Medicaid may not be the sexiest-sounding topic, but it’s one of those words that’s always on the lips of healthcare executives. In 2024, hospital leaders are pushing their elected officials to ensure Medicaid parity for mental health services and keep Medicaid supplement payments flowing to stabilize system finances. To help keep your head on straight, Healthcare Brew put together an explainer on the state of Medicaid program funding.

Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72.5 million lower-income individuals and families, along with those who have disabilities, is administered by each state. For every dollar a state or territory invests into its Medicaid program, the federal government matches at a rate determined by the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages, or FMAPs.

The federal government contributes anywhere from 50%–83% of a state’s spend, with wealthier states like New York and California receiving a lower rate while poorer states like Mississippi earn a higher rate, according to KFF.

Keep reading here.—AE

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Amanda at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Amanda for her number on Signal.

In a new case study, Siemens Healthineers follows one doctor’s efforts to expand healthcare access to underserved patients in Georgia.

Dr. Takia Oglesby’s strategy led him to establish his practice with multiple locations and a multispecialty focus to meet the growing demand for medical care in his community. This in turn helped position his biz for sustainable growth.

Siemens Healthineers sat down with Dr. Oglesby to discuss expanding services, staffing with intention, and negotiating reimbursements. Learn how he worked with Siemens Healthineers to bring his vision to value.

Between a number of health-related measures on the ballot, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) that promise to revolutionize patient care, and an anticipated wave of labor activity, this year is teed up to be a big one for healthcare.

As we get over the mid-January lull in motivation to fulfill our New Year’s goals, Healthcare Brew checked in with leaders across the industry to see how they’re planning to make the most of a potentially monumental 2024.

“As a healthcare community, we’re facing a critical shortage of clinicians, and yet the needs of our communities have never been greater,” Tina Livaudais, chief nursing officer at dialysis provider DaVita, told Healthcare Brew, adding that one of her top focuses has been creating new opportunities for medical students and early-career clinicians.

Keep reading here.—MA

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Maia at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Maia for her number on Signal.

On Fridays, we schedule our rounds with Healthcare Brew readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

This week’s Making Rounds spotlights Sharon Faust, senior VP of specialty pharmacy at Lumicera Health Services, a Wisconsin-based full-service specialty pharmacy that tracks down medications for patients with rare or complex diseases.

Her team negotiates directly with drug manufacturers to get a price that might be lower than what’s otherwise available to the patient. They also work to get that person the best possible therapy, with a focus on injectables and biologics.

Once Faust and her colleagues find the right medication, they charge payers for the price of the drug plus a service charge using a business model called cost-plus pricing, which Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs venture helped popularize. Unlike traditional drug-pricing models, which can be complex, Faust said cost-plus offers a more transparent alternative. Additionally, Lumicera offers continued support to patients through medication education and adherence services.

Keep reading here.—WP

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Will at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Will for his number on Signal.

Stat: Exposure to phthalates, or the synthetic chemicals found in plastics, lotions, and other household products, is linked to an increased risk of preterm birth, according to national data of 5,000 mothers. (USA Today)

Quote: “It’s a new era. This isn’t a new insight, but now we have the tools—these anti-obesity medications and surgery—that can have profound benefits.”—Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale University, on certain weight loss treatments significantly lowering blood pressure (CNN)

Read: An expensive street outreach program for people with serious mental illness in New York City doesn’t have clear metrics to track efficacy, according to a comptroller audit. (the New York Times)

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