Top healthcare trends of 2023

Providers and payers are still grappling with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the winding down of pandemic-era policies, which will have major effects on hospitals and insurers.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 8, 2023

COVID-19 public health emergency slated to end in May

The Biden administration warned that hospitals are at risk of revenue losses and care delays if the public health emergency ends abruptly.

By Samantha Liss • Jan. 31, 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

Persistent, heightened labor expenses pummeled hospitals last year, Kaufman Hall reports

Negative margins and heightened labor expenses continued for hospitals in 2022, causing them to suffer their worst financial year since the pandemic began, according to the report.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 31, 2023

Healthcare labor trends in 2023: increased burnout, executive stress

A rise in union activity could also persist as the sector continues recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 30, 2023

Upcoming Medicaid redeterminations could hamper hospitals, payers

Medicaid eligibility checks beginning in April will likely curb hospital revenue and enrollment growth for payers, Moody's Investors Service said in a report.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 26, 2023

New York nurses reach deals on third day of strike

About 7,000 nurses at two New York hospitals returned to work Thursday after a three-day walkout. 

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Jan. 12, 2023

COVID-19 vaccine prices are going up. It shouldn’t be our focus.

Vaccinating as many people as possible to reduce the spread of respiratory illness that can be especially life-threatening for the youngest and oldest Americans is key, argues vaccine law professor Richard Hughes IV.

By Richard Hughes IV • Jan. 10, 2023

Rise of telehealth during pandemic boosted mental health treatment rates

The number of patients who received virtual care early in the pandemic surpassed those who dropped in-person mental health treatment, according to a new Rand study.

By Susan Kelly • Jan. 9, 2023

Omnibus bill restarts Medicaid checks, lowers Medicare physician pay cuts

President Joe Biden signed the the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package into law on Dec. 29.

By Sydney Halleman • Updated Jan. 3, 2023

Healthcare leaders expect turbulent operating environment next year

Staffing challenges and high inflation are expected to continue into 2023, along with affordability issues for patients, shrinking margins and continual supply chain disruptions, according to a survey from Deloitte.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 16, 2022

COVID-19 vaccine saved millions of lives, study calculates

The vaccines also reduced infections and hospitalizations, which freed up hospital resources, researchers at the Commonwealth Fund and Yale School of Public Health concluded.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 13, 2022

OSHA moves ahead with permanent COVID-19 standards for health workers

The submission for permanent COVID-19 safety standards comes after temporary pandemic requirements for medical facilities were withdrawn last December.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 9, 2022

COVID-19 fell from top telehealth diagnoses in September

Telehealth use has remained steady this year and did not change nationally from August to September, accounting for 5.4% of all medical claims, according to Fair Health.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 8, 2022

Healthcare executives also experiencing burnout: survey

Seventy-four percent of healthcare executives surveyed by a consulting firm said they felt burned out in the past six months, compared to 60% in 2018. 

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 7, 2022

18M projected to lose Medicaid coverage at end of COVID-19 emergency

Many people who are currently enrolled in Medicaid will transition to other coverage, but 3.8 million people will completely lose insurance, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 6, 2022

For most of COVID-19 pandemic, major for-profit hospitals’ operating margins exceeded years prior

HCA and Tenet had operating margins of at least 10% and at least 5%, respectively, in nine out of 11 quarters, according to a report out Monday from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 5, 2022

Healthcare sector added 45K jobs in November as pandemic recovery continues

Ambulatory healthcare services and hospitals have gained jobs consistently, adding about 300,000 and 130,000 jobs, respectively, since last November. 

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 2, 2022

How to address healthcare’s unique cybersecurity challenges

Although the U.S. is entering a post-COVID era, many factors straining the healthcare industry will continue and more risk factors will kick in, argues Syed Kaptan of cybersecurity intelligence company ThreatQuotient.

By Syed Kaptan • Nov. 28, 2022

22 states petition CMS to repeal health worker vaccine mandate

The states argued in the petition, led by Montana’s attorney general, that the requirement has led to worsening staffing shortages in the sector, particularly in rural states.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 18, 2022

Primary care physicians are burned out, though faring better in US than other countries

Physicians under the age of 55 were more likely to feel stress, emotional distress or burnout compared to older physicians in all countries, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 17, 2022

Emergency rooms are at ‘breaking point,’ physicians say

Medical groups are urging the Biden administration to prioritize finding solutions to patient overcrowding.

By Susan Kelly • Nov. 9, 2022

Half of nurses consider leaving the profession, survey finds

Staffing shortages were the top reason nurses cited for planning to leave their jobs, followed by the need for better work-life balance, according to staffing agency ConnectRN.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 8, 2022

Mass General Brigham adopts patient code of conduct

The new policy comes as nurses and physicians across the country report an escalation in aggression against healthcare providers.

By Susan Kelly • Nov. 7, 2022

COVID-19 telehealth diagnoses fell in August

There was no change in telehealth use in the Midwest and Northeast in August, but utilization rose 4.7% in the South and fell 1.4% in the West.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 3, 2022

Hospitals face lowest readmission fines since 2014, analysis finds

More than 2,200 hospitals will incur penalties, the lowest number in nearly a decade, as the CMS adjusted its calculations for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Susan Kelly • Nov. 2, 2022