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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • Nov. 19, 2019

An expanding Mayo Clinic sees net income double

The nonprofit reported financials for the first three quarters of 2019 as well as details on an expansion into the United Kingdom.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 18, 2019

Kaiser Permanente net income tops $1B, margins sag

Unions have cited the not-for-profit's hefty income to push for better working conditions. CFO Kathy Lancaster defended the profits, which she said "allows us to make investments in technology, infrastructure, and our people."

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 12, 2019

Trump administration sues Gilead over HIV drug patents

The suit accuses the biotech of unfairly profiting from taxpayer-funded research and seeks damages for alleged patent infringement.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated Nov. 7, 2019

American Well to buy Aligned Telehealth in behavioral bet

The Boston-based telehealth giant is rounding out its specialty products after acquiring Avizia last year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 7, 2019

CVS profit up 10% thanks to Aetna; warns Q4 won't be as rosy

The company beat Wall Street earnings and revenue estimates in the third quarter, causing it to raise its full-year guidance and sending its stock up almost 5% Wednesday morning.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 6, 2019

Consumers more likely to leave ACA after their insurer exits

A Health Affairs study also found that shoppers not qualifying for federal premium subsidies were twice as likely to leave when their payer did.

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 6, 2019

Final physician payment rule keeps E/M code changes

The final rule, which is mostly unchanged from the proposed rule put forward in July, also cuts payments to physical therapists by 8% and to psychologists and social workers by 7% starting in 2021.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 4, 2019

September mixed bag for hospital performance

The October national hospital report from Kaufman Hall shows inpatient institutions are performing well compared to a year ago but down on a month-over-month basis.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 4, 2019

HLTH19: Telehealth seeks to move beyond flu, but stymied by regulations

"I think we're past the tipping point of where virtual care becomes expected or embedded," Teladoc COO David Sides said at the conference. "I don't think you can put the genie back in the bottle."

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 1, 2019

Cigna ups guidance after Q3 beat, boosted by Express Scripts

The payer generated adjusted revenue of $35.8 billion for the quarter, more than three times from a year earlier, thanks to the $67 billion acquisition of the pharmacy benefit manager completed in December.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 31, 2019

Teladoc revenues, visits rise on heels of UnitedHealth contract

The virtual health company had the greatest population expansion in its history in the third quarter and now expects total U.S. paid membership to be about 35 million for the full year.

By Linda Wilson • Oct. 31, 2019

CHS cuts guidance as revenue falls, stock drops sharply

The struggling hospital chain needs to show it can translate its admissions growth into improved earnings and cash flows, Jefferies analyst Brian Tanquilut told Healthcare Dive.

By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 30, 2019

Mastercard launches new healthcare unit on billing, data security

New products include predictive analytics built into a health system's billing platform, allowing the provider to personalize patient payment plans, and AI tech to detect suspicious claims activity and fraud.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 27, 2019