Physician groups urge CMS to prevent payment cuts, protect telehealth

Multiple groups representing doctors oppose Medicare payment reductions at a time when physician practices face escalating costs.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 7, 2022

Private equity-owned physician groups linked to higher spending in study

The findings could be evidence of overutilization designed to drive up profits, the senior author of the study published in JAMA Health Forum said.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 6, 2022

CVS nabs home healthcare company Signify for $8B following bidding war

CVS beat out rivals Amazon and UnitedHealth in the latest big-ticket deal for a home health company.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 6, 2022

Molina, Elevance nab Iowa Medicaid contracts on heels of California win

Iowa will soon have three health insurers to manage its $7 billion Medicaid program.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 1, 2022

Walgreens completes majority stake acquisition in CareCentrix

Walgreens announced it planned to acquire CareCentrix in October as the retailer looks to bolster its Walgreens Health business segment.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 31, 2022

Higher staffing costs drove Cleveland Clinic’s Q2 loss

The nonprofit health system said salaries, wages and benefits were up nearly 16% from a year ago.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 31, 2022

Healthcare construction spending surges despite soaring expenses

Inflation and supply chain concerns haven't slowed costly healthcare projects.

By Sebastian Obando • Aug. 30, 2022

Hospital margins worse than when pandemic began, report says

Outpatient volumes and surgery times are down, while costly inpatient stays are getting longer, suggesting that patients are sicker, Kaufman Hall said.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 30, 2022

Healthcare cost growth trails overall price hikes amid record inflation

Prices in the U.S. economy grew 8.5% in July compared to last year, while prices for medical care increased just 4.8%, according to a tracker from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Peterson Center on Healthcare.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 25, 2022

Advocate posts H1 loss, sees Atrium merger closing this year

Like many of its peers, the Midwest hospital system faced labor cost pressures and depressed investment income in the first half of 2022.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 24, 2022

Merger with SCL Health spurs Intermountain to $2.7B in net income

The Utah-based nonprofit reported a 46% year-over-year jump in net income for the first six months of the year.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated Aug. 24, 2022

Mayo Clinic’s Q2 operating income tumbles as labor costs climb

The system said it is struggling with workforce shortages at a time when its hospitals are operating at near capacity.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 22, 2022

Hospitals are seeing sicker patients after pandemic delays, AHA warns

Rising patient acuity is driving up costs for labor, drugs and supplies and straining finances, the hospital lobby said.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 17, 2022

Providence posts $424M operating loss on heels of restructuring plan

COVID-19 volumes receded and weren’t offset by a rebound in surgeries, while the nonprofit had to rely more heavily on expensive agency staffing in the quarter.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 16, 2022

Mass General Brigham posts $949M net loss, cites ‘unprecedented’ pressures

The Boston-based health system struggled with cost inflation, labor shortages and capacity constraints in its fiscal third quarter.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 16, 2022

Five types of entrepreneurship: meaning and defining characteristics

Entrepreneurs have a unique set of characteristics — which do you bring to the medical field?

Aug. 15, 2022

Healthcare executive compensation grows in 2022

Median base salaries for executives at healthcare companies increased by 4.5% in the past year, according to consulting firm SullivanCotter.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 12, 2022

Oscar Health pauses full-service tech deals amid implementation woes

The decision to halt new technology agreements doesn’t change Oscar’s financial expectations for 2022, as the insurtech plans to reallocate resources to focus on achieving profitability in its insurance operations next year.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 12, 2022

Kaiser Permanente posts Q2 net loss of $1.3B

The Oakland, California-based integrated health system attributed the setback in its quarterly results to market investments.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 9, 2022

Clover Health’s Toy to step up as CEO as insurtech bolsters revenue

In a call with investors, incoming chief executive Andrew Toy said the path to profitability is “a huge focus” for Clover, and pointed to shrinking its medical loss ratio and controlling operating expense growth as key strategies.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 9, 2022

Sutter Health posts net loss for second straight quarter

Second quarter revenues failed to keep pace with rising costs at the Sacramento, California-based healthcare system.

By Susan Kelly • Updated Aug. 10, 2022

Fitch downgrades CHS from stable to negative after discouraging earnings report

The move reflects “significant increases in labor costs and weakness in volumes and acuity mix driving a downturn in the company's revenue and margin levels,” according to a release.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 4, 2022

Cigna’s Q2 profit climbs to $1.6B as fewer patients seek care

The payer raised its revenue and operating income targets for the year as a result of the quarterly performance.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 4, 2022

Volumes, net income down at for-profit hospitals in Q2

COVID-19 patient volumes fell rapidly from the first to second quarter across hospital chains as case counts waned, executives said on calls with investors.

Aug. 3, 2022

CVS beats Q2 expectations, Aetna revenue rises nearly 11%

The company raised its full-year guidance despite a $77 million decrease in adjusted operating income, primarily due to declines in its retail segment.

By Sydney Halleman • Aug. 3, 2022