Retail clinics may compete with physician practices

InterFit Health’s RediClinic has become a participating provider for Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna, expanding the insurer’s in-store retail healthcare program. The agreement, which supplements Aetna’s relationship with retailer MinuteClinic, suggests that physicians may face increasing competition from retail clinics approved by major insurers such as Aetna.

Inducement allegations result in settlement

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Costa Mesa, Calif.-based American Medical Response, one of the nation’s largest ambulance providers. Under the agreement, the company will pay more than $9 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act. As a result of lawsuits filed in 2000 and 2001 by two former AMR employees, the government alleged that the company provided illegal inducements in the form of discounts to hospitals in Texas in exchange for transportation referrals, which were billed to Medicare.

Pay raises for workers in the senior living industry

Wages for 54 key jobs increased nationwide by an average of 3.8 percent during 2005, according to results of a recent survey by WageWatch Inc. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company estimated the increase through its second annual national Senior Living Compensation Survey of Continuing Care Centers, Assisted Living Facilities, Nursing Homes, Hospice and Home Care. Jobs in the clerical and service groups saw an overall wage growth of 1.5 percent, while wages for professional and key management jobs increased by 6 percent.

HHS offers funding for long-term care access

HHS has announced nearly $6 million in additional funding to 22 states to expand efforts to establish single entry points to long-term care for families trying to learn about and access services in their communities. So far, 43 states have received more than $40 million in support under the ADRC initiative, jointly administered by the Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. States are using ADRC funds to better coordinate and redesign existing methods for providing information and personalized assistance in accessing services such as meals-on-wheels, personal care, housekeeping, specialized transportation, assisted living and nursing home care.