The Keys to Compliance with Secret Shoppers
One way to confirm that Medicare beneficiaries are receiving accurate & compliant information during marketing events and personal appointments, is to utilize secret shoppers. CMS secret shoppers measure quality of service and compliance with Medicare regulations as a way to gather specific information about products and services. Read more.
September 6th & 7th
2017 Leaders' & Medicare Connections Conference
This year we are combining the Medicare Connections Conference with our Leaders' Conference on September 6th and 7th at the Hershey Lodge. Save the date for 2 exciting days of great information, networking, food, and more! Look for registration information to be announced next month. Learn more.
Get Bonuses, Leads & Top Commissions with URL
When you become a GEMINI partner all of your Medicare business entitles you to our exclusive second quarter bonuses all while earning top commissions. Read more.
May 23rd | 9am EST
Understanding Medicaid & Special Needs Plans
Medicaid provides health coverage to more than 4.6 million low-income seniors, as well as 3.7 million people with disabilities whom are all eligible for Medicare. Join us for a seminar at our office on May 23rd at 9am to learn how to tap into this opportunity. Register now.
May 31st | 8:30am EST
Making More with Medicare
Join us for a seminar on May 31st at 8:30am to learn how to increase your sales without finding new clients. Stop leaving money on the table with simple cross-selling techniques. Register now.
Highmark Medicare Producer Hotline Updates
We are pleased to announce the newly enhanced Highmark Medicare Producer Hotline. Starting today, Monday, April 10, 2017, the Highmark Medicare Producer Hotline and mailbox will be ready to answer more of your questions. Read more.
UnitedHealthcare Proactive Background Review Pilot
UnitedHealthcare Agent On-Boarding is excited to announce a pilot program related to periodic background reviews. Our research indicates approximately 50% of agents who appeal a failed background review pass; we want to remove this hassle for agents. Read more.
Highmark ShopPRO Marketing Materials Update
We wanted to let you know about exciting new marketing materials that have recently been added to ShopPRO and are available for immediate ordering under the Brochures & Direct Mail Postcard categories. Read more.
Mutual of Omaha Upcoming Rate Adjustments
Please review information on upcoming rate adjustments in DC, GA, ID, KS, MI, MD, NE, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, and WY. Read more.
UnitedHealth's government growth can't be ignored
UnitedHealth Group Inc. is out on Obamacare but in on the government. The insurer's first-quarter earnings release on Tuesday revealed its Medicare and Medicaid businesses are growing rapidly, even as it has pulled out of the Affordable Care Act's individual exchange markets. Read more.
Care Transitions Common at End of Life for Medicare Recipients
More than one-third of Medicare beneficiaries who died in 2011 had at least four care transitions during their last six months of life, according to a study published online April 3 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Read more.
Trump Administration Finalizes 0.45% Rate Increase for Medicare Advantage and Halts Egg Whip Changes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released finalized guidance on Monday regarding Medicare Advantage (MA) rates for the 2018 plan year. Read more.
3 Big Social Security Changes You Should Expect in 2018
For many retired workers, Social Security isn't just some ancillary income channel that pads their pockets during retirement. It's a vital source of income without which millions of seniors would likely be living in poverty. Read more.
Medicare spent up to $6.5B on low-value procedures in one year
Medicare spent between $2.4 billion and $6.5 billion in 2014 on health care services that either do not help or might harm patients, according to an analysis of claims data, but experts say payment and delivery system reforms might prove effective at reducing the waste. Imaging for nonspecific lower back pain, tests for prostate and colon cancers in elderly patients, cardiovascular tests and procedures, and spinal injections for low-back pain were among the most frequently administered low-value procedures. Read more (free registration).
MedPAC recommends changes to Part B drug reimbursements
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted unanimously to suggest adding a voluntary drug value program to Part B. MedPAC members also recommend requiring all makers of drugs covered by Part B to report average sales price data, raising penalties for failure to report ASP data, limiting ASP-based payment rate increases, reducing the pay differential from 6% to 3% for drugs based on wholesale acquisition cost and consolidating billing codes for biosimilar drugs. Read more (free registration).
Medicare Advantage plans to receive 0.45% rate hike for 2018
The federal government bumped up average pay raises for 2018 Medicare Advantage plans and modified several of the program's policies in favor of the health insurance industry. Read more (tiered subscription model).
