The most recent data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners showed a slight uptick in denials last year, reaching 15% compared with 14.5% in 2020. However, that was still lower than in 2018 and 2019, when denial rates were 16.9% and 15.3%, respectively. But a study from consulting firm Kaufman Hall shows that denials likely have increased this year. The study reported that two-thirds of hospitals reported an increased rate of claims denials in 2022. Ivan Mitchell, CEO of Great Plains Health in North Platte, agreed, saying insurers' tactics are leading to "a bureaucratic mess in making it more difficult to get paid." Read more.
February 20, 2024
Children's Nebraska president and CEO, Chandra Chacon, elected to Children's Hospital Association 2024 board of trustees
Chanda Chacón, MPH, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Nebraska, has been elected to serve a three-year term on the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees. As the national voice of more than 220 children's hospitals, CHA brings children's hospitals and health systems together to champion policies, practices and performance improvements that enable children's hospitals to better serve children and families. To read more, click here.February 20, 2024
Bio-Electronics and Mazree Spring Cleaning
Mazree, in collaboration with Bio-Electronics, is thrilled to bring you an incredible opportunity with our Spring Cleaning initiative in Nebraska. This isn't just about decluttering your facility of surplus and unused medical equipment – it's a chance to effortlessly boost your facility's budget. You simply identify the surplus equipment in your facility, and that's almost all you have to do. Mazree takes over from there – we'll pick up the equipment and handle the sale. The best part? You receive a check for these assets. It’s like getting paid for something you no longer need or use!February 19, 2024
Plan to get $1 billion boost in federal support for Nebraska hospitals advances
LINCOLN — Nebraska could get more than $1 billion of federal money to boost Medicaid rates for hospitals and other health care providers under a bill that won easy first-round approval in the Legislature Thursday. The only controversy about Legislative Bill 1087, the Hospital Quality Assurance and Access Assessment Act, was whether to put a sunset date on the program. State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte, who introduced the bill, said Gov. Jim Pillen had insisted that the program expire on Dec. 31, 2026. Such expiration dates are often used to force lawmakers to review programs and decide whether they are worth keeping.