COVID-19: Page 2

Telehealth use fell in February as omicron retreated

Mental health services captured a larger percentage of remote care and continued to be the top reason for online provider visits in February, according to data from Fair Health.

By Susan Kelly • May 10, 2022

Moderna vaccine sales surpass expectations as company looks to fall boosters

The trajectory of COVID-19 vaccine sales is now harder to predict amid questions about the rollout of additional doses and whether purchasing in the U.S. might shift from the federal government to private payers.

By Ned Pagliarulo • May 5, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Healthcare Dive's Outlook for 2022

As the country enters its third year of battling the COVID-19 pandemic, fault lines in the healthcare landscape are becoming more clear and long-term implications are becoming more evident.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Telemedicine reached disadvantaged communities during pandemic, study finds

The results surprised Johns Hopkins University researchers, who said it contrasted with earlier findings showing an inverse link between socioeconomic status and use of telemedicine in the pandemic.

By Susan Kelly • May 4, 2022

Stanford nurses ratify deal, ending weeklong strike

Nurses will return to work Tuesday after ratifying a deal on new contracts that include measures to better retain and recruit nursing staff, the union said.

By Hailey Mensik • May 3, 2022

Hospital volumes, revenues rebounded as omicron cases waned in March

Many patients returned for nonurgent procedures and other non-COVID-19 care, especially outpatient, that had been previously delayed, according to a Kaufman Hall report.

By Hailey Mensik • May 3, 2022

ACA-related coverage enrollment tops record at nearly 36M

The expansion of health coverage to more Americans reflects pandemic-related policy efforts, but some of those flexibilities are set to expire this year.

By Susan Kelly • May 2, 2022

Labor costs unlikely to wind down soon, for-profit hospitals report in Q1

Hospital operators hoped the need for temporary nursing staff and heightened labor costs would ease alongside dwindling cases of the omicron variant, as they did during previous waves. That wasn't the case in the first quarter.

By Hailey Mensik • May 2, 2022

Moderna seeks FDA clearance for COVID-19 vaccine in young children

The biotech's shot would become the first available to children under 6, the last remaining age group currently ineligible for vaccination. 

By Kristin Jensen • April 28, 2022

Thousands of Stanford nurses in California reach deal to end strike

Nurses voted on a tentative agreement Sunday and if they ratify the deal they will return to work Tuesday under new contracts, according to the union.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated May 2, 2022

Employers are reevaluating health benefits amid tight labor market, survey finds

Improving affordability, providing virtual care and boosting mental health offerings will be top priorities for U.S. employers over the next two years, according to a Willis Towers Watson report.

By Susan Kelly • April 27, 2022

Massive pandemic pivot to telehealth tallied in Fair Health report

New data from the nonprofit reiterates the explosive growth in telemedicine in the first year of the pandemic when other medical sites scaled back services.

By Susan Kelly • April 25, 2022

HCA lowers expectations for the year, citing ongoing labor challenges

Heightened spending on salaries and benefits is primarily related to the ongoing use of contract labor, though the system is also adjusting wages to stay competitive, CEO Sam Hazen said on a Friday call with investors.

By Hailey Mensik • April 22, 2022

DOJ cracks down on 'largest and most wide-ranging' COVID-19 fraud

Defendants — including doctors, medical business executives and fake vaccination card manufacturers — caused nearly $150 million in false billings to federal programs, the DOJ alleged.

By Rebecca Pifer • April 21, 2022

CMS underestimated hospital labor spending in payment adjustments, Premier says

Inpatient payment rates for fiscal 2023 released earlier this week also wouldn't adequately cover rising costs, according to the group purchasing organization.

By Hailey Mensik • April 21, 2022

Corporate employment of physicians surged during pandemic

A study by Avalere found that hospitals or other corporate entities are buying up independent physician groups at a rapid clip, raising concerns about increasing pressures on doctors.

By Susan Kelly • April 20, 2022

End of Medicaid continuous coverage may leave millions of children uninsured, analysis finds

Children are at highest risk in Texas, Florida and Georgia when states resume checking Medicaid eligibility after the public health emergency expires, Georgetown University researchers found.

By Susan Kelly • April 19, 2022

How health system leaders are navigating ongoing staffing shortages: survey

More than 90% of health system leaders have increased compensation to recruit and retain staff, while 81% said they are still filling gaps with agency labor, per a new Advis report.

By Hailey Mensik • April 18, 2022

Physician pay is climbing after early-pandemic slump

Doctors' financial compensation increased in the past year, resuming a longer-term trend though gender, racial and ethnic pay disparities persist.

By Susan Kelly • April 18, 2022

Community health centers facing acute workforce loss

A majority of health centers reported they lost up to a fourth of their workforce in the past six months alone, according to a new survey from the National Association of Community Health Centers.

By Rebecca Pifer • April 13, 2022

Higher education can help solve America's nursing shortage

By adapting new tactics, building more flexible ways to credential new nurses and making academic progression more accessible, learning institutions can take critical steps to strengthen America's core of nurses, the authors argue.

By Jennifer Graebe and Lisa McIntyre-Hite • April 11, 2022

Which healthcare workers are most likely to quit their jobs?

Following massive job losses at the start of the pandemic, turnover rates have mostly improved for healthcare workers — except for physicians and those working in long-term care, according to new research in Health Affairs.

By Hailey Mensik • April 11, 2022

More than 4K Stanford nurses vote to strike in California

Nurses will begin an open-ended strike April 25 if they are unable to reach a deal with the system, according to a statement from the union. The two sides have met with a federal mediator three times.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated April 14, 2022

'Interesting anomaly': Hospital M&A fell to record low in Q1

Hospital M&A activity in the first quarter bucked last year's trends as both the amount and size of deals shrank, according to Kaufman Hall.

By Hailey Mensik • April 8, 2022

'Appropriate' transition period for COVID-19 test EUAs when public health emergency ends

The FDA is planning to give holders of EUAs for COVID-19 diagnostics and other devices 180 days notice of its intent to end their authorizations, in anticipation of U.S. public health emergency declarations stopping.

By Greg Slabodkin • April 8, 2022

FDA advisers grapple with how to update COVID-19 vaccines

About half of eligible Americans haven't received a booster and may be less protected should cases surge. Health officials hope to soon ready an updated shot, but experts on the committee struggled to identify the best approach.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated April 7, 2022