Hospital operating margins dropped 39% over 3 years

Lower demand, Medicare payments and collection rates, as well as the move to value-based contracting, led to the decrease, according to a Navigant report.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 13, 2018

Growing, aging population straining primary care, report shows

An increase in nonphysician healthcare professionals and focus on innovative delivery models could improve primary care access, according to the UnitedHealth Group analysis.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 12, 2018

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

UK-based Medopad snaps up health IT startup Sherbit

Sherbit, founded in 2016, works with health systems on chronic disease management using real-time data and analytics.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 12, 2018

Newly merged Advocate-Aurora sees 20% drop in operating income

The deal finalized in April created the 10th-largest nonprofit health system in the country.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 12, 2018

Hospitals sue to require drug pricing transparency in 340B

HHS delayed implementing the regulations for the fifth time in June and has signaled they will be rolled into the administration's larger plan to cut drug costs.

By Tony Abraham • Sept. 12, 2018

Banner advertises 1.5K openings amid hot healthcare jobs market

The health sector added 33,200 jobs in August, which is the highest growth total of the year, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 11, 2018

Kaiser Permanente commits to being carbon neutral by 2020

The Oakland-based integrated system said its purchase of 180 megawatts of clean energy will make the company the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S. healthcare sector.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 11, 2018

Calls for more transparency after Memorial Sloan controversy

Renowned breast cancer researcher José Baselga, also CMO at Memorial Sloan Kettering, accepted millions of dollars from companies but failed to reveal those payments in published research.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 11, 2018

Crowdsourced hospital ratings diverge from CMS on quality, similar for patient experience

A study in Health Services Research looked at five measures from 2016 Hospital Compare data and scores for nearly 3,000 hospitals with ratings on Yelp, Google and Facebook.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 10, 2018

Physician wellness, quality of care go hand-in-hand, analysis finds

Health systems should factor in how burnout affects performance, care quality and safety outcomes as they conduct business and treat patients, the authors of the JAMA report said.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 10, 2018

Mayo Clinic plans $800M expansion in Arizona, Florida

The health system will roughly double the size of its Phoenix campus with added clinical space and infrastructure. Over the next 10 years, the project will add 2,000 new jobs, including 200 physicians.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 7, 2018

Ascension exits Northwest with sale of Washington hospital

The largest Catholic health system in the country has completed the sale of Lourdes Health Network to Brentwood, Tennessee-based RCCH HealthCare Partners, a for-profit firm.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 6, 2018

Premiums rise when hospitals buy doctor practices, study finds

The study in Health Affairs also found prices were likely to rise for outpatient visits as private practices were acquired or vertically integrated with hospital systems.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 6, 2018

More patients sidestepping ED for low-acuity problems

Despite growing use of lower-cost care options, spending for low-acuity conditions rose 14% between 2008 and 2015, according to a report published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 6, 2018

Bon Secours, Mercy Health finalize merger

The combined entity will operate 43 hospitals across seven states, making it the fifth largest Catholic health system, pulling in annual revenue of $8 billion.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 6, 2018

PhRMA, hospital war over drug prices heats up

The drugmaker lobby issued a report contending hospitals upcharge meds by 500% as a hospital-led effort to develop cheaper generics took a step forward.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 6, 2018

Ascension's Providence hospital sees internal turmoil amid shift away from acute care

Staff and patients at the Washington, D.C.-based facility recently protested the change, raising concerns it would leave surrounding neighborhoods without needed access to care.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 5, 2018

How California nearly halved its maternal death rate

"These are young people who shouldn't die," said Elliott Main, who is part of the collaborative working to decrease the state's maternal death rate. "Most are preventable, so it really hits to your core as a person and as a physician." 

By Tony Abraham • Sept. 5, 2018

HCA to buy North Carolina health system for $1.5B

The proposed sale, first announced in March, was met with concern by some in the state worried that for-profit ownership would result in closed facilities and less access to care for rural areas.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 4, 2018

California's Verity system files bankruptcy, faces $175M in annual losses

Billionaire investor Patrick Soon-Shiong bought a controlling stake last year and promised to bring in new equipment and technology along with expanded services.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 4, 2018

NYP reports lower net income, higher expenses in H1

The New York City-based nonprofit health system's flagship hospital has been ranked No. 1 in the metro area by the U.S. News and World Report for 18 consecutive years.

By Les Masterson • Sept. 4, 2018

Cleveland Clinic's operating income plummets 80% in Q2

The picture of strong revenues and declining operating income is being seen across the industry as hospitals juggle smaller inpatient volumes and lower reimbursement with rising labor and operating costs.

By Meg Bryant • Aug. 31, 2018

Outsourcing RCM has pros, cons compared to in-house systems, report finds

Hospitals that farm out their revenue cycle management have a better collection rate, but wait longer to see the money than those that handle billing at least partly on their own, according to a paper from Crowe.

By Meg Bryant • Aug. 31, 2018

CMMI director says agency won't force all providers to assume risk

Adam Boehler said, however, that CMS wants to "create that avenue" for any practices interested in taking on more risk.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 31, 2018

RAND suggests personalized hospital comparison tool

The new method lets people choose the most important data to them, including mortality, readmissions, patient experience and efficient use of medical imaging.

By Les Masterson • Aug. 31, 2018