Reducing the cost of care requires aligning incentives of providers, payers and patients

Congress, government agencies, presidential candidates, consumers and the industry itself talk about the need to lower healthcare costs, but what does this entail? Many want to target drug costs and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has mandated hospitals to post a list of their standard charges by diagnostic-related group, in an effort for consumers to have transparent cost options. And providers need to collect every penny owed them and combat revenue leakage. This month, Healthcare IT News, MobiHealthNews and Healthcare Finance News take a look at what all of this means and how technology, as always, is spurring innovative solutions.

-- Susan Morse, senior editor, Healthcare Finance News