15-3:45 p.m. and 5:45-7:00 p.m. and Friday, June 11: 9:30-10:00 a.m.
• Gamble with money, not the media. The Institute press room is in Neopolitan IV, but keep in mind that reporters will spend most of their time in meetings or writing stories for pending deadlines, so tread carefully. If you come upon an unoccupied reporter, introduce yourself, hand over a business card and make note to follow-up with them after the show.
See you in Vegas!
Tags: AHIP, Eric Wicklund, Healthcare Finance News
By Dave Close on June 4, 2010 2:13 PM
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An Envision Solutions/Kelton Research survey found that 85.6 million U.S. adults, or 38 percent of the population, have doubted the opinion of their doctors or other medical professionals when it conflicts with information found online. Forty three percent of consumers ages 18 to 34 reported they doubted their health provider's advice when it conflicted with online sources.
Only 3 percent of Americans seeking advice about how to manage a serious medical condition would view patient developed online health information as trustworthy. I’m sure this perspective would change if a consumer was faced with a serious disease or condition, hence the popularity of sites like PatientsLikeMe.com.
Few consumers listed the government, the media or non-profits as credible healthcare information sources. The survey shows that a majority of Americans still view health providers as their most trusted source of medical information overall.
Tags: Healthcare+PR, Medical+PR
By Shawn Whalen on October 3, 2008 11:21 AM
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The AMA recently issued its first health insurance report card grading how quickly and accurately doctors get paid. Docs hope the report card will reduce the cost of claims processing and help in contract negotiations with the health plans.
According to the AMA, the report card compares Medicare and seven national commercial health insurers on the timeliness and accuracy of claims processing. UnitedHealthcare had the lowest rate – only 62 percent of medical services billed were paid by them at the agreed rate. Aetna came in higher at 71 percent, and the Medicare at an impressive 98 percent.
What you can do: If you are a healthcare IT physician practice management or EMR vendor who facilitates electronic coding and billing, use the AMA report to highlight how you can improve payment rates for you customers. It's likely your solution improves reimbursement rates and speed, translating into a more efficient and profitable practice.
Tags: Healthcare+PR, Managed+Care, Medical+PR
By Shawn Whalen on September 30, 2008 2:15 PM
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Health care costs are expected to rise more than 10 percent into next year, says an Aon Consulting survey of 70 national health insurers. This is actually good, considering it’s the smallest increase Aon has seen in six years.
Employers take measures to combat such increases through new designs, adoption of CDHP and HSA plans. Costs are still rising to keep up with growing patient demand for services, the needs of an aging population and prescription drug and technology costs, according to Aon.
What you can do: If you are a healthcare technology vendor whose solutions help lower costs for employers, leverage surveys such as this to highlight the savings you can provide customers. Highlight employer group success stories in the HR and benefits trades. Consider a round table of customers and experts to put your solution in a trend story context.
Tags: Healthcare+PR, Medical+PR
By Shawn Whalen on September 28, 2008 7:11 PM
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Here in Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation mandating hospitals and community health centers to implement interoperable electronic health records systems by Oct. 1, 2015, as a condition of their state license. The state will develop regulations to define EHRs.
The systems must be certified by Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT.) Further, the law mandates collection and reporting of quality and cost data by providers and insurers, for dissemination to consumers via a state Web portal.
For HCIT practitioners of EHR vendors, this gives you an interesting message point to weave into pitching any Massachusetts hospital or health center customers.
Tags: EHR, EMR, EMR+PR, Healthcare+PR, Medical+PR
By Shawn Whalen on September 23, 2008 5:11 PM
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