No way to enforce hospital price transparency rule, CMS says

Administrator Seema Verma said the agency is seeking comments on what the enforcement mechanism should be for failure to post charges.

By Tony Abraham • Jan. 11, 2019

Dems seek answers from Trump admin on CMMI, ACA

Democrats — and one key Republican — are pushing for transparency within Medicare's innovation arm while also demanding details on ACA policies.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Jan. 11, 2019

Report calls for privatizing West Virginia's state-run hospitals

Ownership and operations of the seven hospitals would be transferred to a Hospital Facilities Authority, which would explore various privatization options.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 11, 2019

ONC to Congress: Room for improvement in data sharing

Ongoing barriers to seamless data sharing range from technical and financial to trust and business practices, according to the HHS IT department's latest progress report.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 10, 2019

Few digital health companies studying impact in high-burden populations, study finds

Only 16 of the more than 100 studies the authors looked at assessed a digital health product's impact on outcomes, and none measured its effect on cost or access to care, according to the report in Health Affairs.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 10, 2019

Government shutdown poses another hiccup for CVS-Aetna

CVS CEO Larry Merlo addressed the ongoing court review of the Aetna merger at J.P. Morgan's annual conference, saying it will not impede expected benefits from the marriage.

By Samantha Liss • Jan. 10, 2019

Grassley to zoom in on drug pricing, insurance mergers as Senate panel chair

The new Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee pledged to scrutinize mergers such as the CVS-Aetna deal and work to allow cheaper drug imports from Canada.

By David Lim • Jan. 10, 2019

Medicare joint replacement program could succeed in more regions, Health Affairs study says

The mandatory bundled payment model first implemented in 2016 has shown some ability to cut spending without negatively affecting care quality.

By Les Masterson • Jan. 9, 2019

High-cost Medicare patients more likely to be younger, low-income

One of the greatest predictors of a high-cost patient was whether they are dually eligible due to chronic kidney disease.

By Samantha Liss • Jan. 9, 2019

House Democrats hope to push all states to expand Medicaid

Meanwhile, some Republicans in D.C. support a partial Medicaid expansion for the 14 states that have not yet opened up their programs to include more residents.

By Les Masterson • Jan. 8, 2019

Convenience more important to patients than quality of care, survey finds

Nearly half of the organizations surveyed by NRC Health plan to invest in technology to gauge patient-experience metrics over the next year.

By Les Masterson • Jan. 7, 2019

Cancer treatment choices may be skewed by financial incentives, study shows

Physicians in freestanding radiotherapy centers were more likely to self-refer radiation treatment for patients, according to the report in JAMA Oncology.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 4, 2019

Hospitals see 'modest' 3% savings using Medicare joint replacement model, study finds

Those participating didn't see a significant difference in complications or percentage of procedures among high-risk patients, according to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

By Les Masterson • Jan. 4, 2019

Final ACA federal enrollment tally drops due to cancellations

The final numbers are roughly 43,000 lower than those CMS posted at the end of open enrollment last month and about 4% lower than figures a year ago.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Jan. 4, 2019

HL7 releases latest FHIR version

The new iteration brings normative status, meaning future changes will be backward compatible.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 3, 2019

Advocate Aurora Health aims for 100% renewable electricity by 2030

The newly merged health system hopes to cut its annual carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 400,000 metric tons.

By Les Masterson • Jan. 3, 2019

Dem AGs appeal Texas judge ruling against ACA

The group of 17 state attorneys general slammed last month's ruling that found the ACA unconstitutional. One official called it an "absurd interpretation of the law."

By Tony Abraham • Jan. 3, 2019

Court rejects 340B payment cuts in big win for hospitals

The district court judge asked the federal government and hospitals to come to an "appropriate remedy."

By Les Masterson • Dec. 31, 2018

CMS unveils 'new direction' for MSSP that adds more risk on ACOs

The change also includes new beneficiary incentives, telehealth services and beneficiary assignment methodology choices.

By Les Masterson • Dec. 28, 2018

JAMA findings suggest 'unintended harm' from Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

The study shows an association between the program and 30-day post-discharge mortality in heart failure patients.

By Meg Bryant • Dec. 21, 2018

Policy upheaval, tech giant disruption and megamergers: Healthcare Dive's 10 best stories of 2018

This year in healthcare was marked by sweeping changes.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 21, 2018

340B hospital drug spending higher than at non-340B facilities, report says

The analysis funded by the pharmaceutical industry is the latest in a heated battle between 340B hospitals and drugmakers over the benefits to the program and the impact on drug spending.  

By Les Masterson • Dec. 21, 2018

Most hospitals sharing data, but challenges remain, ONC says

A majority of hospitals use a mix of electronic and nonelectronic methods to send and receive patient care summaries, the new analysis shows.

By Meg Bryant • Dec. 20, 2018

ACA federal exchange enrollment drops about 4%

The slump is not as significant as many had feared, and shows the law is "far from dead," said Kaiser Family Foundation's Larry Levitt.

By Les Masterson • Dec. 20, 2018

Study finds 'mixed messages' in Medicare hospital ratings, penalty programs

The report echoes other findings that question the usefulness of hospital rankings.

By Meg Bryant • Dec. 19, 2018