TGIF

The FEHBlog is outside the Beltway this weekend.  It’s a lovely day in Chicago.

The Delaware chancery court judge denied Anthem’s motion for a 60 day long extension of its merger agreement with Cigna late yesterday afternoon. The judge allowed Anthem until Monday to notice an appeal to the higher state court according to this Bloomberg article.

HHS Office for Civil Rights added another scalp to its belt this week.  This one is worth bearing in mind. A large Texas hospital system is paying a $2.4 million settlement and entering into a compliance plan because the hospital publicized the fact that a patient was arrested for presenting a fraudulent identification. It was OK under HIPAA to blow the whistle to the police but not to name the patient in its press release. Expensive lesson.

In an interesting development, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association announced a nationwide partnership with Lyft to transport certain members to medical appointments at no additional cost to the members. It looks like the arrangement will be an additional tool in the case manager’s toolbox.