Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Medtech M&A expected to be robust in second half after 2021 began with a flurry
Even after already eclipsing the number of deals last year, analysts predict robust activity in particular among diagnostics companies flush with cash from 2020's COVID-19 test sales.
Ricky Zipp • July 19, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
How close is quantum computing in healthcare?
Potential applications run the gamut from streamlining clinical trials to optimizing back-end functions for payers and providers, and could be used in practice within a few years.
Rebecca Pifer • July 19, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive/Healthcare Dive
Medtech pay to doctors plunged in 2020 as COVID-19 pummeled electives, in-person services
Zimmer Biomet had the biggest drop, cutting general payments nearly 80% to $63 million. Other notable decreases include Stryker, J&J's DePuy Synthes and Boston Scientific.
Ricky Zipp • July 13, 2021 -
Legacy medical devices, growing hacker threats create perfect storm of cybersecurity risks
Aging medtech and increasingly sophisticated criminals are leaving hospitals highly vulnerable to attacks.
Greg Slabodkin • June 23, 2021 -
Permission granted by Biogen
In historic move, FDA approves closely watched, controversial Alzheimer's drug
With the decision, the agency cleared the way for what many predict will become a lucrative and highly sought-after option — though fierce debate continues over whether Biogen's aducanumab actually benefits patients.
Jacob Bell • June 07, 2021 -
Medtronic HeartWare system hit with slew of Class I recalls, device reports since 2012 PMA
The pump has a higher rate of malfunction reports than rivals, according to an ECRI analysis of the FDA's MAUDE database. But it's hard to draw conclusions from a disparate system of safety reporting.
Ricky Zipp • May 24, 2021 -
Virtual proctoring, training poised to be new normal in post-pandemic surgical interactions
Prior to the COVID-19 public health crisis, momentum to transition operating rooms into digitally connected learning environments was building. Social distancing mandates accelerated those efforts.
Greg Slabodkin • May 20, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
All eyes on elective care after a rollercoaster year for medtech
After shutdowns slammed procedure-dependent firms in 2020, industry and Wall Street are waiting to see when non-emergency surgeries fully return and what a comeback might look like.
Ricky Zipp • March 18, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
1 year of COVID-19 has changed what it's like to work in healthcare
A year of working on the front lines brought more focus on the challenges facing nurses and physicians, who are reporting higher rates of burnout as well as a lack of trust and engagement with the organizations employing them.
Hailey Mensik • March 17, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
Independent primary care docs more financially stable, but fed up with vaccine exclusion
For the private practices that survived 2020, things have improved. But even as volumes recover, front-line physicians are still facing fresh challenges, including worries about downstream effects from delayed care.
Rebecca Pifer • March 16, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
Hospital executives share lessons learned 1 year into the pandemic
Some health systems won't be returning to pre-coronavirus operations, as the crisis has forced them to rethink how they operate. Executives from across the country share what they've changed and what still keeps them up at night.
Samantha Liss • March 15, 2021 -
Hospitals lift curtain on prices, revealing giant swings in pricing by procedure
The eye-popping variations demonstrate "the total insanity of American healthcare pricing," Niall Brennan, CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute, said.
Samantha Liss and Nami Sumida • March 11, 2021 -
Brian Tucker / BioPharma Dive
4 healthcare antitrust issues to watch
The FTC is looking to get more aggressive with anticompetitive tie-ups while states eye ways to beef up oversight. And if handed the reins of HHS, Xavier Becerra would likely put an antitrust lens to potential rules.
Samantha Liss • March 01, 2021 -
CGM, insulin pump players look to 2021 as watershed year for diabetes wearables market
Insulet, Dexcom and Medtronic have product launches set for this year, with all looking to capitalize on the recent skyrocketing of virtual care due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ricky Zipp • Feb. 04, 2021 -
Fotolia
3 big predictions for digital health in 2021
As tech and data sharing become more pervasive, healthcare will likely pivot to being more predictive, and telehealth will evolve, giving rise to new modalities of care. This will force companies to invest more in cybersecurity.
Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 29, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive, images from Flickr/Healthcare Dive
Biden's most ambitious health policy: a public option plan
"It could fundamentally change how healthcare is priced in the U.S.," said Cynthia Cox, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Samantha Liss • Jan. 20, 2021 -
Permission granted by BioNTech SE
Hospitals scramble to get ready for coronavirus vaccines
From ultra-cold storage capabilities to extra security staff, facilities are bracing now for their pivotal role in vaccine distribution.
Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 19, 2020 -
5 issues hospitals want Biden to tackle in his first 100 days
Taming the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to overwhelm the sector's resources, is the No. 1 ask. Rolling back limits to Medicaid and sustaining COVID-19-spurred telehealth reimbursement are also on the list.
Samantha Liss and Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 10, 2020 -
Supply chain pains: How Geisinger, Sutter and Intermountain are prepping for flu season
"I'll be frank with you, we are concerned," John Wright of Intermountain Healthcare said. "We have concerns just in our manufacturers' abilities to keep up with demand on a global basis. Because it's a global issue."
Hailey Mensik • Oct. 26, 2020 -
Retail's role, focus on equity, value-based pay amid COVID-19: takeaways from HLTH 2020
Back-to-work products, coronavirus vaccine distribution and telehealth ROI were also hot topics at the conference's third year.
Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 19, 2020 -
Pediatric hospitals face 'double whammy,' not spared from COVID-19 effects
The facilities had to shut down many services amid the pandemic and saw few coronavirus patients. Now they face squeezed Medicaid budgets.
Samantha Liss • Oct. 12, 2020 -
Photography by Adam Schultz/Photo edit by Kendall Davis/Healthcare Dive
Election 2020: Trump and Biden's starkly diverging views on healthcare
Spoiler: the two nominees diverge on almost everything.
Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 01, 2020 -
Yujin Kim/Healthcare Dive
6 months in: What will the new normal look like for hospitals?
Whether there is a nationwide second wave or smaller surges in regions at different times, hospitals will need to remain vigilant and in an effective state of emergency until there is a cure or vaccine for COVID-19.
Shannon Muchmore • July 27, 2020 -
Yujin Kim/Healthcare Dive
6 months in: Following the flow of CARES hospital funding
Congress has allocated $175 billion to help providers respond to the COVID-19 crisis, but HHS has been hit with multiple complaints about distribution as that money goes out the door.
Samantha Liss • July 27, 2020 -
Brian Tucker/Healthcare Dive
'Weeks where decades happen': Telehealth 6 months into COVID-19
The nascent industry exploded out of necessity earlier this year, but its future staying power will depend on what insurers are willing to cover and whether some of the regulations relaxed because of the pandemic will stay rolled back.
Rebecca Pifer • July 27, 2020
