Resources - Unlock Health

Resources

Unlock Health has deep experience in managed care consulting, revenue strategy, contract performance and negotiations, benchmarking, analytics, and strategic communications

We need an attitude of genuine humility to address a healthcare system in desperate need of change

The risks of opting out of the landmark BCBS antitrust settlement

Beyond the payout: How the BCBS antitrust settlement will transform the BlueCard program for providers

More Medicare Advantage turmoil

Medicare Advantage (MA) is in a major state of flux, and that has implications for nearly every provider in the U.S. A recent HEALTH CARE un-covered article detailed some of the recent issues. There was evidence last fall that Medicare Advantage was under attack when several hospitals announced they were reviewing their arrangements with Advantage plan sellers and were not accepting some or all plans. The CEO of the Brookings Hospital system in Brookings, South Dakota, told me, “The difference b

New era of conflict with independent Blues?

Over the years, we’ve focused a lot of analysis on United Healthcare’s strategy and the impact on providers. Yet more recently, we’ve seen an increase in conflict between independent Blues and the physicians and hospitals that populate their networks. What’s going on here? First, most Blues are the dominant market share plans in their markets. We see Alabama and Mississippi with Blue market share north of 85%. States like Florida and North Carolina have Blues that have grown market share to

Debunking the RAND Study: How flawed data is hurting U.S. hospitals

For years hospitals and health systems have been the target of accusations of corporate greed and price gauging as a way to explain the high cost of healthcare. Newspapers, legislators, and researchers have claimed that some hospitals exploit their market share, charge multiples of Medicare, and make healthcare unaffordable for employers and consumers alike.

May you live in interesting times

Occasionally, we can recognize that we live in extraordinary and interesting times, and the current healthcare system is demonstrating qualities we have not seen in our lifetime. These extraordinary times should cause us to consider whether extraordinary changes are required to make this system work better.