Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Red states say 'yes' to Medicaid
Three GOP-heavy states expanded Medicaid on Tuesday, and Democratic governor pickups could further the trend. Elsewhere on midterm ballots, nurse-to-patient staffing ratios lost and California hospitals scored a win.
Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 07, 2018 -
9 state healthcare battles to watch Tuesday
It's not just Congress up for grabs in today's midterm elections. From Medicaid expansion to dialysis treatments to nurse staffing ratios, here's a snapshot of key votes, the odds and what they could mean for the industry.
David Lim, Tony Abraham, Rebecca Pifer and Samantha Liss • Nov. 02, 2018 -
How the American Nurses Association gamified training for its 4M members
A heavy dose of gamification can allow for personalization of learning on a massive scale.
Riia O'Donnell • Oct. 31, 2018 -
Flu season is here. Health systems are bracing for it.
Despite last season's sobering numbers, two recent studies found that many Americans still aren't getting vaccinated.
Les Masterson • Oct. 29, 2018 -
Insurers see broad market opportunities with end-of-life care
"The reimbursement rates are strong and it's a profitable service to be delivering," said Avalere's Dan Mendelson. "Whenever you have that kind of situation you're going to also have speculative buying and desire to grow these markets."
Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 17, 2018 -
Long-term care hospitals: Overpaid or underappreciated?
"The costs associated with operating a long-term care hospital are more closely aligned with short-term acute care hospitals, but less expensive," says Susan Maupin, president of The Advisory Group.
Meg Bryant • Oct. 12, 2018 -
Hospitals prepare for uncompensated care payment change
The move is meant to even the playing field for hospitals and create more transparency.
Les Masterson • Sept. 28, 2018 -
Why payers are gobbling up PBMs
On Monday the Justice Department gave its blessing to a $67 billion acquisition of Express Scripts by Cigna.
Samantha Liss • Sept. 18, 2018 -
When ICE comes knocking, healthcare workers want to be prepared
Hospital staff are on the front lines in the fight against a growing threat to their patients' health: fear.
Tony Abraham • Sept. 14, 2018 -
Blockchain in healthcare: Huge promise, but largely unproven
"What blockchain has been able to do is create markets where a market didn't previously exist," says Noah Zimmerman, director of Mount Sinai's Center for Biomedical Blockchain Research.
Meg Bryant • Aug. 30, 2018 -
How Scott Gottlieb is upending FDA communication, 1 tweet at a time
The FDA commissioner has been relentless in pumping out tweets, statements and more. But how has that affected FDA communications and the agency overall?
Andrew Dunn • Aug. 28, 2018 -
Rural hospitals in dire need of regulatory relief
"Reducing some of the costly regulatory challenges we face would help staunch the bloodletting," said Leslie Marsh, CEO of Lexington Regional Health Center.
Meg Bryant • Aug. 17, 2018 -
Prior authorization moves to EHRs
Manual prior authorization can create administrative burdens for practices and hospitals, but case studies show some success in making the process electronic.
Les Masterson • Aug. 15, 2018 -
5 key takeaways from hospitals' Q2 results
Earnings were mixed for hospital operators in the second quarter, with winners and losers beginning to emerge amid industry uncertainty.
Tony Abraham and Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 15, 2018 -
5 takeaways from payer Q2 earnings reports
Health insurers found success in Medicare, Medicaid and even the ACA exchanges.
Les Masterson • Aug. 08, 2018 -
Industry balks at FDA's cybersecurity plans
"We already know that FDA will reject premarket submissions if they do not follow the cybersecurity guidance," says AdvaMed's Zach Rothstein.
Meg Bryant • Aug. 02, 2018 -
How providers are working to stem missed appointments
Millions of patients cancel, skip or reschedule appointments with their clinicians every year, creating vacant schedules and expenses that can cost the industry $150 billion annually.
Tony Abraham • July 27, 2018 -
Payers, doctors weigh AI's disruptive prescribing potential
The disruption won't happen overnight, though, as big tech firms try to not only develop healthcare AI tools, but also show they'll enhance, rather than upend, the doctor-patient relationship.
Jacob Bell • July 26, 2018 -
Pharma and AI? Let's try augmented intelligence first
Both collaborations and in-house capabilities will likely be needed for pharma to successfully use AI across drug development.
Lisa LaMotta • July 26, 2018 -
Some patients fight back against surprise medical bills
"People that come to us are often quite distraught," says Akshay Gupta, co-founder of CoPatient, a firm that helps patients resolve their medical bills.
Meg Bryant • July 25, 2018 -
How Mercy Health consolidated its supply chain
Facing rising costs and inconsistencies, health systems are strengthening efficiency by vertically integrating their supply chains.
Nicole Ault • July 25, 2018 -
Health systems increasingly think small. At the micro level.
"It's intended to be the 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' version," one hospital executive quipped about the micro-campus goal.
Les Masterson • July 23, 2018 -
The boons of — and barriers to — behavioral health integration
An increasing number of clinics are trying a collaborative care model, but reimbursement, structural and historical barriers remain an obstacle.
Les Masterson • July 05, 2018 -
Return of the house call
Big systems like Johns Hopkins and CMS itself are increasingly looking to home-based care.
Les Masterson • July 02, 2018 -
Telebehavioral health finding its niche
Providers are exploring new tech options, but there's still work to be done to integrate mental health services into the larger healthcare delivery system.
Meg Bryant • June 21, 2018