Health Care Service Price Comparison Suggests That Employers Lack Leverage To Negotiate Lower Prices.

Almost two-thirds of the 153 million nonelderly people in the United States who have health insurance through their employer are in self-insured plans. In contrast to fully insured plans, employers using self-insured plans assume responsibility for employees' medical costs and therefore have an incentive to reduce the prices of health care services. We compared prices for common services in self-insured plans with those in fully insured plans.

Medicare Hospice Spending Hit $15.8 Billion In 2015, Varied By Locale, Diagnosis.

Between 2007 and 2015, Medicare hospice spending rose by 52 percent, from $10.4 billion to $15.8 billion.

The future of nursing: monitoring the progress of recommended change in hospitals, nurse-led clinics, and home health and hospice agencies.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the implementation of recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.

Background: In 2010, the IOM made a series of recommendations aimed at transforming the role of nurses in healthcare delivery.

Methods: We conducted a multiyear survey, in 2011 and 2013, with nurse leaders who were members of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the National Nursing Centers Consortium, or the Visiting Nurses Association of America.