Medicaid changes, end of COVID emergency hampered hospital margins in April

Inflation and high expenses are placing a burden on hospitals as they recover from COVID-19 challenges. Hospital labor expenses rose 3% in April from March, according to Kaufman Hall.

By Brian T. Horowitz • June 1, 2023

Healthcare provisions of the debt limit deal: COVID-19 funding clawbacks, no Medicaid work requirements

Congressional Republicans and the White House reached a deal over the weekend to raise the debt ceiling that includes healthcare policy wins for both sides of the aisle.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 30, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

The Healthcare Dive Outlook on 2023

COVID-19 will continue to be a key presense in 2023, as the public health emergency is slated to end in May, sparking a major transition for the industry.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Abbott cuts jobs amid dwindling demand for COVID tests

The layoffs at Abbott’s manufacturing plant come after the COVID-19 public health emergency expired this month, and the company forecasts decreasing demand for the tests this year.

By Elise Reuter • May 24, 2023

Here’s what will change when the COVID public health emergency ends

Vaccines, which have been crucial to curbing the threat of the virus, will remain free for the vast majority of people in the U.S., but over-the-counter tests will no longer be covered for most.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 10, 2023

Biden admin officially ends COVID vaccine mandate for health workers

The CMS on Wednesday issued a final rule lifting the controversial vaccine mandate in early August, though regulators said they wouldn’t enforce the mandate between now and then.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated June 1, 2023

Nurses are less satisfied with careers, more likely to leave profession amid COVID pressures: survey

About half of nurses polled by AMN Healthcare said they were likely to encourage others to take up the profession in 2023, down from 64% in 2021.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 1, 2023

DOJ charges 18 in COVID healthcare frauds totaling $490M

It's the largest enforcement action against COVID-19 healthcare fraud schemes to date, according to regulators.

By Sydney Halleman • April 24, 2023

FDA favors single dose of updated COVID shots in shift to simplify vaccination

The regulator also authorized a second bivalent booster for adults 65 years or older, or those with weak immune systems.

By Delilah Alvarado • April 19, 2023

Care access, affordability impeding long COVID patients, study finds

Survey respondents had difficulty finding clinicians and health insurance and struggled to keep up with family medical bills in the previous year.

By Brian T. Horowitz • April 12, 2023

Telehealth use rose for third straight month in January among privately insured

Fair Health, which recently began tracking audio-only telehealth data, also found that audio-only utilization fell nationally from December to January.

By Hailey Mensik • April 5, 2023

Provider groups push back on planned nursing home staff mandates

Two hospital groups are arguing that federal staffing mandates are a “one-size-fits-all” approach to the labor crisis and that issuing mandates could reduce capacity by forcing nursing homes to shut their doors.

By Hailey Mensik • April 4, 2023

Medicaid redeterminations restarted Saturday. Here’s what we know

States could begin disenrolling ineligible beneficiaries from Medicaid on April 1, in an event the CMS has called the biggest health coverage transition since the first ACA open enrollment.

By Rebecca Pifer , Sydney Halleman • March 31, 2023

Biden’s latest drug price control plans threaten war on cancer, Alzheimer’s and more

Former Clinton health policy adviser Kenneth Thorpe argues that federal price control policies could wreak havoc in the industry.

By Kenneth E. Thorpe • March 31, 2023

Lawmakers to reintroduce federal nurse staffing ratio bill

The bill mirrors California’s nurse staffing law which took effect in 2004 and outlines exactly how many patients a nurse in specific hospital units can care for at one time.

By Hailey Mensik • March 30, 2023

‘We’ve had to be creative’: How a major health system eased its labor shortage

By the summer of 2021, turnover at Memorial Hermann reached 30%. The organization implemented new staffing models and invested in greater staff support. Turnover is now down by half.

By Katie Clarey • March 27, 2023

Pandemic-driven healthcare staffing shortages have mostly eased, report finds

Employment in ambulatory services is now well above pre-pandemic levels, as healthcare jobs recuperate from pandemic-driven shortages, according to nonprofit Altarum.

By Hailey Mensik • March 27, 2023

FDA details plan to end emergency use authorizations

The agency is providing a 180-day transition period for devices that were exempted during the pandemic, and said companies that currently have an EUA should start preparing.

By Elise Reuter • March 24, 2023

Pediatric mental health crisis top concern this year for patient safety organization

Physical and verbal violence against healthcare staff is the second top safety concern for the year, followed by clinician needs in times of uncertainty around maternal-fetal medicine.

By Hailey Mensik • March 13, 2023

Contracts covering tens of thousands of unionized HCA workers set to expire soon

Contracts for staff at nearly two dozen hospitals in Nevada and Florida will lapse at the end of March and May, respectively.

By Hailey Mensik • March 3, 2023

Over 1K residents unionize at Montefiore Medical Center

Residents at New York-based Montefiore are the latest to join CIR-SEIU, a labor union that’s gaining more members as healthcare workers across all roles mobilize in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Hailey Mensik • March 2, 2023

Gross margins in MA market returned to pre-pandemic levels by end of 2021, report finds

The analysis of insurer markets in 2021, the latest year of available annual data, sheds light into the varied financial performance of insurers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Sydney Halleman • March 1, 2023

Hospitals start year on better financial footing after challenging 2022, Kaufman Hall says

Volumes, emergency department visits, discharges and total revenues fell for hospitals in January while labor expenses rose, according to the report.

By Hailey Mensik • March 1, 2023

FDA authorizes first at-home flu-COVID-19 combination test days after its developer files for bankruptcy

Lucira filed for bankruptcy protection last week, saying the “protracted” authorization process caused it to miss out on test sales in the latest flu season.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Feb. 27, 2023

Medicaid enrollees largely unaware of upcoming redeterminations, survey finds

About 64% of adults in a Medicaid-enrolled family said they didn’t know they could lose coverage once eligibility checks resume on April 1, a survey from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 21, 2023

HHS readies for PHE wind down, end of pandemic flexibilities

A variety of pandemic-era policies will expire May 11, including those allowing providers to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth without an in-person visit and rules requiring payers to cover COVID-19 testing.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 10, 2023