Finances: Page 138
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How hospitals should handle the rise in commercial audits
Providers are dealing with the rising number of audits not just from RACs, but also commercial health plans — and these kinds of assessments are very different than Medicare audits.
By Anne Zieger • May 28, 2014 -
Hospitals experiment with new charity care policies under ACA
Providers are struggling with questions of patient eligibility for insurance and whether they should grant charity care at all.
By Anne Zieger • May 28, 2014 -
Hospitals cutting back on charity care
Not-for-profit providers are adopting new tactics, such as charging the uninsured copayments, but the jury is out on whether this will nudge patients to obtain insurance.
By Anne Zieger • May 27, 2014 -
Health care M&A deal value up dramatically
...but the pace of deals remained the same as 2013. Is the market slowing down, or are larger deals becoming more commonplace?
By Anne Zieger • May 27, 2014 -
Report: Hospital deals down but value rises
...and the trend is likely to go on this year, as ACA-driven changes continue to impact the industry.
By Randy Lilleston • May 23, 2014 -
Deep Dive
Why insurers have no choice but to hire retail execs
"Patients" are no longer "patients" — they're "consumers." And as a result, payers have to think less like insurers, and more like ... bankers?
By Katie Bo Williams • May 21, 2014 -
Fitch says hospital-employer contracts will increase
The firm admits, however, that the short- and long-term financial implications of these arrangements aren't clear.
By Anne Zieger • May 21, 2014 -
Major retailers, hospital chains strengthen ties
Wal-Mart, big drugstore chains, and even some grocery chains are cutting deals with health care systems to take advantage of increased demand as more Americans obtain health insurance.
By Randy Lilleston • May 19, 2014 -
Hospitals seek ways to attract affluent immigrants
Language interpreters, more menu options and foreign-language TV are among the options available at some hospitals, which are looking for ways to attract an increasingly diverse and prosperous patient base.
By Randy Lilleston • May 19, 2014 -
Deep Dive
How one insurer exposed Medicare ACOs' biggest flaw
Universal American has announced it will no longer fund unprofitable Medicare ACOs, highlighting the biggest weakness in the ACO model in the process. Is this the beginning of a trend?
By Katie Bo Williams • May 16, 2014 -
Hospital CEO turnover: A symptom of a greater sickness?
Last year set a record for carnage among top hospital executives, according to a recent survey. It's past time to think about the effects of that turnover.
By Anne Zieger • May 15, 2014 -
ACA may help some publicly traded hospitals boost profits
Community Health Systems saw fewer self-pay admissions in states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA.
By Anne Zieger • May 9, 2014 -
Deep Dive
Rural health care: efficient, safe and a lot cheaper
Despite an ongoing "rural health crisis" that has resulted in closures across the nation, rural hospitals are on average less expensive and more efficient than their urban counterparts. Healthcare Dive took a trip to an isolated town in the mountains of eastern Tennessee to find out why.
By Katie Bo Williams • May 8, 2014 -
Hospital M&A deal volume fell in 2013
Despite the drop in year-over-year volume, the number of hospitals and hospital beds involved in transactions hit a five-year high.
By Anne Zieger • May 8, 2014 -
The 5% solution and why it might ease hospitals' pain
Setting a minimum charity care standard might be good for everyone involved, especially if it's paired with a clear definition of 'charity care.'
By Anne Zieger • May 7, 2014 -
Report: Health care access, affordability declined in recent years
Over the last five years and across states, quality and access of health care care actually declined among adults younger than 65.
By Anne Zieger • May 1, 2014 -
Health care spending rises 9.9% in three months
According to a report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the spike was largely driven by the use of more health services, prescriptions for higher-priced drugs and elective surgeries.
By Anne Zieger • May 1, 2014 -
Cigna Q1 profit shoots upward
First quarter net income rose more than 800% while revenue climbed 3.8%, an increase CIGNA attributes to growth in premiums and fees.
By Anne Zieger • May 1, 2014 -
WellPoint Q1 profit plunges 21%
New fees related to health care reform, reform-driven market changes and higher administrative costs for membership growth contributed most to expense ratio growth.
By Anne Zieger • April 30, 2014 -
Deep Dive
How $8B in Medicaid savings will transform New York health care
Healthcare Dive takes a closer look at the recent influx of cash into New York’s health care system. If the administration's plans work as hoped, the new program will be part of the national shift from fee-for-service to value-based care.
By Anne Zieger • April 25, 2014 -
Tax fraud epidemic against physicians
KrebsOnSecurity reports that an unusual number of physicians across the U.S. have been the victims of tax fraud this year. The AMA suggests that the spike is targeted at professionals in general.
By Katie Bo Williams • April 25, 2014 -
Moody's: Expenses outpacing revenues for non-profit hospitals
Fiscal 2013 was the second year in a row that expenses grew faster than revenue.
By Anne Zieger • April 23, 2014 -
Deep Dive
Hospital mergers bring another kind of pain
It's understandable that hospitals are looking for merger partners, given the economic realities of the health care business, but there are good reasons why the feeding frenzy should slow down.
By Anne Zieger • April 21, 2014 -
Hospital bond issuance plummets 50%
The low rate of bond issues follows a slow 2013, which was the slowest bond issuance year of the past decade for health care.
By Anne Zieger • April 21, 2014 -
UnitedHealth sees mixed results for Q1
UHG met analysts' expectations, experiencing slightly decreased earnings in its first quarter under the full ACA.
By Anne Zieger • April 18, 2014
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