Friday Five: Top 5 healthcare business news items from the MCOL Weekend edition

By Claire Thayer, July 13, 2018

Every business day, MCOL posts feature stories making news on the business of health care. Here are five we think are particularly important for this week:

CMS promises to ‘restore the doctor-patient relationship’ with 2019 proposed rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule on Thursday making what officials called “historic changes” to the Medicare program aimed at restoring the doctor-patient relationship.

FierceHealthcare

Friday, July 13, 2018

A Simple Emergency Room Intervention Can Help Cut Suicide Risk

Many people who attempt suicide end up in an emergency room for immediate treatment. But few of those suicide survivors get the follow-up care they need at a time when they are especially likely to attempt suicide again.

NPR

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Amazon Has Global Aspirations for Medical-Supplies Marketplace

Amazon.com Inc. has global aspirations for its medical-supplies marketplace, according to a job listing posted on its website, highlighting the e-commerce giant’s sweeping ambitions to disrupt health care by selling products to hospitals, doctors and dentists and offering prescription drugs.

Bloomberg

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Insurers Urge a Quick Fix After Obamacare Payment Suspension

Insurance-industry groups are pushing the Trump administration to resolve a legal dispute that led to the suspension of billions of dollars of payments that help stabilize Obamacare’s markets.

Bloomberg

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Judge blocks Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirement

A federal judge has blocked Kentucky from instituting the first-ever Medicaid work requirements, potentially dealing a major blow to the Trump administration's efforts to scale back the health care program for the poor.

Politico

Monday, July 9, 2018

These and more weekly news items on the business of healthcare are featured in the MCOL Weekend edition, along with the MCOL Tidbits, and more, for MCOL Premium level members.