Republicans are divided on how or whether to address the looming expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, with some supporting a temporary extension and some backing a proposal to send financial aid directly to consumers instead of insurers. Other proposals include using health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts to give consumers more control over health care spending. The expiration of the enhanced subsidies could lead to a 114% increase in premiums and increase the nation's uninsured rate by 2 million people.

Clinical documentation integrity programs are moving beyond inpatient care to encompass ambulatory and outpatient settings, driven by the shift toward value-based care, risk-adjusted payment models and CMS transparency and reporting requirements. Revisions to the Hierarchical Condition Category model, the Quality Payment Program and evaluation and management guidelines necessitate accurate and comprehensive documentation to prevent reimbursement problems and audit vulnerabilities. Natural language processing, AI-based review tools and integrated EHR prompts are making outpatient CDI scalable, writes certified documentation integrity practitioner Angela Comfort.

Epic's Payer Platform will store digital insurance cards for Humana Medicare Advantage subscribers, facilitating appointment check-in at health care offices using Epic's system. Health care practices that use the system will be able to obtain patients' coverage details electronically.

Data management is a significant challenge in health care, particularly with the integration of new technologies like AI. Keith Morse, chief medical information officer at Stanford Medicine Children's Health, highlights the complexities of maintaining data integrity as new tools are added. Data often resides in multiple locations, complicating the creation of complete patient care summaries. Effective data management strategies are needed to ensure technology enhances, rather than hinders, patient care, Morse says.

Nearly half of US states have enacted consumer data privacy laws that fill gaps in HIPAA as health information increasingly moves online. The new laws reflect a shift toward broader privacy protections similar to Europe's General Data Protection Regulation, addressing data collected through telehealth, apps and direct-to-consumer health services.