3 issues that put VA officials on defense in front of Congress this week

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and others argued in a series of hearings that the agency is prepared to roll out its community care program by the deadline two months from now and that its EHR implementation woes are improving.

By Tony Abraham • April 5, 2019

AHA claims hospital outpatient clinics treat sicker patients than ambulatory centers

The hospital group is currently involved in a lawsuit filed against CMS over site-neutral payment rate changes that ultimately reduce reimbursements for off-campus hospital outpatient departments.

By Tony Abraham • April 5, 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

Imprivata, Verato leverage biometrics in effort to improve patient matching

The companies say linking Imprivata's patient identification tool with Verato's cloud-based master patient index will ensure patients are matched with the correct medical records.

By Meg Bryant • April 4, 2019

Amazon's Alexa now has HIPAA-compliant features

Six companies taking part in the online giant's invitation-only developer program launched their features Thursday, including Atrium Health, Cigna, Express Scripts and Livongo.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 4, 2019

New York, Connecticut health systems merge to form $2.4B provider

The new system, called Nuvance Health, will serve an estimated 1.5 million people over seven hospitals in the western Connecticut and Hudson Valley areas.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 4, 2019

AG to appeal after judge refuses to extend UPMC-Highmark decree

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has alleged the Pittsburgh system flouted its obligations as a charitable organization and that the loss of in-network access would harm patients.

By Samantha Liss • Updated May 30, 2019

Industry groups seek cybersecurity safe harbor

In response to a senator's request, several organizations highlighted the need for a national strategy and greater collaboration among various stakeholders, according to a think tank that read the responses.

By Meg Bryant • April 3, 2019

Hospitals look to venture capital as R&D extension

UPMC Enterprises President Tal Heppenstall​ told Healthcare Dive the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center venture arm plans on spinning out two companies by the middle of this year.

By Tony Abraham • April 3, 2019

Hospital, doctor lobbies support surprise billing protections — but not bundled payments

The American Hospital Association and other industry groups railed against the concept in a letter Tuesday following a congressional hearing on the topic of surprise billing.

By Samantha Liss • April 3, 2019

Uninsured, Medicaid patients more likely to be transferred, JAMA study shows

The study also examined whether hospital ownership plays a role in patient care and found that for-profit hospitals were more likely to transfer uninsured patients.

By Samantha Liss • April 2, 2019

HHS publishes 340B drug ceiling prices in concession to hospital lobby

The publication follows roughly eight years of delay and legal action from the American Hospital Association.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 2, 2019

Growth in telehealth use outpaces urgent care centers, retail clinics

Between 2016 and 2017, telehealth use jumped 53% nationwide, according to a new white paper from the nonprofit FAIR Health.

By Meg Bryant • April 2, 2019

Academic medical centers face headwinds in shift to value-based care, Moody's says

To offset challenges, AMCs will need to consider partnerships that build out community physician networks and diversifying their revenue streams, according to a new report.

By Meg Bryant • April 1, 2019

Kaiser, union coalition return to bargaining table

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions claimed the health system violated federal law by proposing a ban on employees speaking out about patient care issues or taking public action against the company.

By Tony Abraham • April 1, 2019

Health systems stepping up investment in analytics, survey shows

Nearly a third of health systems have a C-suite leader dedicated to analytics, up from 12% in 2015, according to a survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

By Meg Bryant • March 29, 2019

Revenue, outpatient volume rise in Advocate-Aurora's debut year

Home, physician and outpatient visits all rose for the newly merged company in 2018, and revenue increased 3.5%.

By Tony Abraham • March 29, 2019

AHA doubles down against star ratings, asks CMS to pull

The hospital group said in a letter to CMS it remains concerned the program "is being compromised by a methodology that can lead to inaccurate, misleading comparisons of quality performance."

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated April 1, 2019

Doubt cast on vertical provider integration leading to higher-value care in study

A new report in Health Care Management Review analyzed research on M&A activity from 1996 to 2016 and found little information on how the practice affects patient outcomes.

By Les Masterson • March 28, 2019

Fitch: Worst may be over for nonprofit hospitals

Hospitals that figure out how to absorb Medicare reimbursements could benefit from high healthcare use among older patients, the credit rating agency said in its latest report.

By Meg Bryant • March 27, 2019

VA seeks billions more for controversial community care program

Secretary Robert Wilkie this week asked for a funding increase of $4.6 billion in 2020 for the department's community care program, which critics contend is a means to privatize VA medical care.

By Tony Abraham • March 27, 2019

Scale: blessing or burden for statewide ACOs?

Caravan Health launched its second statewide ACO last week. Some experts worry the scale of the models means Caravan is biting off more than it can chew.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • March 27, 2019

CMS, physician group launch AI challenge

The Artificial Intelligence Health Outcomes Challenge offers up to $1.65 million in awards. Developers will be tasked with building AI programs on Medicare data to improve health outcomes.

By Tony Abraham • March 27, 2019

Female doctors still paid far less than men, though gap narrows a tad, report finds

The Doximity analysis notes progress, but it's only slight. The 2017 gap was at 28%, with female doctors earning $105,000 less than their male counterparts. That dropped to 25% in 2018, or $90,490 less than the average man.

By Tony Abraham • March 26, 2019

Trump admin now backs elimination of ACA in court

The move came hours after Democratic attorneys general defending the ACA filed their brief arguing that the landmark law is still constitutional even without an effective individual mandate penalty.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated March 26, 2019

Reimbursement, staffing seen as barriers to chronic care in alternate settings

Almost all healthcare leaders in a recent survey said they believe chronic care management is critical, but nearly half don't think their facilities are managing such care well.

By Les Masterson • March 26, 2019