Payer

About eight months after announcing an IT and revenue cycle partnership, Optum and Cooperstown, N.Y.-based Bassett Healthcare Network's relationship has blossomed to shine a light on how rural hospitals are withstanding consolidation, Forbes reported Dec. 7. 

David Wagner was named South Florida market lead by Florida Blue, according to the South Florida Business Journal. 

Macomb, Ill.-based McDonough District Hospital is moving on from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois as its employee insurance provider after the payer parted ways with Springfield Clinic, according to the McDonough County Voice. 

Tiffany Benjamin is stepping in as CEO of the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the national payer, the payer announced Dec. 7.

Cigna Ventures is in on the latest $750 million investment in Bright Health Group, and the startup's CEO said the move could spark collaboration down the road, according to the Star Tribune. 

As President Joe Biden looks to combat the spread of COVID-19 by requiring payers to cover over-the-counter tests, insurers fear that the move could result in price gouging, Bloomberg reported Dec. 2. 

Aetna and Syracuse, N.Y.-based St. Joseph's Health, a 431-bed, Trinity Health-owned hospital, announced a one-month extension to their current contract as they continue negotiations. 

Alignment Healthcare's Medicare Advantage plan, Alignment Health Plan, is the first in the country to cover Galleri, a multi-cancer early detection blood test developed by Grail.

Medicare saw a 14 percent dip in anticipated payments to physicians in 2020, but telehealth simultaneously stepped into the limelight to make up a larger share of Medicare spending, according to an American Medical Association analysis. 

Digital tools adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic also play a crucial role in combating health inequities, according to a United Health Foundation panel.