Hospital labor skirmishes — 2018 in review

The year was marked by heated negotiations over staffing and wages. Here's a month-by-month breakdown of how it went down.

By Tony Abraham • Dec. 10, 2018

VA invests in medical messaging system, brings services to Walmart

The country's second-largest government agency has also reportedly been in talks with Apple on a deal that would see the tech giant build software for veterans to access their EHRs via their mobile devices.

By Tony Abraham • Dec. 10, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Labor

Hospitals are navigating persistent labor shortages with the need to cut costs — a source of contention that could leave patients caught in the middle.

By Healthcare Dive staff

MedPAC pitches 2% boost in hospital Medicare payments, merged quality incentive program

The adviser to CMS and Congress on Medicare has been focused on the shift to value-based care in recent months. Its new linked proposals are no exception.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 7, 2018

Hospitals speak out against Trump proposed 'public charge' immigration rule

NYC Health + Hospitals said the system could lose up to $362 million the first year following the change. The AHA and the National Association of Community Health Centers have also criticized the plan.

By Les Masterson • Dec. 7, 2018

National health spending slowed for 2nd straight year, at $3.5T

The spending growth rate, which fell to 3.9% in 2017 from 4.6% in 2016, was primarily held back by slowdowns in use of goods and services, with fewer people insured and getting care.

By Tony Abraham • Dec. 7, 2018

Lack of provider competition raising healthcare prices, Center for American Progress argues

The left-leaning think tank offered suggestions for creating a system that produces more competition with fairer prices, including more regulatory enforcement and site neutral payments.

By Les Masterson • Dec. 6, 2018

Hospital docs weigh in on CAR-T reimbursement: 'It's very complicated'

Looming over clinical victories seen at the American Society of Hematology's annual conference was a problematic question: How exactly will health systems pay for these powerful yet pricey therapies?

By Jacob Bell • Dec. 6, 2018

Low nurse staffing levels directly linked to higher patient mortality, study finds

BMJ researchers found that the hazard of death increased by 3% for every day a patient experienced nurse staffing levels below the ward mean.

By Tony Abraham • Dec. 6, 2018

Bipartisan bill introduced in Senate to penalize pharma Medicaid gaming

The incoming leaders of the Senate Finance Committee want to set monetary penalties for drugmakers that misclassify products within Medicaid.

By Andrew Dunn • Dec. 6, 2018

Trump's deregulatory health agenda chided at conservative forum

"Competition won't work in healthcare unless it's managed," Mark Hall, director of health law and policy at Wake Forest University, said at the American Enterprise Institute forum.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 5, 2018

AHA, AAMC sue over site neutrality rule

The hospital groups say the final rule is harmful to patients, "especially those with the most complex needs and those in vulnerable communities."

By Tony Abraham • Dec. 5, 2018

Narrow networks remain common in ACA marketplace

HMOs remain the most typical type of plan in the market. Exclusive provider organizations are increasing, and will make up 19% of all available options in 2019.

By Les Masterson • Dec. 5, 2018

Most in Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program to get higher payments next year

The data suggest slight improvements in quality and value for the 2,800 hospitals that take part in the program, including better total performance scores. However, fewer facilities received incentive bonuses than last year.

By Tony Abraham • Dec. 4, 2018

Telehealth uptake surprisingly low among physicians, AMA finds

Large and specialty practices are more likely to use telehealth, suggesting that implementation costs are a barrier, according to a new study in Health Affairs.

By Meg Bryant • Dec. 4, 2018

The Healthcare Dive Awards for 2018

The awards recognize the healthcare industry's top disruptors and innovators. These executives and companies are transforming the industry and shaping the future.

By Healthcare Dive Team • Dec. 3, 2018

HHS accepting comments on performance measure changes

The National Quality Forum's Measure Applications Partnership will make recommendations for changes to programs like MIPS by Feb. 1.

By Les Masterson • Dec. 3, 2018

Hire of the Year: Adam Boehler, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation

The founder and former CEO of Landmark Health left a lucrative salary to take CMMI, created under the ACA to test health delivery and payment models, in a new direction.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 3, 2018

Disruptor of the Year: Amazon

Although some analysts remain skeptical about Amazon's threat to the highly regulated industry, the landscape looks entirely different than it did just one year ago.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 3, 2018

340B drug program ceiling price, penalties start Jan. 1

Following years of delay and pushback from the hospital industry, HHS has finalized a rule that implements ceiling prices and civil monetary penalties for drug manufacturers.

By Tony Abraham • Nov. 30, 2018

Beth Israel-Lahey Health merger cleared with conditions, including price cap

The Massachusetts attorney general secured a nearly $72 million commitment from the combined organization, which will go toward healthcare services for low-income residents.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 30, 2018

Number of uninsured children increases for first time in decade

The percentage of uninsured children in the U.S. went up from 4.7% in 2016 to 5% in 2017, and nine states saw "significant" increases, according to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.

By Les Masterson • Nov. 30, 2018

HHS outlines broad plan to reduce EHR burden

The 74-page draft strategy, required by the 21st Century Cures Act, focuses on reducing time and effort tied to regulatory reporting requirements and increasing functionality and user-friendliness of EHRs.

By Meg Bryant • Nov. 29, 2018

CMS offers states more waiver options to skirt ACA requirements

Administrator Seema Verma said the move will improve affordability and consumer choice, but Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said the proposal will promote "junk plans."

By Les Masterson • Nov. 29, 2018

Study highlights discrepancy in hospital rankings

Top-ranked hospitals had higher readmissions for heart failure than nonranked hospitals, according to the report in JAMA Cardiology.

By Meg Bryant • Nov. 29, 2018

AMA report finds less payer competition

The states that saw the largest drops in competition between 2016 and 2017 were North Dakota, Alaska, Louisiana, Indiana and Utah, according to the study.

By Les Masterson • Nov. 28, 2018