Will more employers get off the healthcare bench in 2020?

"At the end of the day, employers have to put their hands on the steering wheel as purchasers of healthcare," Suzanne Delbanco, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform, said.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 14, 2020

Health IT to lead 2020 deals as hospital activity slows, KPMG says

Just under 40% of investors say the overall sector is at or nearing a bubble, down from about half of respondents last year, according to the new report.

By Linda Wilson • Jan. 14, 2020

Dignity Health loses appeal of Medicaid out-of-network billing case

The hospital operator said it may try to take the case against L.A. Care, the largest public Medicaid managed care plan in the country, to the California Supreme Court.

By Ron Shinkman • Jan. 13, 2020

Walgreens centers strategy on cost cuts

The chain saw retail prescription market share on a 30-day adjusted basis decrease and comparable retail sales fall 0.5% in the quarter, mostly due to continued de-emphasis of tobacco.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 9, 2020

Insurance startup Bright Health eyes California with 1st payer acquisition

The deal is the company's first buy of another health insurer and a pivot to M&A as it pursues an aggressive growth strategy.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 9, 2020

Beaumont, Summa sign merger agreement to form $6.1B nonprofit

The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of this year, would create a 12-hospital system spanning Michigan and Ohio.

By Linda Wilson • Jan. 7, 2020

Hospital margins dipped in November as expenses rose

Volumes fell across most measures including adjusted discharges, emergency department visits and operating room minutes.

By Linda Wilson • Jan. 2, 2020

Sutter posts $689M loss, blames antitrust settlement

The California nonprofit also disclosed a potential class-action lawsuit alleging it shared medical information of patients without authorization that could have a "material adverse effect" on its finances in the future.

By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 30, 2019

Gundersen, Marshfield nix merger talks

The two Midwest systems called it quits after seven months of negotiations. The union would have created a system topping $4 billion in revenue.

By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 20, 2019

Providers push back on PhRMA report highlighting 340B program costs

American Hospital Association executive vice president Tom Nickels blasted a new drugmaker-funded study as an "obvious attempt to divert attention away from a problem of their own making: skyrocketing drug prices."

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 18, 2019

CVS long-term care pharmacy sued by DOJ over fraudulent prescribing practices

The suit is by no means the first time the subsidiary, acquired in 2015 for about $12.7 billion, has been under the federal microscope for fraud.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 17, 2019

Humana to acquire hospice pharmacy, PBM Enclara

The Louisville, Kentucky-based payer is looking to round out its pharmacy offerings for high-need patients.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 16, 2019

HHS watchdog accuses MA plans of inflating payments by nearly $7B annually

The apparent overpayments are tied to payers tacking on new diagnosis codes as part of a review of existing medical charts, a practice CMS is encouraged to watch more closely.

By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 13, 2019

Nonprofit hospitals get bump in Moody's ratings for 2020

The investor service predicts a healthier sector in the new year, though health systems will still contend with headwinds like rising labor costs, an aging population and political uncertainty.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Dec. 11, 2019

Supreme Court to hear $12B ACA risk corridors case this week

The justices will consider the case Tuesday. Observers say the money will not be the ultimate thrust of the court's decision — it's whether the business sector will have trust in the federal government in current and future partnerships.

By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 9, 2019

UnitedHealth to acquire embattled specialty pharmacy Diplomat for $300M

Four separate lawsuits are attempting to enjoin the purchase, the payer said this week. The cases allege information about the deal was held back from Diplomat shareholders, including financial data.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Jan. 24, 2020

The Healthcare Dive Awards for 2019

From the Affordable Care Act lawsuit to CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo, these are the companies, executives and movements that shaped U.S. healthcare this year.

Dec. 9, 2019

Value-based care payments increasing but risk still rare

Bundled payment adoption, for example, remained flat between 2012 and 2017 despite studies showing their promise in holding down costs, the Catalyst for Payment Reform found.

By Ron Shinkman • Dec. 6, 2019

Fitch says 2020 healthcare environment bumpy but negotiable

The legal fate of the Affordable Care Act is one of several uncertainties, according to the report. Ongoing opioid litigation is another.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 27, 2019

Hospital margins climb in October, boosted by volume growth

Hospitals also saw modest gains in revenue last month while bad debt and charity care were lower, according to a new report from Kaufman Hall.

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 27, 2019

Mayo joint venture to operate complex care hospital in Abu Dhabi

The facility, which includes 24 specialized medical clinics, began accepting patients earlier this month and is expected to be fully operational early next year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 26, 2019

Myth Diagnosis: Is healthcare recession-proof?

"That's a little bit of a misnomer," Ben Isgur, health researcher at PwC, told Healthcare Dive. "It is a little recession-resistant, but eventually that wears off."

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 22, 2019

Hospital market power shares blame for mushrooming middle-class health costs, Commonwealth Fund says

"There is very little restraint on pricing," the research group's president David Blumenthal said. Hospitals are motivated to boost prices to offset declining rates of inpatient utilization, particularly if they have excess capacity, he added.

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 21, 2019

Medicare improper payment rate falling, but up in Medicaid, CHIP

For Medicare fee-for-service, the improper payment rate was at 7.25% last year, which CMS said is the lowest since 2010.

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 20, 2019

CommonSpirit growing pains lead to quadrupled operating loss in 1st quarter

The nine-month-old nonprofit health system, struggling to integrate Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives into one organization, also reported relatively flat operating revenue.

By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 19, 2019