Employers anticipate total health benefit costs per employee to increase 5.4% on average in 2024, new data from Mercer shows. “In addition to the effects of recent inflationary pressures, health benefit costs are rising from the consolidation of health systems and the introduction of ultra-expensive gene and cellular therapies,” said Sunit Patel, chief actuary for … Read more
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) issued a report on Thursday that laid out recommendations to improve patient safety across the nation. Some of these included creating federal leadership positions focused on advancing patient safety and hastening research on systems of safe care. The report asserted that patient safety is an … Read more
When asked what the top social barriers to accessing healthcare are, seniors put economic instability at the top of the list, a new survey found. Food insecurity came in second and lack of support and transportation access tied for third. The report was published Thursday by Alignment Health, a Medicare Advantage company. The online survey … Read more
Castell, the value-based care subsidiary of Intermountain Healthcare, selected Headspace to offer digital mental health services to members of select insurance plans in Utah, the companies announced Thursday. Santa Monica, California-based Headspace offers a range of virtual mental health services, including coaching, therapy, psychiatry and employee assistance program services. Castell works with payers, providers, health … Read more
Historically, the healthcare industry has had a reputation of countercyclicality. The idea here is that people are always going to need healthcare services and products, so the sector is less vulnerable to the effects of a greater economic downturn than other industries may be. But in the wake of the pandemic and the midst of … Read more
U.S employers’ healthcare costs will reach more than $15,000 per employee in 2024, representing an 8.5% increase from 2023, according to a new report. The Aon report, published Tuesday, analyzed healthcare costs for more than 800 U.S. employers representing 5.6 million employees. The projected 2024 increase is nearly twice the 4.5% increase that employers saw … Read more
Employers are facing a changing landscape when it comes to healthcare, whether it’s in regards to mental health concerns for their employees, cancer driving up health costs or the increase in prescription drug prices. To understand employers’ key concerns and their strategies to address these concerns, the Business Group on Health surveyed 152 large, self-insured … Read more
MAMAY Technologies Yuval Klein, founder of sugar reduction start-up BlueTree Technologies as well as MAMAY Technologies, an IT company that offers technology for the digitisation of taste, odour, and texture to food and beverage companies, says the food digitisation revolution is here – but still lacks a language for taste, odour and texture. Machines will … Read more
About 100,000 nurses left their jobs in the past two years, and another 610,388 are likely to leave the profession by 2027. This nursing shortage leaves those who are still working in the profession with insufficient capacity to handle patient needs, leading to high levels of burnout and emotional strain that end up driving even … Read more
Artificial intelligence certainly isn’t new to the digital health field, but the sector seems to be in the midst of a new hype cycle. This one is focused on novel technologies like large language models and other forms of generative AI, said Alex Lennox-Miller, lead analyst at CB Insights, during a Thursday webinar. The healthcare … Read more