Payers saw massive Q2 profits as COVID-19 deferred care

Anthem, UnitedHealth and Centene reported at least doubling profits for the quarter. Meanwhile, CVS-owned Aetna and Humana raised their 2020 earnings outlooks.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 7, 2020

Teladoc-Livongo: Is the first digital health megadeal 'outrageous' or a starter gun for virtual care M&A?

Despite some initial investor skepticism, some experts say the tie-up could usher in bigger deals for the virtual care space.

By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 6, 2020

CVS profit soars to $3B on lower medical utilization

The performance of CVS' health benefits arm, which includes major commercial payer Aetna, more than offset a sharp earnings drop in its retail segment as COVID-19 slashed foot traffic to its brick-and-mortar locations.

By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 5, 2020

Teladoc to buy Livongo in $18.5B deal

An explosion in use of virtual care may have sped up the timeline for the deal. Investors were not on board, driving down shares in both companies.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Aug. 5, 2020

For-profits, church-run health systems dominated M&A growth from 2016 to 2018: Health Affairs

The share of physicians affiliated with vertically integrated health systems rose 11 percentage points, from 40% to 51%, the survey of 50 deals found.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 4, 2020

CMS proposes eliminating inpatient-only list

The agency said the COVID-19 pandemic has "highlighted the need for more healthcare access points throughout the country," including ambulatory surgical centers.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Aug. 4, 2020

CMS expands telehealth coverage in physician fee rule following Trump executive order

The agency proposed making permanent almost two dozen new telehealth codes. A notable exception is Medicare's temporary reimbursement for audio-only visits, though the agency did ask for public input on the omission.

By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 4, 2020

Allscripts stock surges on mixed Q2 results

The EHR vendor continues to withhold full-year guidance. But its stock, which has plummeted by almost a fourth since the beginning of this year, was up 33% in early morning trading Friday.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 31, 2020

Cerner Q2 bookings up slightly, though full-year guidance cut again

The EHR vendor cited uncertainties driven by the COVID-19 pandemic for lowering 2020 estimates, as many of its health system clients face their own woes.

By Hailey Mensik • July 30, 2020

Cigna beats in Q2 as commercial enrollment nearly steady despite pandemic

The payer posted profit of $1.75 billion, up nearly 25% year over year. Like other insurers, the company saw increased profit as people deferred care in April and May to forgo potential exposure to the novel coronavirus.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 30, 2020

CHS beats Q2 expectations with help from $564M in bailout grants

The Franklin, Tennessee-based hospital chain reported $2.52 billion in net operating revenue, an 18.4% drop compared to the same period a year prior but above Wall Street forecasts.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated July 29, 2020

COVID-19 spurs tripling in Teladoc visits to 2.8M, full-year outlook hiked again

Utilization dipped from March's high but stabilized at 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels following May and June containment measures, CEO Jason Gorevic said.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 29, 2020

Anthem posts $2.3B profit in Q2 as Medicaid growth outpaces commercial losses

Like for other payers, the COVID-19 pandemic has tamped down healthcare use and resulting costs. Executives said utilization among members was down about 40% in April and 20% in May but returned nearly to baseline last month.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 29, 2020

Humana invests $100M in at-home primary care startup Heal

"The fact that healthcare belongs in the home — there's an exclamation mark to it, because of the pandemic, but we believed it before," Heal CEO Nick Desai told Healthcare Dive.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 29, 2020

UHS posts $252M in income, helped by bailout funds, but withholds full-year guidance

The hospital operator, which rescinded its full-year earnings forecasts after an ominous first quarter, is continuing to withhold earnings guidance due to ongoing uncertainty as COVID-19 cases surge again in the U.S.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 28, 2020

Healthcare investment flowed freely in Q2, reaching $18B

Telehealth activity exploded, with 154 deals taking place in the second quarter — a 23% increase compared to the first quarter and a record number, according to a new report from CB Insights.

By Ron Shinkman • July 27, 2020

6 months in: Following the flow of CARES hospital funding

Congress has allocated $175 billion to help providers respond to the COVID-19 crisis, but HHS has been hit with multiple complaints about distribution as that money goes out the door.

By Samantha Liss • July 27, 2020

After 6 months of darkness, primary care practices see little light ahead

"You have to dig yourself out of a financial hole — it's not a hole, it's a crater — created by the pandemic," said Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 27, 2020

6 months in: What will the new normal look like for hospitals?

Whether there is a nationwide second wave or smaller surges in regions at different times, hospitals will need to remain vigilant and in an effective state of emergency until there is a cure or vaccine for COVID-19.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 27, 2020

6 months in: The COVID-19 crisis

This series of stories examines how healthcare has changed during the course of the novel coronavirus in the United States, half a year after HHS declared a national public health emergency.

July 27, 2020

Why COVID-19's biggest impact on healthcare may not be until 2022

This perfect storm of a shift in payer mix, the impending insolvency of Medicare and the inability of states to absorb the growing costs of Medicaid represent a tsunami of challenges, former VA Secretary David Shulkin writes.

By David Shulkin • July 23, 2020

M&A volume in health services for H1 was lowest since 2015, PwC finds

The subsector with the most deals in terms of volume was long-term care, continuing a trend since 2014, followed by other services, physician medical groups, hospitals and home health, according to the analysis.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 23, 2020

Hospitals facing depleted volumes beg for more funds, advanced Medicare loan forgiveness

About half of the country's hospitals could be operating on negative margins by the end of 2020, according to a new industry analysis funded by the American Hospital Association.

By Hailey Mensik • July 21, 2020

Big hospital groups ramp up lobbying for additional relief funds with new polling

Three-fourths of Americans support $100 billion in additional congressional funds for hospitals, the industry-sponsored polling found. Hospitals are hoping Congress will grant them more funds in a fourth round of relief legislation.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 17, 2020

UnitedHealth doubles profit in Q2 as MLR plummets to 70.2% amid pandemic

CEO David Wichmann pushed back against proposals for a Medicare-like public option, noting: "We believe there's a near-universal coverage system in America today," despite rampant loss of insurance during the crisis.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 15, 2020