Providence posts H1 operating loss amid increased labor costs

As more patients returned for care, the Washington state-based system's expenses increased to meet demand and was further stressed by worker shortages.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 18, 2021

Biden administration invests $19M to bolster rural telehealth

The investments will provide funding to train primary care providers, aid groups delivering virtual care, pilot new telehealth services and research the efficacy of digitally delivered care in rural geographies.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 18, 2021

HHS OIG backs nixing capital cost exemption for new hospitals

Currently, new facilities help pay for their capital costs through a special exemption. An HHS watchdog says Medicare could see significant cost savings if regulators did away with the carveout.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 17, 2021

Centene awarded Ohio Medicaid contract following $88M settlement

In addition, a subsidiary of Molina has nabbed a Medicaid contract win in Nevada, the payer's first in the state.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 17, 2021

Predicting the future of healthcare: 10 takeaways from HIMSS21

Along with "guarded optimism" on the current state of the pandemic, some 19,000 on-site attendees in Las Vegas mulled what's next for AI, telehealth, cybersecurity, mental health and more.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn , Hailey Mensik • Aug. 13, 2021

Tackling healthcare's female leadership problem at HIMSS21

Women are largely absent from most healthcare companies' C-suites where major decisions are made, despite their massive influence as consumers and workers in the industry.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 12, 2021

Kaiser Permanente's Q2 profit down one-third despite revenue climb

The integrated health system remained in the black for the quarter ending June 30, but rising costs associated with COVID-19 are eating into its bottom line.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 10, 2021

Delaware caps hospital price growth to fund more primary care

Gov. John Carney signed the multi-pronged healthcare bill on Friday. "As I think about the things, particularly in healthcare that we focus on, there's not much that's more important than this," he said.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Oct. 5, 2021

Utilization bounced back for payers in Q2, dinging profitability

Patient volumes returned and drove net income down significantly year over year for insurers, which posted record profits during the same time last year when medical care was largely put off.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 6, 2021

JPM venture arm Morgan Health invests $50M in value-based primary care player Vera

The investment bank launched Morgan Health two months ago following the high-profile dissolution of Haven, its previous venture to lower employer healthcare costs in tandem with Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 6, 2021

Evernorth drives Cigna's Q2 revenue growth despite more return to care than expected

Executives said Thursday that COVID-19-related costs were also higher than anticipated for the quarter.  

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 5, 2021

CVS profit dips to $2.8B as patients return, COVID-19 costs persist

Lagging vaccination rates lead the company to expect the pandemic to be a "modest negative for 2021," CFO Shawn Guertin said. Previously, it expected COVID-19 to have little to no impact on full-year earnings.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 4, 2021

Medicare-reliant hospitals perform worse financially, more likely to face closure or acquisition: Health Affairs

But researchers cautioned policymakers not to view the results as a reason to avoid reducing Medicare reimbursement.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 3, 2021

Despite pandemic, independent medical practices say they are more confident than ever

This feeling of optimism came despite the fact that 11% of independent medical practices said they had shut down temporarily during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new survey.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 2, 2021

For-profit hospitals saw volumes rebound in Q2, but delta variant poses threat

Some services were near or back to pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter, though others like ER visits are still lagging. At the same time, increasing cases of the delta variant could hinder full business recoveries this year.

Aug. 2, 2021

Telehealth investments soar even as market matures

In the second quarter, late-stage investments outpaced those going into early-stage deals. Moreover, investor exits also reached a record high, according to CB Insights.

By Ron Shinkman • July 30, 2021

Cerner reports $1.5B in revenue, raises full-year guidance

Net income, however, plummeted in the second quarter as restructuring charges dragged on the health IT giant's margin.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 30, 2021

CHS profit down in Q2 but buoyed by non-COVID-19 care

Jefferies analysts said in a Thursday note they view the results positively, especially a jump in surgeries and "healthy organic growth trends." Still, CHS' stock was trading down about 8% Thursday morning.

By Hailey Mensik • July 29, 2021

Molina sees bump in coronavirus inpatient costs as delta variant takes hold

Those COVID-19 costs quickly tapered off as the quarter progressed, executives said. Still, the insurer was able to post a second quarter profit as more members sought care. 

By Samantha Liss • July 29, 2021

COVID-19 impact on US healthcare system will stretch for decades, Fitch says

In the long term, hospitals will face increased pressure from tight labor and wage markets, especially for experienced staff, as well as rising pharmaceutical and supply chain costs, the ratings agency warned.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 29, 2021

Amwell snaps up 2 digital health startups in $320M longitudinal, behavioral care bid

The acquisitions won't result in an immediate boost for Amwell's topline, but could be valuable strategic positioning for the future.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 29, 2021

Humana warns of 'uncertainty' in medical usage amid rising COVID-19 cases

Medical utilization bounced back faster than the payer expected, though the company was still able to post a profit for the second quarter.

By Samantha Liss • July 28, 2021

Stalled membership numbers, hospital business mar Teladoc's Q2 beat

Executives on a conference call stressed per-member revenue metrics and touted new contracts, including with major Blues payer HCSC, but investors pushed shares down.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 28, 2021

UHS posts Q2 profit, but executives warn delta variant could stress labor challenges

"The concern is with the resurgence of COVID that turnover rates could increase because we've seen turnover rates increase every time that COVID volumes increase," CEO Marc Miller said.

By Hailey Mensik • July 27, 2021

'Pent up demand' spurs Centene Q2 net loss as more members seek care

Executives warned, however, that the delta variant is raging. "It remains clear that the pandemic is not over, and the environment could remain choppy for the balance of the year," CEO Michael Neidorff said.

By Samantha Liss • July 27, 2021