Top Texas health systems agree to merge

Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White and Memorial Hermann in Houston have agreed to combine operations. If the deal is finalized, the new company will run 68 hospitals in the Lone Star State.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 1, 2018

Pathology ripe for digitalization, but obstacles remain, report finds

Fewer than 5% of providers have moved to full service digital pathology services, according to Signify Research.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 28, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Surprise Billing

Federal legislation banning surprise bills has hit a barrage of roadblocks, complicating efforts to protect consumers from unexpected out-of-network charges.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Hospitals prepare for uncompensated care payment change

The move is meant to even the playing field for hospitals and create more transparency.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 28, 2018

Readmission reduction program not associated with increased mortality, study finds

Researchers looked at mortality rates among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for three common conditions and sought to evaluate the effects of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.

By Tony Abraham • Sept. 28, 2018

Opioid interventions can curb overprescribing, boost MAT access, JAMA studies show

Though the root cause of the opioid crisis is still being debated, many attribute it to the rapid growth in prescribing starting in the 1990s and peaking in 2012 — a 300% expansion according to some metrics.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 28, 2018

Hackers exploit data in error messages to attack connected medical devices, report finds

Not all of the vendors notified of error message problems issued a patch, according to Zingbox.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 27, 2018

Bipartisan opioid bill has IMD exclusion, expands MAT

The legislation, which also opens up non-addictive pain management alternatives and increases enforcement of illegal fentanyl, is expected to pass both houses as early as next month.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 27, 2018

AHA study finds hospital outpatient departments see sicker, poorer Medicare patients than independent docs

The research comes as CMS is proposing site neutral payment for hospital and nonhospital outpatient clinics.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 26, 2018

UnitedHealthcare threatens to drop Envision providers

Envision, which employs more than 23,000 clinicians, said it is preparing to continue to serve patients and hospitals "without disruption regardless of the contract status with any payer."

By Les Masterson • Sept. 26, 2018

CHS subsidiary coughs up $262M for fraud settlement

Health Management Associates incorrectly billed government payers in a physician kickback scheme between 2008 and 2012. With the settlement, the government agreed not to bring criminal charges against the hospital chain.

By Tony Abraham • Sept. 26, 2018

Hospital leaders see little relief from rising labor budgets, survey shows

To cut expenses, executives will focus on labor costs and supply chain productivity, according to a report from the Healthcare Financial Management Association and Navigant.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 25, 2018

More than half of Americans share doctor experiences online, survey shows

Patients increasingly check doctors' online ratings, even those referred by another provider, according to the Binary Fountain.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 25, 2018

CVS execs promote proposed Aetna merger as cost saver

The deal would allow the pharmacy chain to have more touch points with the payer's members, particularly those with chronic diseases, company leaders said.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 25, 2018

Abbott's MitraClip keeps more heart valve patients alive in study

The device for minimally invasive repair of the mitral heart valve in patients with advanced heart failure and severe mitral regurgitation significantly reduced both hospitalizations and mortality.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 24, 2018

EHR tool to screen social determinants deemed too time-consuming in pilot

Almost all patients screened had at least one social-related health need, but the majority turned down the opportunity to address them clinically.

By Tony Abraham • Sept. 24, 2018

Nonprofit hospital operating margins struggle despite stronger balance sheets, Fitch says

The median rating remains an A, with hospitals showing improvement in all key balance sheet metrics, according to the ratings agency.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 21, 2018

Oklahoma hospital turns to go GoFundMe to stay afloat

After a fallout with a previous management group and a legal battle over cash, a rural hospital is on the brink of closing.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 20, 2018

Change Healthcare deploys blockchain network on Amazon Web Services

The cloud-based network will let providers and payers track claims submissions and payments in real time.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 20, 2018

For-profit hospitals show higher rates of readmission

In light of their findings, study authors urged policymakers to "mitigate any potential risks in the quality of patient care arising from unintended revenue pressure in healthcare institutions."

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 20, 2018

Puerto Rico health system struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, report finds

Mental health and chronic disease care are particular problems in the area, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 20, 2018

Physician survey shows strained relationships with hospitals

The Physicians Foundation report found most doctors are burned out, have negative morale and feel they can't change the healthcare system. And 46% plan on changing careers.

By Tony Abraham • Sept. 19, 2018

Nearly half of resident physicians experience burnout, JAMA study finds

Researchers also found substantial differences in physician burnout estimates and how they were measured, which complicates finding consistency among studies.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 19, 2018

AHA, on defense, pitches 340B 'stewardship'

The principles amount to the industry's riposte to calls for increased oversight and transparency by watchdogs and lawmakers in both parties. 

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 19, 2018

Nearly a quarter of providers not using speech recognition technology

Nuance dominates the market in healthcare, with M*Modal coming in a distant second place.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 19, 2018

Why payers are gobbling up PBMs

On Monday the Justice Department gave its blessing to a $67 billion acquisition of Express Scripts by Cigna.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 18, 2018