Finance
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Hospitals likely upcoding severity levels for Medicare patients, OIG says
The most expensive hospital stays increased 20% over the six years studied, which were before the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the report.
By Ron Shinkman • Feb. 26, 2021 -
UHS
Cyberattack cost UHS $67M in back half of 2020
Still, the hospital operator reported year-over-year increases in profit for the fourth quarter of 2020 and the full year, helped some by federal pandemic relief funds.
By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 26, 2021 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Samantha Liss, Healthcare Dive
TrendlineThe 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 -
Permission granted by Cigna
Cigna health services arm Evernorth acquires telehealth vendor MDLive
The deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, will mean MDLive's telemedicine offerings will be available to Evernorth's third-party clients, along with Cigna's medical customers and clients in the U.S.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 26, 2021 -
Fotolia
Rising expenses threaten hospitals' financial recovery: AHA, Kaufman Hall report
Costs to treat COVID-19 patients are continuing to hamper finances as more lucrative services sluggishly recover, according to the report from the consultants and the hospital lobby.
By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 25, 2021 -
Teladoc guides to softer 2021, suggesting easing of pandemic boom
Shares of the virtual care giant slumped 7% after fourth-quarter results showed a net loss of $485.1 million last year despite surging volumes.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 25, 2021 -
Yujin Kim/Healthcare Dive
Hospitals still struggle with volumes, finances due to COVID-19
Kaufman Hall's national hospital flash report found ED visits were down 24.7% year over year in January, suggesting one of the biggest feeders into inpatient admissions will remain significantly depressed.
By Ron Shinkman • Feb. 23, 2021 -
Oscar Health eyes $6.7B valuation with upcoming IPO
Even though the startup added members to plans and expanded to several states last year, it faces flagging financial performance that could tamp down investor enthusiasm.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 22, 2021 -
Capping hospital prices could save $235B annually, Rand study says
The American Hospital Association blasted the report, casting blame on the insurance industry and noting that sector's recent healthy profits.
By Ron Shinkman • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Anthem-backed digital startup Sharecare goes public in $3.9B blank check deal
The startup, launched by WebMD founder Jeff Arnold and medical TV personality Mehmet Oz, will merge with special purpose acquisition company Falcon Capital Acquisition and is the latest in the digital health SPAC craze.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 17, 2021 -
Payer profits nosedived in Q4 on increased COVID-19 expenses
Still, major insurers ended 2020 in the black, buoyed by the pullback in utilization during earlier quarters.
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CVS to jump back into individual ACA markets in 2022
The health giant has yet to disclose specific geographies or the cost of the plans, with newly installed CEO Karen Lynch telling investors Tuesday to expect more details in the second quarter.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 16, 2021 -
Cerner bets worst of COVID-19 hits in rear view mirror, eyes pivot to data focus
The hope is that hospital budgets will keep recovering from the pandemic, allowing clients to reinvest in core health IT while the EHR giant also expands its data-as-a-service products.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 11, 2021 -
Getty / edited by Healthcare Dive
Tenet swings to profit, but execs guarded on a post-pandemic recovery
The hospital operator is delaying its plan to spin off its revenue cycle management subsidiary, Conifer Health Solutions, into an independent publicly traded company for another year because of disruption from COVID-19.
By Hailey Mensik , Samantha Liss • UPDATED: Feb. 10, 2021 at 3:58 p.m. -
Permission granted by The Boldt. Co.
Hospital interest in patient monitoring tools rising, survey finds
Purchasing managers surveyed now expect to have bigger capital equipment budgets this year than they did six months into the pandemic, investment bank UBS said.
By Susan Kelly • Feb. 09, 2021 -
Pandemic habits could cause US health spending to decelerate over 2 decades, Deloitte predicts
The consultancy's predictive modeling based its estimate on the rise of digital health products and more consumer engagement. Such a slowing contrasts more dire spending forecasts made prior to the COVID-19 crisis.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 08, 2021 -
Cigna's COVID-19 costs outweighed deferred care savings for first time in Q4
CEO David Cordani told investors he expects 2021 to be a "year of transition" as coronavirus vaccine rollouts will "continue to tax an already overburdened healthcare system."
By Shannon Muchmore • Feb. 04, 2021 -
Getty / edited by Healthcare Dive
HCA beats Wall Street expectations in Q4 with revenue up 6% despite low volume
Despite worries of COVID-19 decimating hospital finances and ongoing lobbying from trade groups like the American Hospital Association for more relief funds, HCA still reported full-year growth in 2020.
By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 02, 2021 -
Fotolia
Deep Dive3 big predictions for digital health in 2021
As tech and data sharing become more pervasive, healthcare will likely pivot to being more predictive, and telehealth will evolve, giving rise to new modalities of care. This will force companies to invest more in cybersecurity.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 29, 2021 -
Hospitals lost $20B by pausing electives last year
The findings from the Annals of Surgery come as ICUs in many areas remain strained and hospitals face staff shortages and burnout.
By Shannon Muchmore • Jan. 28, 2021 -
Anthem cuts 2021 outlook, as Q4 profits fall 40% on care resurgence
This year "presents its own unique set of business challenges," CFO John Gallina told investors. "While much has changed, it is clear we are still in the depths of a pandemic."
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 27, 2021 -
Adobe Stock
Physician practices take pandemic hit in tandem with hospitals, Kaufman Hall finds
Patient visits, hospital diagnostic and procedural volumes are still down compared to pre-pandemic levels, a trend that will likely continue through the first half of 2021, according to the report.
By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 26, 2021 -
Courtesy of KeyBank
KeyBank aims to launch digital bank for doctors in March
"Think about a digital company that refinances student loans for doctors and dentists that are accredited, employed, have an average salary of about $200,000 per year," CEO Chris Gorman said. "These are great clients to get."
By Anna Hrushka • Jan. 25, 2021 -
Hims & Hers goes public in $1.6B SPAC deal
The digital health startup received proceeds of almost $280 million as a result of the deal, which it plans to reinvest in driving geographic growth and new product lines.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 21, 2021 -
UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth returns to normal care levels in Q4, posts $15B in profit for 2020
The health behemoth beat Wall Street forecasts for both earnings and revenue in the fourth quarter as care consumption and prescriptions returned to more typical levels despite fears of renewed deferrals as COVID-19 cases surge.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 20, 2021 -
Healthcare funding shatters records in 2020, helped by COVID-19
Global equity funding hit an all-time high last year at $80.6 billion as the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing trends opened new market opportunities for savvy investors, according to a CB Insights report.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 20, 2021
