Hospital, payer lobbies urge CMS to reconsider ‘conflicting’ prior authorization standards

The groups, normally at odds, have found a source of agreement in proposed rules meant to standardize data exchange processes.

By Brian T. Horowitz • July 31, 2023

Sanford-Fairview merger dead, following significant stakeholder pressures

Sanford and Fairview explored all options to keep the merger viable, but ultimately were forced to end the process due to a lack of support in Minnesota, Sanford CEO Bill Gassen said.

By Susanna Vogel • July 28, 2023

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

HCA raises full-year outlook on strengthening admissions

The hospital chain's second quarter earnings beat Wall Street’s expectations on Thursday, as revenue rose off of increased utilization of inpatient and outpatient services.

By Susanna Vogel • July 27, 2023

UHS beat Wall Street estimates for Q2 earnings on ‘high demand’ at acute care hospitals

The hospital operator raised lower-bound revenue expectations for 2023 after reporting a year-over-year increase in profit and revenue.

By Susanna Vogel • July 26, 2023

This year will not bring ‘full rebound’ for nonprofit hospitals

Many nonprofit hospitals suffered their worst operational year on record in 2022. This year is unlikely to bring a complete end to financial hardships, according to Fitch Ratings.

By Susanna Vogel • July 25, 2023

Average cost of healthcare data breach reaches $11M, report finds

Healthcare continues to be the most expensive industry for data breaches, with costs increasing 53% since 2020.

By Emily Olsen • July 25, 2023

New antitrust merger guidelines could have significant chilling effect on healthcare deals

Regulators have historically struggled to make a case against complex and non-traditional tie-ups. That could change with the new guidelines.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 21, 2023

FTC, OCR warn hospitals, telehealth companies about tracking tech

The regulatory agencies sent a joint letter to roughly 130 hospitals and telehealth providers outlining the risks of using online tracking technologies that might disclose sensitive consumer information.

By Emily Olsen • July 21, 2023

COVID relief funds helped some hospitals soar to ‘all-time high’ operating margins

The findings led JAMA researchers to conclude pandemic relief funds “may not have been necessary” for some for-profit hospitals and affiliated health systems.

By Susanna Vogel • July 19, 2023

Teladoc expands Microsoft partnership to add AI documentation tools

The telehealth company plans to integrate Microsoft’s AI-enabled notetaking tools into its hospital platform, allowing physicians to automatically transcribe clinical notes during virtual patient exams.

By Emily Olsen • July 18, 2023

FTC withdraws ‘outdated’ antitrust policy statements. Hospitals cry foul.

Hospital groups said they were deeply disappointed with the decision, which removes a guidepost for those looking to consolidate without attracting the ire of regulators.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 18, 2023

HCA faces class action lawsuit after data breach

The largest health system in the country reported a data security incident this month after information was taken from an external storage location and posted online, affecting an estimated 11 million patients.

By Emily Olsen • July 17, 2023

CMS floats 1.25% physician fee cut, 2.8% outpatient bump in new proposed rules

Regulators also proposed stricter price transparency requirements on hospitals and expanded behavioral health payments in Medicare.

By Sydney Halleman • July 14, 2023

Share of physicians working in private practice continues to dip

Over the past decade, the share of physicians working in private practice has declined as hospital systems, private equity firms and payers have acquired practices, according to a report from the American Medical Association.

By Susanna Vogel • July 13, 2023

Johns Hopkins hit with class action suit following data breach

The health system failed to implement safeguards to secure patients’ health information and provided insufficient details about the stolen data, the suit alleges.

By Sydney Halleman • July 12, 2023

HCA reports data security incident affecting estimated 11M patients

The health system said data like name and contact details, but not clinical information, was stolen from an external storage location and posted online.

By Emily Olsen • July 10, 2023

CMS to return $9B to 340B hospitals under new plan

Hospital groups said the proposed rule is an important step toward restitution for years of 340B underpayments, but they criticized regulators for proposed rate decreases and a lack of additional interest payments.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 10, 2023

Patients report acceptance of AI in healthcare, but don’t prefer it

Though some patients believe using AI in healthcare could reduce medical bias and improve diagnostic accuracy, the vast majority would rather see a human for services ranging from diagnosing a rash to managing their diets.

By Susanna Vogel • July 5, 2023

FDA seeks feedback on technologies to enable healthcare at home

Regulators are asking for input on how the agency can support development of devices for use in non-clinical care settings and by diverse patient populations.

By Nick Paul Taylor • June 30, 2023

SCOTUS affirmative action ruling sets back physician diversity efforts, healthcare groups say

Medical leaders including the HHS argue the ruling against race-conscious admissions policies could roll back gains in the number of minority physicians and ultimately hurt health outcomes.

By Emily Olsen • June 29, 2023

Healthcare costs will grow 7% next year, PwC finds

Providers are expected to seek rate increases from payers as they struggle with labor costs, while health plans will face pressure from increased pharmaceutical expenses.

By Emily Olsen • June 29, 2023

Nuance integrates generative AI-backed scribe into Epic EHRs

Epic is DAX Express’ first native integration, though a Nuance spokesperson stressed the clinical documentation capability remains EHR agnostic.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • June 29, 2023

State legislatures around US grapple with how to handle nursing shortages

At least 18 states have introduced or advanced safe staffing bills this year in an effort to reduce nurse burnout and improve the quality of patient care, but hospital groups are resisting.

By Susanna Vogel • June 28, 2023

Hospital operating margins positive for third consecutive month: Kaufman Hall

Hospitals’ financial health has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, but it appears to be stabilizing as Congress debates changing federal payments to providers.

By Susanna Vogel • June 28, 2023

FTC proposes updates to merger review that could slow healthcare dealmaking

A new rule proposed by antitrust regulators would ask companies to provide additional information about planned mergers to help the Federal Trade Commission keep pace with increased deal volume and complexity.

By Emily Olsen • June 28, 2023