The majority of hospital and health systems have begun talks with payers about participation in health insurance exchanges, and a fourth of them have negotiated with at least five payers, according to a new survey from ReviveHealth and Catalyst Healthcare Research.
The 2013 "ReviveHealth Exchange Rates Survey" is based on 135 responses from hospital and health system leaders, collected from May through June. Of those respondents, 62 percent were in managed care roles, 14 percent were CFOs and 7 percent were CEOs, among others.
Here are some of the survey's main takeaways.
• Seventy-five percent of respondents said they have started conversations with payers about participation in exchanges. Twenty percent said they have not started those conversations, while 4 percent remained unsure.
• Of those respondents who had started conversations with payers about exchanges, 92 percent of those talks involved a discussion of rates.
• One-fourth of respondents said they have been in contact with five or more payers in negotiations.
• Interestingly, twice as many respondents (16 percent) said they do not believe exchanges will be able to achieve cost reduction and quality care compared with last year, when only 8 percent indicated this.
• Ninety-one percent of respondents said at least 50 percent to 74 percent of hospitals and physicians in a market would need to participate in the exchange to ensure an adequate network for people who buy insurance through it.
• Hospital executives expected Blue Cross Blue Shield to have a strong presence in exchanges, with 87 percent of respondents saying they think the payer is likely to participate. Forty-eight percent of respondents indicated the same for Aetna, and 44 percent said the same for UnitedHealthcare.
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