Hospital Administration
-
Deep DiveSome of the nation's largest health systems want to care for patients in their homes. Here's why.
Ascension, CommonSpirit and Highmark Health are some of those signing joint venture deals with Nashville-based Contessa over the past few months, in a move away from the "heads in beds" model.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 21, 2019 -
University of Chicago Medical Center closes trauma centers ahead of strike
More than 2,000 nurses are expected to walk off the job on Tuesday. The strike will occur over the Thanksgiving holiday week, making it hard to find replacement workers, hospital officials said.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 21, 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 -
Providers take next step in social determinants: hyperlocalism
Industry can "help others have an uncomfortable dialogue about what is truly driving health outcomes in this country," Atrium Health's Alisahah Cole said at the Healthcare of Tomorrow conference.
By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 19, 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 • Nov. 19, 2019 -
Sutter to pay $45M on DOJ kickback, overbilling claims
The dominant system serving Northern California has agreed to pay about $75 million to settle various claims so far this year. The latest claims relate to alleged financial arrangements with physicians to incentivize them to refer patients to Sutter.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 18, 2019 -
Hospitals pledge to fight Trump admin price transparency plan in court
In a Friday afternoon press conference, President Donald Trump said patients have "been getting ripped off for years" and HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the requirements are a "revolutionary" change for the industry.
By Samantha Liss , Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 18, 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 -
JAMA: Lower cost hospitals have similar patient outcomes as higher cost counterparts
A new study in JAMA Network Open questions the assumption that patient acuity and case mix have as much of an impact on patient cost as the priciness of the individual hospital itself.
By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 15, 2019 -
Hospitals waste billions on bad supply chain management, Navigant says
Unnecessary spending on supply chain products and related operations reached $25.7 billion in 2018, according to the study of 2,127 hospitals.
By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 15, 2019 -
Hospitals — and now insurers — to reveal secret rates under latest Trump admin pitch
Industry lobbies have argued the government lacks authority to issue such mandates and are sure to fight back against what would be a landmark shift in healthcare.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 15, 2019 -
Highmark inks joint venture deal to provide at-home care
The health system said home services are available to commercial plan members in Western Pennsylvania, and MA beneficiaries will be eligible Jan. 1. It hopes to expand the offering to West Virginia and Delaware.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 14, 2019 -
Sanford, UnityPoint scrap plan to create $11B system
The union would have created one of the largest nonprofit health systems, with a significant footprint throughout the Midwest.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 13, 2019 -
Every for-profit hospital chain reported admission upticks: Is it a blip?
Tenet reported its third consecutive quarter of admission gains, while HCA called it the "strongest same-facilities growth in volume" over the past 17 quarters.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 12, 2019 -
SponsoredLook beyond the EHR
Relying only on EHR data is problematic for hospitals and health systems evolving to value-based care.
By Mark A. Caron, CHCIO, FACHE, Geneia CEO • Nov. 12, 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 -
Google's 'Project Nightingale' prompts HHS investigation
The Office of Civil Rights launched a federal inquiry into Google's R&D using the personal health information of tens of millions of patients from Ascension, the nation's second-largest health system.
By Rebecca Pifer • UPDATED: Nov. 13, 2019 at 10:59 a.m. -
Industry mourns unexpected passing of Kaiser Permanente CEO Bernard Tyson
Though the executive recently faced criticism from worker groups over labor practices and sweeping profits, Tyson was a respected and popular leader. Kaiser EVP Gregory Adams was named interim chairman and CEO.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 11, 2019 -
Deep DiveFrom telehealth to 'Medicare for All': takeaways from HLTH19
All of Healthcare Dive's coverage from the health innovation conference's second year.
-
Duodenoscope reprocessors' poor work conditions exacerbate infection problem, FDA panel says
The advisory meeting followed FDA disclosing reports of three deaths, 45 patient infections and 159 cases of device contamination related to inadequate device reprocessing between October 2018 and March 2019.
By David Lim • Nov. 08, 2019 -
Hospital M&A spurs rising healthcare costs, MedPAC finds
Adding to a growing body of evidence, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission found providers with greater market share see higher commercial profit margins, leading to higher costs per discharge.
By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 07, 2019 -
Patients still aren't accessing their medical records online
Hospitals that are part of a larger system were more likely to see patients engage with online records as well as teaching and public hospitals, according to research in Health Affairs.
By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 07, 2019 -
In Leapfrog report, C most common grade for hospital safety
Maine knocked Oregon out of the top patient safety spot, as 59% of its hospitals earned an A in this year's fall ranking. Three states — Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota — did not have any facilities earning the top mark.
By Linda Wilson • Nov. 07, 2019 -
Deep Dive
Retail makes its case, telehealth and voice tech dominate: 6 takeaways from HLTH19
Consumerism has its limits, interoperability rules face execution challenges and more from Las Vegas.
By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 06, 2019 -
Tenet posts 3rd consecutive quarter of volume growth
But the chain did face unanticipated headwinds including closures and costs related to Hurricane Dorian, lower California provider fee revenues and a nursing strike at 12 facilities.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 05, 2019
