Finances: Page 96
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UnitedHealth Group ends 2016 on a high note amid ACA uncertainty
The company posted more than $13 billion in operating earnings – a performance driven largely by its pharmacy benefits management and technology services lines of business.
By Luke Gale • Jan. 18, 2017 -
CBO: 18M would lose coverage, premiums would rise first year after Obamacare repeal
The report used HR 3762 to estimate how an ACA repeal could affect health insurance coverage.
By Ana Mulero • Jan. 17, 2017 -
Uncompensated hospital costs reach new low
The ACA has helped hospitals by reducing the burden of uncompensated care, but all bets are off if it is repealed without a replacement.
By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 15, 2017 -
Banner Health snaps up Tucson-based Sunlife Home Health
The deal comes as CMS updated its requirements for home health providers.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 13, 2017 -
IBM Watson, FDA aim to tackle, tame blockchain for data exchange
"At the core this technology can address various frictions in the health system, such as meaningful collaboration and coordination in healthcare," Shahram Ebadollahi, Vice President for Innovations and Chief Science Officer, IBM Watson, told Healthcare Dive.
By Jeff Byers • Jan. 11, 2017 -
CMS grants quality penalty relief due to ICD-10 snafu
Physician Quality Reporting System penalties are usually 2% of Medicare's physician fee schedule amount for a service.
By Ana Mulero • Jan. 10, 2017 -
UnitedHealth to grow portfolio with $2.3B Surgical Care Affiliates purchase
By combining the ambulatory surgery center chain with Optum's health services, UnitedHealth Group seeks to create a comprehensive platform of ambulatory care services.
By Ana Mulero • Jan. 9, 2017 -
Deep Dive
How hospitals can fight the cost of budget-busting drugs
"We had been hearing from hospital leaders about the fix they were in regarding generic drugs or pre-FDA drugs," said Fedaration of American Hospitals President and CEO Chip Kahn.
By Ana Mulero and Lisa LaMotta • Jan. 9, 2017 -
Study: Hospitals vary in adverse outcome rates for joint replacement
Adverse outcome rates for joint and hip replacements top 20% at some of the worst performing hospitals.
By Luke Gale • Jan. 9, 2017 -
Medicare backed off under pressure from health insurers
Audits of Medicare’s books show that it settled for recouping nearly $3.4 million in overpayments instead of the $128 million that it was owed from five health plans.
By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 8, 2017 -
Mayo Clinic staff to get phased-in 2% pay increases
Mayo staff won’t see the raises until late next month, some not before June.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 6, 2017 -
Paul Ryan: ACA repeal would strip Planned Parenthood funding
The nonprofilt reproductive health services organization launched a petition this week to ask Congress for its support.
By Ana Mulero • Jan. 6, 2017 -
Deep Dive
How to set up a telemedicine practice
“Telemedicine services are becoming an expectation of consumers,” says Sarah Sossong, director of the Center for Telehealth at Massachusetts General Hospital.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 5, 2017 -
House Republicans see tort reform in ACA overhaul
HHS Secretary-designate Tom Price (R-GA) has long pushed for a clamp down on frivolous malpractice claims.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 3, 2017 -
Abbott closes $25 billion St. Jude Medical acquisition
The companies’ combined cardiovascular and neuromodulation portfolios have annual sales of about $87 billion.
By Meg Bryant • Jan. 3, 2017 -
These conditions had the highest healthcare spending in 2013
The conditions with the most spending varied by age, sex, type of care and year, researchers concluded in a recent study published in JAMA.
By Ana Mulero • Jan. 2, 2017 -
Healthcare spending for children up 56% since 1996
Researchers attribute large increases in healthcare spending for children to inpatient well-newborn care, ADHD and well-dental care.
By Kathleen McGuire Gilbert • Dec. 30, 2016 -
Aetna, Humana extend planned merger end date
A federal judge is expected to rule on the government’s antitrust lawsuit to block the megamerger sometime in January.
By Meg Bryant • Dec. 23, 2016 -
769 hospitals take a fiscal hit over poor patient safety
The hospitals will face a financial penalty of a 1% reduction in their Medicare payments for one year.
By Ana Mulero • Dec. 22, 2016 -
Deep Dive
2016 may be the end of the ACA blame game
Consumers have been facing greater price increases, as well as monopolies in the health insurance and medical fields.
By Ana Mulero • Dec. 22, 2016 -
Report: NY hospitals use market power to command higher rates and hide prices
A recent report from the New York State Health Foundation shows how some hospitals use their market power to set high rates with private payers and to hide those prices from consumers.
By Luke Gale • Dec. 21, 2016 -
GreatCall snags remote monitoring firm Healthsense
The deal gives aging-in-place health IT company GreatCall access to a broader range of services for senior living and healthcare.
By Meg Bryant • Dec. 21, 2016 -
Healthcare IT News: athenahealth shoots for EHR ROI in 2017
“Our big moonshot…is getting back to a true ROI,” Todd Rothenhaus, CMO of athenahealth, said.
By Meg Bryant • Dec. 20, 2016 -
Deep Dive
New CMS APMs finalize cardiac, orthopedic bundled payment models
The agency also finalized the Medicare ACO Track 1+ Model to encourage smaller practices to participate in performance-based risk.
By Ana Mulero • Dec. 20, 2016 -
Report: Global HIT market to exceed $228B by 2020
The fastest growing segment within the market over the next four years is that of clinical product solutions.
By Meg Bryant • Dec. 20, 2016