Advocate Aurora and Atrium complete merger, creating $27B system

The Latest

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  Cleveland Clinic losses top $1.5B amid inflation pressures

  Hospital operators are continuing to report rising losses in a tricky operating environment, with staffing shortages and high labor costs pressuring finances.

  Hospitals

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  Hospitals to end year with negative margins, Kaufman Hall reports

  Systems face continued staffing shortages and fewer discharges amid increased expenses, according to Kaufman Hall’s report.

  Hospitals

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  Ousted MetroHealth CEO, facing embezzlement allegations, sues hospital over termination

  Akram Boutros’ lawsuit alleges that MetroHealth’s board members were participating in secret deliberations outside of public meetings, violating the law during the hiring process for incoming CEO Airica Steed.

  Hospitals

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  UnitedHealth Group projects up to $360B in 2023 revenue, buoyed by Optum growth

  The projected revenue growth comes after the Department of Justice announced this month it would appeal a federal judge’s decision that allowed UnitedHealth’s $13 billion purchase of Change Healthcare to close.

  Payer

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  CMS warns hospitals must protect staff, patients from violence

  Hospitals must effectively mitigate risks to ensure patients and staff are safe as part of their Medicare certification, the agency said in a Monday memo, noting that some facilities have received citations for failing to do so.

  Hospitals

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  Tracker

  Strikes among healthcare workers in 2022

  Over 15,000 nurses in Minnesota voted in favor of authorizing another strike. They plan to walk off the job Dec. 11 through Dec. 31 at most hospitals, and at some facilities nurses have chosen to strike with no set end date.

  Updated 6 hours ago

  Hospitals

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  Advocate Aurora plans to hike rates at Wisconsin locations

  The Midwest hospital system said the increases are necessary to offset continued market and industry challenges compounded by inflation, inadequate reimbursement rates and ripple effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Hospitals

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  What to make of Eisai and Biogen’s latest Alzheimer’s drug data

  At a medical conference, the companies detailed clinical trial results that could help support approval of their drug lecanemab. However, some doctors aren’t convinced the medicine’s risks are worth its potential benefits.

  Government

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  Amwell in talks to acquire Talkspace: report

  The reported $200 million transaction reflects Talkspace's declining value since the therapy company went public last summer at a $1.4 billion valuation.

  Finances

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  HHS proposed rule targets substance use stigma

  The American Hospital Association backed the new rule, saying it would improve the exchange of patient records in the treatment of substance use disorders.

  Government

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  Google Health inks first licensing agreement for mammography AI tech

  Under the agreement, medtech company iCAD will work to validate and incorporate Google’s mammography AI — which Google has been building and testing for several years — into its products for use in clinical practices.

  Health IT

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  Cerebral sues ousted CEO over unpaid $50M loan

  Cerebral alleges the company loaned Kyle Robertson $49.8 million in January so he could purchase more than 1 million shares in Cerebral.

  Health IT

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  Opinion

  How to address healthcare’s unique cybersecurity challenges

  Although the U.S. is entering a post-COVID era, many factors straining the healthcare industry will continue and more risk factors will kick in, argues Syed Kaptan of cybersecurity intelligence company ThreatQuotient.

  Health IT

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  Bernie Sanders poised to lead Senate health committee

  The longtime proponent of universal healthcare is set to become chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is in line to be the committee’s ranking member.

  Payer

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  Q&A

  How digital and information officers are shaking up health systems

  Healthcare Dive caught up with Providence’s Sara Vaezy and Intermountain’s Craig Richardville just months into their tenure to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead as patients have come to expect more digital access.

  Hospitals

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  Deep Dive

  Health tech companies weigh options to stem cash burn as IPO market sags

  Healthcare technology companies are delaying initial share sales as public market stocks and valuations plunge across the sector. Where will they turn in the meantime?

  Health IT

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  AdventHealth claims victory in fight for new hospital in North Carolina

  The Florida-based health system elbowed out two competitors to build a hospital for residents around the Asheville area.

  Hospitals

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  Centene continues to sell ancillary business units

  The sale of Magellan Specialty Health is the latest divestiture in Centene’s plan to sell non-core assets as part of a long-term strategy to improve the company’s profit margin.  

  Payer

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  MetroHealth fires CEO Akram Boutros over almost $2M in unreported bonuses

  Boutros has denied all allegations of embezzlement. His lawyer said his firing was “the latest of a series of retaliatory acts” against Boutros after he raised concerns over the “unauthorized hiring of the new CEO.”

  Hospitals

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  Midwest health systems on track to merge

  At a time when the pace of healthcare mergers has slowed, Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System are forming a system of 11 hospitals.

  Hospitals

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  Lawmakers object to latest surprise billing rule, call for changes

  House Ways and Means Committee leaders “are severely disappointed to find that the August 2022 final rule violates the No Surprises Act in the same ways as before,” they wrote in a letter to regulators last week.

  Hospitals

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  Overturning of Roe v. Wade

  State AGs urge Apple to protect consumers’ reproductive health data

  Apps holding sensitive health data should be required to delete nonessential information and clearly inform consumers what information they share with parties such as law enforcement, the 10 state attorneys general said.

  Health IT

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  HLTH22

  ‘Not in la la land’: As digital health funding ebbs, VCs urge startups to be conservative

  The explosion of funding during the pandemic was a good thing, but the ongoing market correction is a good thing too as only the best business models will survive, prominent investors argued at HLTH.

  Health IT

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  Intermountain ekes out slim profit, weighed down by supply, labor costs

  The Salt Lake City-based system, which merged earlier this year with Colorado-based SCL Health, said labor expenses are up 45% from a year ago.

  Hospitals

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  Providence closes 27 retail clinics in Southern California

  The healthcare system said the clinics were losing money as they attracted fewer patients. Labor shortages, inflation and an increasingly competitive retail health industry are also to blame.

  Hospitals

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