Revenue Cycle and Payer News – September 14, 2022

Collaboration News:

Walmart and UnitedHealth Group Collaborate to Deliver Access to High-Quality, Affordable Health Care
Walmart Inc. and UnitedHealth Group (@UnitedHealthGrp) announced the beginning of an initial 10-year, wide-ranging collaboration, bringing together the collective expertise of both companies in serving millions of people with high-quality, affordable health services that improve health outcomes and improve the patient experience.

Cigna + Oscar Expands Footprint to Bring Small Businesses in Philadelphia Access to Cost Effective Health Plans
Cigna Corporation (@cigna), a global health service company, and Oscar Health, Inc. (“Oscar”) (NYSE: OSCR), the first health insurance company built on a full stack technology platform, announced that Cigna + Oscar2 small business health insurance will be available across the Philadelphia metro area, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties beginning January 1, 2023, pending regulatory approval.

Company News:

CVS Health to Acquire Signify Health
CVS Health (@cvshealth) and Signify Health (@signifyhealth) have entered into a definitive agreement under which CVS Health will acquire Signify Health for $30.50 per share in cash, representing a total transaction value of approximately $8 billion.

Cigna Medical Group to Expand Health Services to More People, Changes Name to Evernorth Care Group
Cigna Medical Group  is changing its name to Evernorth Care Group as part of Cigna’s new health services business Evernorth (@evernorth). In addition, Evernorth Care Group will begin expanding access to its health care services to more people in the community through partnership with additional health plans.

Aetna CVS Health™ individual and family plans offer better care, access and value to consumers in 12 states
Aetna®, a CVS Health® company, is entering the individual insurance exchange marketplace in 12 states with its Aetna CVS Health co-branded insurance product, providing affordable access to health care for more Americans.

AMA joins class action against Cigna
The American Medical Association (@AmerMedicalAssn) recently released a statement and joined a class-action lawsuit against Cigna for allegedly failing to pay medical claims in full after members submitted them through MultiPlan, the nation’s largest PPO network.

2022 Health Insurance Knowledge Snapshot
Benefits selection should be empowering. Yet, according to the Health Insurance Knowledge Snapshot commissioned by Justworks (@justworks) and conducted by Harris Poll, this is often not the case. Many employed adults don’t understand their health insurance offerings as well as they think they do.

Independence Blue Cross now accepting applications for 2023 Clinical Care Innovation Grants
Independence Blue Cross (@ibx) is now accepting applications for its 2023 Clinical Care Innovation Grants. The grants, which were awarded for the first time in 2021, are intended to foster innovative approaches to care delivery that can help improve the health and well-being of Independence members and the community at large. Health systems and large specialty groups that are in the Independence network and have a value-based contract are encouraged to apply for a 2023 Clinical Care Innovation Grant.

Humana Finalizes Launch of CenterWell Home Health
Humana Inc. (@Humana) has announced the completion of its initiative to rebrand the home health division of Kindred at Home (KAH) as CenterWell Home Healthopens new window. With today’s announcement, CenterWell Home Health is now the official name for the more than 350 locations of the home health division serving 38 states.

Making the Cut, Milestones, Accolades, Awards and More

Labor First Experiences Record Growth with Impressive Client NPS Score and Company Momentum
Labor First (@LaborFirst), a provider of group retiree Medicare benefit management and member advocacy solutions, announced that the company has achieved an annual net promoter score (NPS) above 90, a significantly higher ranking than the industry average for the healthcare category of 58, leading to an impressive client retention rate of 100%. The company has also had a five-year compounded annual growth rate of 34% YoY, with the overarching company growth and momentum further underscoring Labor First’s commitment to meeting the new and changing needs of retirees, plan sponsors and advisors.

Product News:

UnitedHealthcare’s Surest Offers a New Approach to Health Insurance
UnitedHealthcare’s (@uhc) Surest offers a new approach to health benefits that removes deductibles and provides clear upfront pricing information to people in advance of treatment. Surest, introduced initially in 2016 as Bind, has the fastest growth rate among UnitedHealthcare’s employer-sponsored plans.

To Read:

Census Bureau annual report on health insurance in the US: 5 things to know – The U.S. Census Bureau published updated statistics on the number of people insured in the United States and the types of health insurance they have. Becker’s offers five takeaways from the bureau’s Sept. 13 report, which covers estimates for 2021.

Current Event:

AHIP’s Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum (@ahipcoverage)
What: Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum
When: September 12 – 14, 2022 Happening Today!
Where: Nashville, TN
Twitter: #AHIPDigital