Oct. 15: Medicare open enrollment for 2019 begins, running until Dec. 7. Because the number of Medicare Advantage plans is estimated to increase 19% to 3,700 in 2019 from 3,100 in 2018, the CMS expects enrollment in the plans to also increase, with a projected 22.6 million Medicare beneficiaries subscribing to the plans.
Oct. 16: UnitedHealth Group leads the pack into earnings season with its third-quarter results. In the second quarter, the company reported both higher revenue and profit.
Oct. 16: It's the last day for comments on the CMS' proposed rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which the agency wants to use to push accountable care organizations to transition to downside risk. The rule would promote care coordination and patient engagement, according to the CMS, and it would also boost interoperability for ACOs' electronic health records.
Oct. 17: The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee gathers again. If the group's past meetings are any indication of the agenda for this one, interoperability is bound to come up. Whether the attendees will say anything about the much-anticipated information-blocking rule remains to be seen.
Oct. 17-19: The newfangled-tech enthusiasts among us are gathering for the Connected Health Conference in Boston, where they'll learn about “thoughtfully embedding technology into healthcare.” HIMSS CEO Hal Wolf is set to discuss how connected care applies across the care continuum and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will talk about the FCC's work in bringing broadband to more people, to name just two of the many speakers who will take the stage at the conference.
