Mortality rises when ERs close, forcing patients to drive further

Emergency room closures outpaced any openings that occurred around the country, according to the Health Affairs report. On average, about 69 emergency departments closed each year during the study's 12-year period.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 3, 2019

Comeback or blip? Nonprofit hospital margins show gains in 2018

Nonprofit hospital operating margins are improving after falling for the last two years, according to an annual report from Fitch Ratings. 

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 3, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Provider burnout

Hospitals are still struggling with provider burnout, after the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated underlying staffing issues and prompted workers to quit their jobs.

By Healthcare Dive staff

FDA urges providers to transition to duodenoscopes with disposable parts

While the agency is advising the transition, the immediate removal of conventional devices could result in shortages and prevent patients from receiving critical care. 

By David Lim • Aug. 30, 2019

DOJ investigating Providence St. Joseph's Swedish Health Services

The civil probe is seeking documents related to joint ventures and physician organizations. 

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 30, 2019

Kaiser Permanente workers are set to strike. Does it mark a new trend?

It's still too early to tell whether the uptick in disputes will last long, but one former chief economist for the Department of Labor said "there is something meaningful going on."

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 29, 2019

2 rural hospitals shutter doors, more than 1K soon out of work

For one rural county in Ohio, this will be the second hospital closure this year. The two sister facilities, Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Valley Regional Hospital, are separated by just a few miles and operate a combined 340 beds. 

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 29, 2019

California nurses call off Dignity strike after winning concessions

Nurses from three Southern California hospitals and Dignity Health had been negotiating for five months. A vote on whether to ratify the contract comes later this week. 

By Dana Elfin • Aug. 27, 2019

Mayo Clinic profits almost triple in the quarter to $500M

The Rochester, Minnesota-based health system had revenue of $3.4 billion in the second quarter of the year, up almost 10% year-over-year due to growth in several markets including Rochester, Phoenix and Jacksonville.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 26, 2019

Advocate Aurora posts bump in expenses tied to early retirement incentives

The system has shifted focus to more lucrative outpatient visits in an attempt to recoup volume, a strategy that seems to be paying off with the increase in patient revenue.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 23, 2019

$190 or $47,779? Colorado emergency charges vary wildly across state

But the entire cost of care is likely higher, as the Center for Improving Value in Health Care only looked at direct reimbursement from commercial payers.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 19, 2019

Ranking groups that rank hospitals — U.S. News comes out on top

Researchers attempted to rate the raters of hospital performance, but those organizations had fiery comments about the report that some said had "serious errors."

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 15, 2019

EHRs linked with smartphones spur patient interest, study shows

Though health systems and IT vendors are doing little to market their efforts to improve health record access, researchers found more patients are viewing their info through APIs.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 15, 2019

Hospitals bash immigration rule likely to push millions off Medicaid

The American Hospital Association called the policy aimed at legal immigrants "misguided and harmful" and said it creates barriers to care.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Aug. 14, 2019

Surprise bills surge in ER, inpatient settings, JAMA finds

The study comes as lawmakers prepare to debate legislation tackling the problem, including a Senate bill that sets a payment standard for out-of-network services. Providers are pushing back.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 12, 2019

Kaiser Permanente net income soars to $2B

The integrated health system said the first half of the year typically delivers stronger results due to open enrollment.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 12, 2019

Medicare boosts CAR-T cancer therapies with expanded coverage

CMS also broadened the settings in which the pricey therapies would be covered, applying its final rule to use in "healthcare facilities" rather than explicitly in hospitals.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Aug. 8, 2019

Primary care, younger docs more likely to report burnout

Only a quarter of survey respondents said their work sites effectively address the challenge, citing initiatives to improve workflow and reduce administrative burden, provide flexible scheduling and support wellness.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 8, 2019

California surprise billing law disrupted contract negotiations, stakeholders say

The 2017 law was also perceived to have driven further provider consolidation in response to the leverage shift, according to research published in The American Journal of Managed Care.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 7, 2019

Few patients price shop before planned hospital visit, survey finds

As CMS and lawmakers push for price transparency, the survey from a revenue cycle management software vendor suggests consumers may not know how to evaluate different options based on price, or even be aware that prices vary.

By Linda Wilson • Aug. 7, 2019

Myth Diagnosis: Do hospitals charge more to make up for low government pay?

"What is crystal clear is that there's a huge unit cost payment differential between government and commercial payers," John Pickering of Milliman said. "What isn't clear is whether there's a causal effect between those two."

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 7, 2019

Admissions growth boosts Tenet Q2 beat

Same-hospital adjusted admissions were up 2.2%, which the hospital chain said represented its strongest volume growth since 2014-15.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Aug. 6, 2019

CHS posts bigger Q2 net loss, but still beats Wall Street forecasts

As part of its ongoing divestiture strategy, CHS has entered into definitive agreements to sell three additional hospitals and is continuing to look for potential buyers.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated Aug. 6, 2019

How smart homes are becoming the self-care hubs of tomorrow

Progress in virtual reality, patient monitoring and other futuristic tech make it more likely the initial site of primary care and wellness will be the home, argues the vice president of R&D Innovation at pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline.

By Ian Marks • Aug. 5, 2019

Hospitals hit bump, but healthcare jobs showed steady growth in July

Virtually all the healthcare job growth occurred in ambulatory care. The segment accounted for 29,000 new jobs alone.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 5, 2019

CMS tweaks hospital wage index change in final rule

The agency is heeding some concerns from hospital groups that facilities in urban areas would be unfairly dinged in the original plan, but the American Hospital Association isn't entirely on board with the new method either.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 2, 2019