Dive Brief:
- Another survey reports that hospitals increasingly are looking at accountable care organizations and other risk-based contracts; and about half of hospitals not yet involved in risk-based contracting intend to begin the strategy in the next year.
- More hospitals are participating in group purchasing organizations and seeking partnerships with federal and private payers for risk-based models such as shared savings and bundled payments, according to the new report from ITG Market Research.
- Yet amid reimbursement cuts, one third of hospital executives reported staffing reductions in the first half of 2014, and more than 40% expect to spend less on large capital equipment in the coming year.
Dive Insight:
Contrary to the somber picture painted by a new Black Box survey of hospital CFOs, ITG Market Research offered a bit of optimism. ITG's survey found that U.S. hospital executives continue to see recovery in the overall economy, though many still await improvements in their own hospitals' financial performance.
Given "shifting hospital profit centers," hospital executives are seeking to leverage new care delivery approaches and healthcare information technology strategies in order to save money and "capture value from efficiency and quality control tools," ITG said.
