Hospital execs admit lack of readiness for Ebola in 2014, but defenses improving

Most said they could adequately respond to such an emergency now, but acknowledge they were not ready to handle Ebola cases during the outbreak, according to a report from the HHS Office of Inspector General.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 22, 2018

Doubt cast on value of hospital accreditation in Harvard study

"Given the minimal benefit seen with accreditation in this study, it raises the question of whether our national efforts need to emphasize accreditation as much as they do," researchers said.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 19, 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 could save $11M per year by streamlining supply chain services

Data analytics and physician engagement are key to reining in supply chain costs, according to Navigant Consulting.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 19, 2018

Study finds 40% of doctors pessimistic about practice of medicine

This unease includes concern about their practice's financial stability and administrative management, as well as use of EHRs, according to a new Leavitt Partners white paper.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 19, 2018

#AHIPMMD: Optum touts social determinants, Medicaid popularity up

Understanding a member and even their hierarchy in the family are tools to better predict healthcare use and spend, Optum's Jim Dolstad told AHIP conference attendees in D.C. this week.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 19, 2018

Walgreens teams up with Michigan health system to deliver health, pharmacy services

McLaren Health System will offer retail health clinic, urgent care and primary care services within the pharmacy chain's stores throughout the state.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 19, 2018

Stakeholders call for transparency, ease of use in EHR Reporting Program

In comments, several healthcare organizations requested a centralized clearinghouse of existing health IT comparison resources.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 18, 2018

Industry on Medicare ACO plan: too much risk too fast

Some providers warn they'll drop out if CMS finalizes its proposal as is. Others contend the agency is cracking down on the program in an attempt to kill it.

By Tony Abraham • Oct. 18, 2018

Hospitals making limited progress toward cost containment, survey shows

Fewer than one in five executives cited cost reductions greater than 5% in any priority area this year, according to Kaufman Hall.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 18, 2018

Hospital M&A down slightly in Q3

Texas has seen the most activity this year with five deals, including two in the third quarter, according to Kaufman Hall.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 17, 2018

Leapfrog Group to start rating outpatient settings

The nonprofit will collect safety and quality data on ambulatory surgery centers and hospital outpatient surgery departments starting next year.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 17, 2018

#AHIPMMD: Verma touts MA growth, blasts Medicare for all

So far, 270 Medicare Advantage plans will offer new benefits allowed for 2019 that include adult day care and meals, the CMS administrator said at the annual payer conference.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 17, 2018

Massachusetts officials attach stiff conditions to Beth Israel-Lahey merger

The requirements follow a report warning the merger could result in a $128.4 million to $170.8 million spending increase for inpatient, outpatient and adult primary care services.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 12, 2018

Long-term care hospitals: Overpaid or underappreciated?

"The costs associated with operating a long-term care hospital are more closely aligned with short-term acute care hospitals, but less expensive," says Susan Maupin, president of The Advisory Group.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 12, 2018

Hospitals in path of Hurricane Michael forced to evacuate

Bay Medical Sacred Heart and Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center both sustained damage from the Category 4 storm and are evacuating patients. In Georgia, 35 facilities are operating on generators.

By Tony Abraham • Oct. 12, 2018

Doctors turn to free eConsult platforms to reduce diagnostic errors, study finds

More than 300,000 physicians accessed WebMD's Medscape Consult during the two-year observation period, according to research in npj Digital Medicine.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 11, 2018

'Nowhere to hide' for rivals after blockbuster CVS-Aetna deal

The nearly $70 billion merger poses threats to providers as its scale and access to care aims to shift the healthcare dynamic in favor of consumers, BDO's David Friend told Healthcare Dive.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 11, 2018

Suki AI-based voice assistant tops 1K patient encounters a week

The health IT startup claims it can sharply drop the time spent on medical notes.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 11, 2018

NLRB charges Detroit Medical Center with unfair labor practices

Nurses at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, who have been negotiating a union contract since 2016, have said the hospital is discriminating and not bargaining in good faith.

By Tony Abraham • Oct. 11, 2018

Patient satisfaction is up, but billing woes can hurt online reviews, survey shows

More than half of respondents to the recent survey from predictive analytics firm Connance said their payer is more reliable than their provider for estimates of balance due.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 10, 2018

CMS bid to overhaul E/M codes leaves few happy

With its proposed changes to payments and documentation for office visits, the agency is effectively forcing providers to reckon with a longstanding, oft-disputed problem. 

By Tony Abraham • Oct. 10, 2018

Texas fines Humana for lack of in-network anesthesiologists

The state insurance commissioner said no Humana members will pay extra because of the network issue. The payer has agreed to a corrective action plan.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 10, 2018

Framework aims to employ e-triggers to improve diagnostic safety

Authors writing in BMJ Quality and Safety offer a plan for monitoring error rates and helping identify patients at greater risk of future adverse events.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 10, 2018

Wisconsin shelled out $1.1B for uncompensated care in FY17

Last year's cost for charity care and bad debt is a 14% increase from 2016.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 9, 2018

Trinity Health's financial results weighed down by EHR costs

The Michigan-based health system switched its entire operations to a single EHR during FY 2018, causing an impairment charge of nearly $108 million.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 9, 2018