The Latest
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Ascension to divest three hospitals in northern Michigan
The nonprofit giant is working to improve its financials and focus on expanded ambulatory and telehealth offerings.
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Medicare’s GLP-1 spending is skyrocketing, even without weight loss coverage: KFF
Gross Medicare spending on the pricey drugs rose from $57 million in 2018 to $5.7 billion in 2022, according to a new analysis from the health policy group.
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Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court weighs abortion opponents’ standing in mifepristone case
Reversal of the FDA’s expanded access could limit use of medication abortion even in states that have legal protections for the procedure in place.
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Healthcare companies expand perks to recruit talent: report
The increase stands in contrast to other industries, which have cut back on extra offerings.
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Tax breaks exceed community care spending at large majority of nonprofit hospitals: report
Nonprofits’ cumulative “fair share” deficit is enough to pay off the medical debt of everyone in California, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania combined, according to the Lown Institute.
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Ascension will outsource Illinois hospitalist functions to PE-backed staffing firm
Beginning June 1, the Catholic health system will cede responsibility of hospitalist functions to staffing firm SCP Health.
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OIG details errors with VA, Oracle EHR deployment
Three reports released last week outline scheduling and pharmacy problems with the electronic health record integration — including an error that may have contributed to a patient’s death.
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Change Healthcare cyberattack
Senior lawmaker questions UnitedHealth over Change cyberattack
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said UnitedHealth’s “rapid consolidation and vertical integration” has major consequences for the healthcare sector, including increased control of the health IT market.
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Advocate offloads senior home care business to private equity firm
The health system is selling Senior Helpers to Waud Capital Partners just three years after it acquired the home care group.
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As laboratory-developed test rule looms, experts warn patients may lose access to critical diagnostics
In testimony to Congress Thursday, industry and patient group leaders described the trade-offs expected from increased FDA oversight of laboratory-developed tests.
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Change Healthcare cyberattack
Change says its largest claims clearinghouses coming back online
More than $14 billion in claims have been prepared for processing and will start flowing soon, the technology firm said Friday.
Updated March 25, 2024 -
Medicare to cover Novo’s obesity drug for some patients
Two weeks after the FDA updated Wegovy’s label, Medicare changed its stance to allow people with a history of heart disease to receive treatment, a shift that could further boost access to the fast-selling medicine.
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Change Healthcare cyberattack
Change Healthcare’s drawn-out recovery catches flak from cyber experts
At least 100 services remain offline four weeks after UnitedHealth detected an intrusion in its medical claims clearinghouse. Experts say the impacts are unprecedented.
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Walgreens’ VillageMD sells 11 locations in Rhode Island
The sale comes as the pharmacy chain culls VillageMD clinics, including in Florida and Illinois.
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Steward’s legal battles offer insight into pattern of mismanagement
The health system has been hit with at least 35 lawsuits in the last year alleging issues ranging from unpaid bills and falsified checks to doctor kickback schemes.
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Hospitals could face revenue hit if insurers play hardball over MA: report
Insurers could increase claims denials and engage in aggressive contract negotiations with hospitals as profitability in the popular plans declines.
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Tracker
Tracking healthcare data breaches
A data breach at Philips Respironics exposed the data of more than 450,000 people, according to a report to federal regulators.
Updated March 21, 2024 -
Consumers more discerning about health data sharing: survey
While respondents were largely willing to share their data, consumers have become pickier about who they’ll offer their information to, according to a Rock Health survey.
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CMS launches model to increase primary care investment in Medicare
Value-based care and physician interest groups said the model should create a more stable cash flow for providers.
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Deep Dive // HIMSS24
‘As fast as possible but no faster than is safe’: Hospitals, tech companies confront AI governance
Regulators seeking to erect guardrails around AI are facing a Sisyphean task, experts said at HIMSS. How do you oversee something that is constantly changing?
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Bon Secours Mercy Health names new CFO
Travis Crum, currently senior vice president of finance, will assume the CFO role in the summer. He replaces Debbie Bloomfield, who is set to retire at the end of the year.
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Elevance to buy Kroger’s specialty pharmacy
Major pharmacy benefit managers continue to double down on specialty as a reliable source of business amid a growing crop of pharmacy upstarts.
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Change cyberattack could damage credit at small providers:Â Fitch
Smaller companies may already have worse credit ratings and could struggle with cash flow disruptions caused by the outage.
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MedPAC’s physician pay recommendations insufficient, provider groups say
The Medicare Advisory Payment Commission also suggests tying the rate of physician payment increases to the Medicare Economic Index — a move some industry groups support.
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Q&A // HIMSS24
Microsoft’s health VP takes on responsible AI
David Rhew talks about Microsoft's new AI governance network and federal regulators’ plan to more actively oversee the technology.