Finance
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HIMSS19: Digital health 'at peak investment cycle,' expert says
Last year's record level of investment into U.S. digital health companies came despite a lull in initial public offerings.
By David Lim • Feb. 14, 2019
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California county pushes ahead with purchase of Verity hospitals despite AG opposition
Verity filed for bankruptcy in August. Last month, a judge denied California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's petition to block the sale of the two hospitals, citing lack of standing.
By Meg Bryant • Feb. 14, 2019
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HIMSS19: Grassley presses CMS on recovery of improper EHR incentive payments
CMS Administrator Seema Verma told Healthcare Dive she continues to monitor efforts to recover the improper payments, but noted they occurred prior to President Donald Trump taking office.
By David Lim • Feb. 13, 2019
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Mid-sized hospitals could recover $500K through finding dual-eligibles
Medicaid is a "significant source of untapped reimbursements," according to a new report from TransUnion Healthcare.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 13, 2019
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Providence St. Joseph snaps up blockchain-powered RCM platform Lumedic
The deal makes Providence St. Joseph the first integrated provider-payer system with a scalable blockchain tool for RCM, the nonprofit system said Monday at HIMSS 2019 in Orlando, Florida.
By Meg Bryant • Feb. 12, 2019
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Athenahealth's $5.7B acquisition finalized
The cloud-based health IT vendor will combine with Veritas Capital's Virence Health Technologies to form a new company under the athenahealth brand.
By Meg Bryant • Feb. 12, 2019
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Prices — not use — drive higher healthcare costs, HCCI says
Inpatient utilization dropped, but higher prices increased inpatient spending by 10% between 2013 and 2017. Meanwhile, outpatient surgery prices and higher emergency room use and prices led to more outpatient costs.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 12, 2019
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Hospitals should focus on productivity gains to reduce costs, report finds
From 2001 to 2016, the healthcare delivery industry grew 3.3% annually to $1.3 trillion — with 99% of growth fueled by labor costs, according to McKinsey & Company.
By Meg Bryant • Feb. 11, 2019
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Doctors doubt pharma costs, access to drugs will improve this year
Physicians have ranked affordability and improved access as the top pharma priorities for the past four years in InCrowd surveys.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 08, 2019
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Deep DiveHospital lobby ramps up 'Medicare for all' opposition
As more Democratic presidential hopefuls embrace the idea, health systems and providers have picked up lobbying efforts arguing it would shutter hospitals.
By Tony Abraham • Feb. 08, 2019
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Baylor Scott & White, Memorial Hermann end merger talks
The Texas health systems are calling off a potential deal months after signing a letter of intent. The combined system would have had more than $13 billion in revenue.
By Meg Bryant • Feb. 06, 2019
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Humana rides MA wave, beats Q4 earnings expectations
The payer reported revenues of $14.17 billion for the year, compared to $13.9 billion in 2017. CFO Brian Kane attributed the growth to Medicare Advantage membership, which grew by more than 9%.
By Tony Abraham • Feb. 06, 2019
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Consumers aren't using health savings accounts for long-term savings strategy, study finds
Spending HSA funds on regular care leaves consumers at risk of paying out-of-pocket costs for emergencies and hospital visits, according to the report from Lively, Inc.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 06, 2019
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Hospitals sparked industry job growth in January
The healthcare sector gained 42,000 jobs for the month, with ambulatory services showing the best growth, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 04, 2019
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Dignity-CHI merger creates largest nonprofit health system by revenue
The $29 billion system, called CommonSpirit Health, has more than 700 care locations and 142 hospitals in 21 states.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 04, 2019
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Just 13% of hospital CFOs ready for new payment models
Financial leaders' top priority for 2019 is cutting organizational costs.
By Meg Bryant • Feb. 01, 2019
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Cigna posts revenue jump, but Wall Street not so impressed
The payer's CEO said the change to Medicare drug rebates HHS proposed Thursday won't have "a meaningful impact" on the company or its growth, but analysts question that outlook.
By Les Masterson • Feb. 01, 2019
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Narrow networks can effectively control health costs, report finds
But excluding hospitals in narrow plans may harm patients who live near those facilities, according to the American Economic Association paper.
By Les Masterson • Jan. 30, 2019
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California hospital revenue, profitability rose under ACA, Medicaid expansion
Expansion replaced nearly all county-run safety net programs in the state, according to a new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 29, 2019
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HCA ended 2018 with hike in revenue, admissions
The Nashville-based hospital chain beat analyst expectations again, finishing its 19th consecutive quarter of admissions increases.
By Tony Abraham • Jan. 29, 2019
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Richmond, Virginia, has $500M+ of hospital projects planned or under construction
Hospitals and health systems in some areas are building and expanding despite difficult financial circumstances arising from softening admissions, among other factors.
By Kim Slowey • Jan. 28, 2019
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Financial worries keep hospital CEOs up at night
Government mandates, patient safety and difficulty finding and keeping employees also were top of mind for executives, an American College of Healthcare Executives poll found.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 28, 2019
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ACA exchanges showing stability after rocky years
More payers are offering Affordable Care Act plans and premium increases are relatively modest despite attempts from Washington to undermine the law, according to a report from the Urban Institute.
By Les Masterson • Jan. 25, 2019
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Diabetes costs escalated since 2012, mostly from insulin price hikes: report
The average cost of managing Type 1 diabetes in employer-sponsored health insurance plans rose by nearly $6,000 to $18,500 in 2016, according to the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
By Les Masterson • Jan. 23, 2019
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Health industry employee benefit costs up 14.6% since 2004
The annual cost of benefits per employee averaged $21,364 in 2018, according to an analysis by Bay Alarm Medical.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 22, 2019