Finance
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FTC commissioner pledges hard line on hospital mergers
Lobbyists and legislators also spoke at a Council for Affordable Health Coverage forum, noting a surprise billing ban is still on the table for Congress despite disagreements over the policy to achieve it.
By Shannon Muchmore • Jan. 17, 2020 -
UnitedHealth reports nearly $14B in 2019 profit
The company beat forecasts on Q4 earnings, though revenues of $60.9 billion were slightly lower than Wall Street expectations.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 15, 2020 -
Deep DiveWill more employers get off the healthcare bench in 2020?
"At the end of the day, employers have to put their hands on the steering wheel as purchasers of healthcare," Suzanne Delbanco, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform, said.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 14, 2020 -
Health IT to lead 2020 deals as hospital activity slows, KPMG says
Just under 40% of investors say the overall sector is at or nearing a bubble, down from about half of respondents last year, according to the new report.
By Linda Wilson • Jan. 14, 2020 -
Dignity Health loses appeal of Medicaid out-of-network billing case
The hospital operator said it may try to take the case against L.A. Care, the largest public Medicaid managed care plan in the country, to the California Supreme Court.
By Ron Shinkman • Jan. 13, 2020 -
Walgreens centers strategy on cost cuts
The chain saw retail prescription market share on a 30-day adjusted basis decrease and comparable retail sales fall 0.5% in the quarter, mostly due to continued de-emphasis of tobacco.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 09, 2020 -
Insurance startup Bright Health eyes California with 1st payer acquisition
The deal is the company's first buy of another health insurer and a pivot to M&A as it pursues an aggressive growth strategy.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 09, 2020 -
Beaumont, Summa sign merger agreement to form $6.1B nonprofit
The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of this year, would create a 12-hospital system spanning Michigan and Ohio.
By Linda Wilson • Jan. 07, 2020 -
Hospital margins dipped in November as expenses rose
Volumes fell across most measures including adjusted discharges, emergency department visits and operating room minutes.
By Linda Wilson • Jan. 02, 2020 -
Sutter posts $689M loss, blames antitrust settlement
The California nonprofit also disclosed a potential class-action lawsuit alleging it shared medical information of patients without authorization that could have a "material adverse effect" on its finances in the future.
By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 30, 2020 -
Gundersen, Marshfield nix merger talks
The two Midwest systems called it quits after seven months of negotiations. The union would have created a system topping $4 billion in revenue.
By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 20, 2019 -
Providers push back on PhRMA report highlighting 340B program costs
American Hospital Association executive vice president Tom Nickels blasted a new drugmaker-funded study as an "obvious attempt to divert attention away from a problem of their own making: skyrocketing drug prices."
By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 18, 2019 -
CVS long-term care pharmacy sued by DOJ over fraudulent prescribing practices
The suit is by no means the first time the subsidiary, acquired in 2015 for about $12.7 billion, has been under the federal microscope for fraud.
By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 17, 2019 -
Humana to acquire hospice pharmacy, PBM Enclara
The Louisville, Kentucky-based payer is looking to round out its pharmacy offerings for high-need patients.
By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 16, 2019 -
HHS watchdog accuses MA plans of inflating payments by nearly $7B annually
The apparent overpayments are tied to payers tacking on new diagnosis codes as part of a review of existing medical charts, a practice CMS is encouraged to watch more closely.
By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 13, 2019 -
Nonprofit hospitals get bump in Moody's ratings for 2020
The investor service predicts a healthier sector in the new year, though health systems will still contend with headwinds like rising labor costs, an aging population and political uncertainty.
By Rebecca Pifer • UPDATED: Dec. 11, 2019 at 9:01 a.m. -
Supreme Court to hear $12B ACA risk corridors case this week
The justices will consider the case Tuesday. Observers say the money will not be the ultimate thrust of the court's decision — it's whether the business sector will have trust in the federal government in current and future partnerships.
By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 09, 2019 -
UnitedHealth to acquire embattled specialty pharmacy Diplomat for $300M
The payer giant's offer of $4 a share for the roughly 75 million shares outstanding is a relatively lowball offer, sending Diplomat's stock down 31% in premarket trading Monday.
By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 09, 2019 -
Dive Awards
The Healthcare Dive Awards for 2019
From the Affordable Care Act lawsuit to CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo, these are the companies, executives and movements that shaped U.S. healthcare this year.
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Value-based care payments increasing but risk still rare
Bundled payment adoption, for example, remained flat between 2012 and 2017 despite studies showing their promise in holding down costs, the Catalyst for Payment Reform found.
By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 06, 2019 -
Fitch says 2020 healthcare environment bumpy but negotiable
The legal fate of the Affordable Care Act is one of several uncertainties, according to the report. Ongoing opioid litigation is another.
By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 27, 2019 -
Hospital margins climb in October, boosted by volume growth
Hospitals also saw modest gains in revenue last month while bad debt and charity care were lower, according to a new report from Kaufman Hall.
By Linda Wilson • Nov. 27, 2019 -
Mayo joint venture to operate complex care hospital in Abu Dhabi
The facility, which includes 24 specialized medical clinics, began accepting patients earlier this month and is expected to be fully operational early next year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
By Linda Wilson • Nov. 26, 2019 -
ColumnMyth Diagnosis: Is healthcare recession-proof?
"That's a little bit of a misnomer," Ben Isgur, health researcher at PwC, told Healthcare Dive. "It is a little recession-resistant, but eventually that wears off."
By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 22, 2019 -
Hospital market power shares blame for mushrooming middle-class health costs, Commonwealth Fund says
"There is very little restraint on pricing," the research group's president David Blumenthal said. Hospitals are motivated to boost prices to offset declining rates of inpatient utilization, particularly if they have excess capacity, he added.
By Linda Wilson • Nov. 21, 2019
