6 months in: What will the new normal look like for hospitals?

Whether there is a nationwide second wave or smaller surges in regions at different times, hospitals will need to remain vigilant and in an effective state of emergency until there is a cure or vaccine for COVID-19.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 27, 2020

6 months in: Following the flow of CARES hospital funding

Congress has allocated $175 billion to help providers respond to the COVID-19 crisis, but HHS has been hit with multiple complaints about distribution as that money goes out the door.

By Samantha Liss • July 27, 2020

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

'Weeks where decades happen': Telehealth 6 months into COVID-19

The nascent industry exploded out of necessity earlier this year, but its future staying power will depend on what insurers are willing to cover and whether some of the regulations relaxed because of the pandemic will stay rolled back.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 27, 2020

After 6 months of darkness, primary care practices see little light ahead

"You have to dig yourself out of a financial hole — it's not a hole, it's a crater — created by the pandemic," said Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 27, 2020

Skinny short-term plans deny coverage for pre-existing conditions: Commonwealth Fund

The analysis of more than 400 plans called junk by critics concluded few offer tangible benefits. The Trump administration backs short-term plans, arguing they're a low-cost alternative to broader coverage.

By Ron Shinkman • July 23, 2020

COVID-19 public health emergency extended

Extending the emergency allows several regulatory changes meant to help providers manage outbreaks of the novel coronavirus to continue, including the rollback of telehealth restrictions and Medicare add-on payments.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 23, 2020

Why COVID-19's biggest impact on healthcare may not be until 2022

This perfect storm of a shift in payer mix, the impending insolvency of Medicare and the inability of states to absorb the growing costs of Medicaid represent a tsunami of challenges, former VA Secretary David Shulkin writes.

By David Shulkin • July 23, 2020

Coronavirus vaccines speed ahead, but experts fear not everyone will take them

Gaining trust will be a big task as public health officials gear up for one of the biggest immunization campaigns in decades. 

By Jonathan Gardner • July 23, 2020

Coronavirus vaccine developers make case to Congress they can win public's trust

While developing a safe and effective vaccine remains the chief challenge, lawmakers grilled pharma officials on how any successful shot would be fairly priced and distributed.

By Ben Fidler • July 22, 2020

Hospitals to challenge loss on site neutral payments

An appeal court ruled earlier this month HHS was acting within its authority when it reduced some payments to off-campus hospital outpatient departments to make them consistent with other outpatient payments.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated July 27, 2020

Public health officials blast COVID-19 data reporting change imposed on hospitals

"In the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century, it is counter-productive to create a new mechanism which will be extremely complicated to build and implement," one coalition said of the abrupt change.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 16, 2020

Trump admin seeks relaxed grandfathered ACA health plan rules that up out-of-pocket costs

The proposed rule acknowledged that changes could lead to higher deductibles and other costs for an estimated 23.1 million enrollees in such plans and lead to more people foregoing healthcare.

By Ron Shinkman • July 13, 2020

Shelter-in-place orders prevented as many as 370K deaths, Health Affairs finds

A new study in the journal Health Affairs concluded statewide shelter-in-place orders were effective in cutting down hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19.

By Ron Shinkman • July 10, 2020

HHS to funnel additional $4B in coronavirus aid to safety net, suburban providers

Some acute care hospitals didn't qualify for the previous round of funding even though they serve as critical safety-net facilities within their communities. Friday's announcement expands the definition.

By Samantha Liss • July 10, 2020

Sutter loses bid to delay $575M antitrust settlement approval

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a plaintiff, applauded the ruling. "Sutter's practices harmed California's healthcare market ... long before the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 10, 2020

Fitch: Repaying Medicare loans unlikely to place significant burden on for-profit operators

The ratings agency, however, is assuming there is a strong rebound in elective procedures during the second half of the year, which may need to be reconsidered if the disruption lasts longer than anticipated.

By Samantha Liss • July 9, 2020

As lab giants 'push the frontiers' of capacity, Trump admin pegs hopes on POC tests

Brett Giroir, the administration's lead for coronavirus diagnostics, said the goal is for rapid point-of-care tests from Abbott, BD and Quidel, performed outside of lab settings, to alleviate commercial testing capacity constraints.

By Greg Slabodkin • July 9, 2020

Democrats urge Trump administration to force full payer COVID-19 test coverage

The insurance lobby did not refute claims that not all testing is funded in full, particularly for return-to-work programs. Lawmakers said CMS guidance conflicts with legislation meant to spur widespread access to testing.

By Samantha Liss • July 8, 2020

Here are doctors' offices, hospitals that got COVID-19 paycheck protection loans over $150K

"Had we not gotten paycheck protection, with the decrease in patient volume we saw, we would have had to terminate employees," Beverly Jordan, a physician at a small rural practice in Enterprise, Alabama, told Healthcare Dive.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated July 8, 2020

CMS proposes add-on provider payment for at-home dialysis treatment

The agency said Monday the need for more at-home care has never been more urgent, as the ESRD population has the highest rate of hospitalization due to COVID-19 among Medicare beneficiaries.

By Samantha Liss • July 7, 2020

CDC gets FDA nod for coronavirus-flu combination diagnostic

The emergency use authorization comes months after BioFire and Qiagen got backing for similar tests and as the coming flu season adds a new complexity to diagnosis.

By Nick Paul Taylor • July 7, 2020

With new funding, FCC rural healthcare program set to provide most money in its history

Nearly $200 million in unused funds from prior years are being carried over. The total amount now available to applicants is about $800 million.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 1, 2020

Oklahoma votes to expand Medicaid as COVID-19 surges in state

The vote was close, passing by less than one percentage point. The results throw a wrench into Republican hopes to cap Medicaid funding and follow ballot measures in other deep red states approving expansion.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 1, 2020

HHS 'expects to renew' COVID-19 emergency, spokesman says

The department did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday morning. The public health emergency is currently set to expire at the end of July.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 30, 2020

Gilead sets price for COVID-19 drug remdesivir

A typical course of treatment with remdesivir will cost between $2,340 and $3,120 in the U.S., a price range that likely ensures Gilead earns a profit on sales of the drug.

By Ned Pagliarulo • June 29, 2020