Finance

Value of hospital deals soared in Q1, Kaufman Hall says

The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to recent hospital deals swelling in size and ambition, the new report found.

By Ron Shinkman • April 09, 2021

Urgent care centers draw some ER visits but associated with higher spending overall

The findings published in Health Affairs may suggest patients are going to the centers instead of more appropriate and lower cost settings like a primary care office or virtual visit.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 07, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

The Healthcare Dive Outlook on 2021

The next steps for the explosion of telehealth, the Biden administration's efforts to roll back Trump-era policies and the road back to a new normal way of doing business for payers and providers are Healthcare Dive’s big trends for 2021.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Medtechs top pharma in cash to doctors for consulting, travel: Health Affairs

The study also found payments from medical device companies increased greatly as Medicare billing increased among surgeons.

By Ricky Zipp • April 07, 2021

Nonprofit hospitals spent less on charity care than for-profit, government facilities: Health Affairs

The research is likely to garner attention as skeptics have questioned whether nonprofit organizations dole out enough charity care to justify the tax breaks they receive.

By Samantha Liss • April 06, 2021

Shifting payer mix puts 340B hospitals at risk of losing eligibility

AHA wants HHS to waive certain eligibility requirements to allow continued access to the program during the public health emergency, the group wrote in a letter to Secretary Xavier Becerra.

By Hailey Mensik • April 01, 2021

SOC Telemed acquires acute telehealth vendor Access Physicians for $194M

Relying on inorganic growth to drive revenue could be a bit of a gamble for SOC Telemed, which took on a considerable amount of debt to fund the purchase and is facing a flagging topline.

By Rebecca Pifer • April 01, 2021

One-third of small businesses say health insurance is a top concern during COVID-19: survey

The new poll from the Small Business Majority and Families USA also found that pain is particularly acute among Black-, Asian American- and Latino-owned businesses, which tend to have fewer resources than their White counterparts.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 31, 2021

Medical liability insurance premiums rising after stable decade, AMA report finds

While providers grapple with the pandemic's toll on finances, some can face liability premiums of $200,000 a year, according to the analysis sponsored by the doctors' lobby.

By Hailey Mensik • March 30, 2021

DOJ to investigate UnitedHealth's $13B Change buy

"The parties have been working cooperatively with the DOJ and will continue to do so," Change Health said in a Friday filing with the SEC.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 29, 2021

Hospital margins hit hard by pandemic, but CARES Act provided huge relief, Moody's finds

Although the fiscal situation for the sector has improved, Moody's did not provide a long-term outlook for hospitals in 2021 and beyond.

By Ron Shinkman • March 26, 2021

Senate passes bill extending Medicare sequester cut pause

CMS instructed Medicare administrative contractors to hold all claims on or after April 1, when the pause on cuts is scheduled to end. The House is expected to take up the Senate-passed bill when it returns the week of April 13.

By Hailey Mensik • UPDATED: March 31, 2021 at 8:23 a.m.

Hospitals flailed amid COVID-19 crisis, are unsure of future, OIG says

Executives said they were worried about their workers experiencing trauma and concerned a shrinking recruitment pool for nurses could exacerbate staffing shortages.

By Ron Shinkman • March 25, 2021

As Medicare sequester cut extension deadline looms, AHA urges Senate to act

Without action, the 2% payment cuts to providers are slated to go back into effect April 1. The hospital lobby expects a vote this week.

By Hailey Mensik • March 24, 2021

Advocate Aurora bounced back to black in 2020 after rough first 6 months

The large Midwest health system was able to post both positive operating and net income even though patient visits dropped significantly year over year.

By Samantha Liss • March 24, 2021

Reality check: Amazon Care may not be that big of a deal

Currently, the effort is a more direct threat to employer-facing point solutions, instead of the more comprehensive offerings from entrenched vendors.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 23, 2021

House passes bill that would extend Medicare sequester cuts until December

The cuts will go back into effect March 31 and the bill now awaits action from the Senate. The hospital industry has been pushing hard for a delay.

By Hailey Mensik • March 19, 2021

Becerra confirmed as HHS secretary

The 50-49 vote in the Senate was almost entirely along party lines. The only Republican to cross the aisle was Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

By Shannon Muchmore • March 18, 2021

Deep Dive

All eyes on elective care after a rollercoaster year for medtech

After shutdowns slammed procedure-dependent firms in 2020, industry and Wall Street are waiting to see when non-emergency surgeries fully return and what a comeback might look like.

By Ricky Zipp • March 18, 2021

Q&A

Health Affairs' Alan Weil reflects on 1 year of COVID-19

The editor in chief of the respected industry journal spoke with Healthcare Dive about the role of equity in health research, the staying power of telemedicine and how to effectively communicate important public health messages.

By Shannon Muchmore • March 18, 2021

Deep Dive

Independent primary care docs more financially stable, but fed up with vaccine exclusion

For the private practices that survived 2020, things have improved. But even as volumes recover, front-line physicians are still facing fresh challenges, including worries about downstream effects from delayed care.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 16, 2021

Doctor on Demand, Grand Rounds merge to create multibillion-dollar digital health company

The tie-up, expected to close in the first half of this year, is an all-stock deal with no capital from outside investors.

By Rebecca Pifer • UPDATED: March 17, 2021 at 8:53 a.m.

CMS hikes COVID-19 vaccine pay, broadens scope of providers to give jab

The AMA praised the boosted reimbursement, intended to speed up distribution of the three currently available shots.

By Shannon Muchmore • March 16, 2021

COVID-19: 1 year later

For the healthcare industry, much has changed, and some of those alterations may be permanent. Hope is beginning to bloom as three coronavirus vaccines have been authorized for emergency use in the U.S.

S&P says risk of hospital operator defaults plummet from last year's highs

Officials credit coronavirus relief legislation for getting providers through the most difficult tumult of COVID-19 and keeping them financially stable even though patient volumes are still depressed.

By Ron Shinkman • March 12, 2021

Deep Dive

Hospitals lift curtain on prices, revealing giant swings in pricing by procedure

The eye-popping variations demonstrate "the total insanity of American healthcare pricing," Niall Brennan, CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute, said.

By Samantha Liss , Nami Sumida • March 11, 2021