Bob Herman
@bobjherman
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Health care business reporter for @statnews and its Health Care Inc. newsletter. Contact: [email protected] or bobjherman.09 on Signal.
Joined May 2014
Tara writes on a fascinating new study confirming STAT's reporting from last November:
statnews.com
First-of-its-kind data analysis finds UnitedHealth Group pays many of its own physician practices significantly more than the average it pays other doctors in the same markets
UnitedHealth Group pays its own physician practices 17% more than outside ones, a new study--inspired by STAT's reporting--shows https://t.co/9VywbYcI7U via @statnews
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UnitedHealth Group pays its own physician practices 17% more than outside ones, a new study--inspired by STAT's reporting--shows https://t.co/9VywbYcI7U via @statnews
statnews.com
The findings are similar to an analysis STAT conducted, and raise questions about why UnitedHealth pays its doctors more.
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UnitedHealth wants more control over its ~90,000 doctors https://t.co/xZL7mz70RE via @statnews
statnews.com
UnitedHealth is making a big change to its doctor strategy in an effort to improve financial results.
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Up, and up, and up: The cost of health insurance for a family jumps to $27,000. Via @TaraBannow
https://t.co/b8nPNC9dn0
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Kaiser Permanente, DOJ nearing resolution in $1 billion Medicare fraud case https://t.co/5jh36BK4in via @statnews
statnews.com
The DOJ says that Kaiser systematically altered patients’ medical records to make them appear sicker and boost its revenue.
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Medicare payments to doctors paused as government shutdown drags on https://t.co/7XY9RkLjSH
statnews.com
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services backed off a plan to pause Medicare payments to doctors amid the government shutdown.
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For this @statnews investigation, I spoke with 25 doctors, nurses, infection preventionists, and other experts, who explained how this happens and why it harms patients. Please give it a read! https://t.co/CvdXlwPgNC 5/5
statnews.com
A STAT Investigation: To avoid fines for reporting excessive hospital-acquired infections, some facilities are discouraging testing.
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STAT is 10! Join us in reflecting on a decade of reporting from the frontiers of health and medicine. We’re proud that since 2015 we’ve delivered urgent, authoritative, and impactful journalism. Celebrate with us: https://t.co/sUHhHqsHAW
#STAT10 🧵
statnews.com
When we named ourselves “STAT’’ 10 years ago, we conceded, “It takes a bit of chutzpah to name a digital-age life-sciences publication after a buzzword
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MAHA turned 1 over the weekend, and it's hard to believe it's only been one year since Kennedy endorsed Trump and kickstarted this movement. I talked with nearly two dozen people to try and make sense of all that has happened — or not.
statnews.com
"That is so brilliant. Why didn’t we think of this before?" As MAHA turns 1, STAT examines the growth of the movement and takes stock of its challenges.
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We think of AI as something that decreases costs and increases revenue. But _for whom_ does it make more $? AI scribe companies promise doctors will get paid for everything they did. But where is that $ coming from? All of us. More from me @statnews: https://t.co/aOqK3CEbZU
statnews.com
As more doctors use AI note-taking scribes, which also codes for insurance, patients may see higher bills.
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NEW: Optum Rx has sued five Kentucky counties in lawsuits that a local advocate worries could set a dangerous precedent for companies to evade accountability for their role in the overdose crisis. @aneripattani reports. ⤵️
kffhealthnews.org
In a Goliath-versus-David fight, UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, has filed lawsuits in five counties to stop them from including the company in national opioid litigation.
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Restaurants are now offering entirely separate "Ozempic menus" of mini-meals and drinks.
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New: GLP-1s and cancer care are driving higher employer health care costs in 2026. Via @TaraBannow
https://t.co/kaKYmfsrXx
statnews.com
Health care costs are set to jump again next year, creating a challenge for employers.
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NEW: Federal judge rules against Elevance in lawsuit over Medicare Advantage star ratings. The Trump-appointed judge torched Elevance's arguments, saying the company ignored basic math. Another L for MA insurers.
statnews.com
A federal judge rejected Elevance's argument that the government unfair lowered its ratings.
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Don't miss STAT's analysis of health care CEO's compensation in 2024, led by @bobjherman and @jaspar. 91 health care CEOs earned at least $10 million in 2024.
statnews.com
STAT dug into the compensation of 275 CEOs across health care.
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The health care industry broadly failed its investors in 2024. That didn't stop those leading blue-chip companies from amassing generational wealth. Read and search through our latest CEO pay analysis, where there's no shortage of huge numbers.
statnews.com
STAT dug into the compensation of 275 CEOs across health care.
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Interesting that Viking Therapeutics' CEO is among the top-paid execs in the health care industry. He got a bigger pay package last year than AbbVie's CEO -- via STAT's annual health care CEO compensation report from @bobjherman, @jaspar
https://t.co/3EDlr1rg8J
statnews.com
STAT dug into the compensation of 275 CEOs across health care.
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Very important work here by @statnews reporters on how political oversight is gumming up the process of funding for scientific research. https://t.co/FQVBlu4zgU
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