Hospitals to lose $218B in federal payments by 2028, study predicts

The Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association commissioned a report to look at how 11 pieces of legislation, combined with regulatory changes, are affecting hospital reimbursement.

By Les Masterson • June 18, 2018

Chicago health system says hospital star ratings not accurate

Rush University Medical Center researchers said CMS unfairly relied too much on some measures in its ratings program.

By Les Masterson • June 18, 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

Google seeking talent in voice tech to improve doctor-patient experience

The company is reportedly already working with Stanford Medical to assess AI and voice recognition in automating EHR entries.

By Meg Bryant • June 15, 2018

Leapfrog pans CMS rule rolling back some quality reporting measures

The group that advocates for hospital quality said the change to the Inpatient Quality Reporting Program would be a blow to transparency and would reduce penalties for errors and infections.

By Les Masterson • June 15, 2018

Sequoia Project highlights best patient matching practices

The revised framework includes a model for determining an organization's "maturity" in matching patient IDs and information.

By Meg Bryant • June 14, 2018

US task force advises against EKG screening in low-risk patients

There is insufficient evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks of invasive follow-up tests, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said.

By Meg Bryant • June 14, 2018

Recruitment efforts remain active for primary care, mental health professionals

Merritt Hawkins' annual review of provider recruiting incentives found that family physicians are the most requested recruiting assignments for the 12th straight year.

By Les Masterson • June 13, 2018

More than 10% of female physicians experienced workplace sexual harassment

A Medscape survey of 3,700 physicians reports that 54% of those reporting harassment said their organizations either "did nothing or trivialized the incident." The group said, "#MeToo extends to medicine."

By Tony Abraham • June 13, 2018

Proliferation of care settings to drive medical cost inflation in 2019, PwC projects

Megamergers and consolidation were also named as factors inflating the projected increase in the cost to treat patients for next year.

By Jeff Byers • June 13, 2018

FDA mulls new incentives to stem antimicrobial resistance

The agency is working on smoother approval pathways for new products and proposing new reimbursement models to account for limited use.

By Suzanne Elvidge • June 13, 2018

CMS expands Maryland's all-payer program to outpatient services

The agency said the new model will save Medicare more than $1 billion by the end of 2023 and "creates new opportunities for a range of non-hospital healthcare providers to participate in this test to limit Medicare spending."

By Les Masterson • June 12, 2018

Anthem ED policy a sticking point in Indiana contract dispute

Saint Joseph Health System mailed a letter to patients warning they could soon face out-of-network costs if it does not agree to new terms with the payer by the end of the month.

By Les Masterson • June 12, 2018

Wide spectrum of patients see better outcomes at academic medical centers, study finds

Authors of the Health Affairs report said they were surprised that even among less sick patients, the centers had better outcomes. 

By Les Masterson • June 11, 2018

Fixing provider directories a low-risk way to test blockchain, report suggests

UnitedHealth, Humana and Quest Diagnostics are among those working on a pilot blockchain project to update provider directories.

By Les Masterson • June 11, 2018

Thin margins for major healthcare providers over next 2 years, Fitch predicts

The annual report sees organic revenue growth at 3% to 4% for most of the 20 U.S. healthcare providers, specialty pharmaceuticals and medical device and diagnostic companies it profiled.

By Les Masterson • June 11, 2018

Alert fatigue a focus after patient's drug allergy warning missed

Two people are now required to sign off on alternatives when a patient has a serious drug allergy at a Massachusetts hospital slammed by CMS for the blunder.  

By Meg Bryant • June 8, 2018

Geisinger's revenue, operating income up in first 9 months of FY 18

The health system attributed the growth to higher patient service and premium revenues.

By Meg Bryant • June 8, 2018

ED visits increased nearly 10% in California after ACA

A Health Affairs study also found the chance of a Medicaid enrollee being a frequent ED user was "significantly lower" after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law.

By Les Masterson • June 8, 2018

NYU Langone Health touts technology at new facilities

Despite interest in smart patient rooms, hospitals have been slow to adopt them, largely due to lack of capital or infrastructure.

By Meg Bryant • June 7, 2018

Reduction in hospital-acquired conditions saved $2.9B over 2 years

An Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report found improved patient safety in 2015 and 2016 prevented about 8,000 deaths.

By Les Masterson • June 7, 2018

Social determinants tech field wide open for health industry

Less than 4% of the total care delivery market has invested in commercial SDoH referral platforms, according to a new study from Patchwise Labs.

By Jeff Byers • June 7, 2018

Virtua to acquire 2 Trinity hospitals in New Jersey

Trinity, the nation's second-largest Catholic health system, said it expects to record a loss of between $75 million and $100 million on the sale of Lourdes Health System. 

By Tony Abraham • June 6, 2018

Mandatory CMS bundles showed advantages over voluntary initiatives, report finds

A Health Affairs report found mandatory and voluntary bundled payment models "engaged different types of hospitals."

By Les Masterson • June 6, 2018

Ascension launches online scheduling campaign

The move comes as hospitals are under pressure to raise patient satisfaction and convenience.

By Meg Bryant • June 5, 2018

BCBS of Texas delays unnecessary ED visit policy

The Texas Department of Insurance requested the delay and questioned the payer on the new policy.

By Les Masterson • June 5, 2018