Why is Kaiser/Geisinger Such a Big Deal?

by John Harris, Managing Director
and Danielle Bangs, Principal

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A colleague asked, “Why is the Kaiser/Geisinger announcement such a big deal? There have been a lot of mega mergers.” An excellent question. This was more than just a $95B insurer/health system acquiring a $7B one. Here’s why: Kaiser Permanente has long been recognized as an iconic leader in value-based care, but they have largely […]

Interactions of Medicare Alternative Payment Models

by John Harris, Director
and Amanda Brown, Manager

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CMS continues to authorize voluntary and mandatory alternative payment models (APMs) to shift risk to providers. Beyond choosing which models offer the best opportunity, providers must evaluate the impact of participating in multiple APMs simultaneously. Overlapping APMs can be synergistic or self-defeating. Where simultaneous participation is an option, overlapping incentives are complicated and may not […]

COVID-19: Scaling Ambulatory Services to Maximize Volumes While Controlling Costs

by Lynda Mischel, Principal
and Meredith Inniger, Manager

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The pandemic has placed significant constraints on capacity, making volume growth, or simply maintaining normally budgeted volume levels, a formidable challenge. Organizations must implement novel clinical and administrative workflows that allow for the most efficient use of provider and patient time, ensure patient and staff safety, and drive bottom line performance. Many have opened services […]

What Does CVS-Aetna Have in Store for Hospitals?

by Scott Stuecher, Manager, Veralon

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Twelve years after launching the retail health insurgency with the purchase of the start-up MinuteClinic, CVS Health is upping the ante. In the biggest deal of 2017, CVS Health acquired Aetna in December. At this point, all predictions about how this merger will impact hospitals and health systems are conjecture. However, hospital leaders would be […]

DGA Partners Merges with Health Strategies & Solutions to form Veralon

DGA Partners and Health Strategies & Solutions, healthcare management consulting firms, have merged to form a single consultancy, to be known as Veralon Partners. “This is a merger between equals with many complementary services,” says Daniel M. Grauman, who is Managing Director and CEO of the new firm. “It will allow us to better serve […]