The health of a community depends on fair health insurance practices

Access to local and convenient care is critical for a community’s health. However, the current approach from payers puts this at risk, argues Antonio Rios, chief of population health at Northeast Georgia Health System.

By Antonio Rios • March 17, 2023

MedPAC recommends physician pay bump, but not enough for provider groups

Updating base physician payment rates by 1.45% in 2024 as proposed by the group that advises Congress on Medicare policy is “grossly insufficient,” the Medical Group Management Association said.

By Hailey Mensik • March 16, 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

Nonprofit hospitals tax exemptions rose estimated 41% over nearly a decade, KFF finds

Nonprofits are coming under increased criticism around whether the benefits they provide justify large tax breaks. Nonprofits were exempt from $28 billion in taxes in 2020, but spent $16 billion on charity care, according to new research.

By Hailey Mensik • March 15, 2023

Physicians say prior authorization rules harm patients, AMA survey finds, as CMS works toward new policy

Over a third of physicians said the requirements led to a serious adverse event for one of their patients, such as hospitalization, permanent impairment or death, the survey found.

By Hailey Mensik • March 14, 2023

Majority of adults with medical debt owe money to hospitals

While medical debt remains a persistent financial burden in the U.S., a new analysis from the Urban Institute highlights how targeting hospital billing could ameliorate the problem.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • March 13, 2023

Pediatric mental health crisis top concern this year for patient safety organization

Physical and verbal violence against healthcare staff is the second top safety concern for the year, followed by clinician needs in times of uncertainty around maternal-fetal medicine.

By Hailey Mensik • March 13, 2023

Bon Secours’ outgoing chief nurse officer on the challenges ahead for nursing

Andrea Mazzoccoli shares workforce trends she’s keeping an eye on and advice for future nursing leaders as she exits her role.

By Hailey Mensik • March 13, 2023

Labor expenses, inflation drove Providence to $6.1B net loss last year

The Washington-based nonprofit system also posted a $1.7 billion operating loss in the same period.

By Hailey Mensik • March 10, 2023

Biden’s proposed HHS budget aims to make pandemic-era subsidies permanent

The budget also proposes to extend Medicare solvency and give the federal government more power to negotiate prescription drug prices.

By Sydney Halleman • March 9, 2023

Hacking incident at Michigan surgical group exposes information of 15K patients

It appears that patient information was uploaded to the dark web by ransomware group BianLian, Brett Callow, threat analyst for cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, confirmed to Healthcare Dive.

By Samantha Liss • March 8, 2023

Texas women, denied medically necessary abortions, sue state to clarify exceptions to ban

The lawsuit highlights how abortion bans create a chilling effect for obstetric care, as physicians — worried about legal repercussions — can refuse or delay care to those with complications.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • March 8, 2023

FTC pushes back deadline for public to weigh in on noncompete ban

FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson said she would have supported an even longer extension since the proposed rule is “a departure from hundreds of years of precedent.” 

By Samantha Liss • March 7, 2023

Atrium, Best Buy partner to co-develop hospital-at-home programming

The multi-year partnership combines Atrium’s hospital-at-home program and existing telemedicine infrastructure with Best Buy’s at-home care business, along with the retailer’s home installation and supply chain capabilities.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • March 7, 2023

Better crisis communications: 5 steps for better patient, staff engagement

Whether trying to convey routine information or respond to once-in-a-blue-moon crises, hospital leaders can turn critical communications into trust and engagement builders.

March 6, 2023

Contracts covering tens of thousands of unionized HCA workers set to expire soon

Contracts for staff at nearly two dozen hospitals in Nevada and Florida will lapse at the end of March and May, respectively.

By Hailey Mensik • March 3, 2023

UnityPoint Health, Presbyterian Healthcare Services ink latest cross-market merger

Combined, the two systems operate more than 40 hospitals and hundreds of clinics throughout Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin.

By Samantha Liss • March 3, 2023

Cleveland Clinic posts $1.2B loss in 2022 as expenses rose

The system joined other hospital operators who faced a challenging 2022, the worst financial year since the pandemic began, hospital consultancy Kaufman Hall has said.

By Samantha Liss • March 2, 2023

Over 1K residents unionize at Montefiore Medical Center

Residents at New York-based Montefiore are the latest to join CIR-SEIU, a labor union that’s gaining more members as healthcare workers across all roles mobilize in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Hailey Mensik • March 2, 2023

Hospitals start year on better financial footing after challenging 2022, Kaufman Hall says

Volumes, emergency department visits, discharges and total revenues fell for hospitals in January while labor expenses rose, according to the report.

By Hailey Mensik • March 1, 2023

Hacking healthcare: With 385M patient records exposed, cybersecurity experts sound alarm on breach surge

Healthcare companies must harden their defenses, but it may require regulators and lawmakers to raise the bar on security standards, experts say.

By Jasmine Ye Han • Feb. 28, 2023

UHS net income fell in Q4, full year 2022 as labor remained pricey

COVID-19 activity declined significantly through the year, allowing the hospital operator to reduce labor vacancies and stop capping bed capacities at behavioral health hospitals, executives said.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 28, 2023

Mayo Clinic’s income cut in half as labor costs climbed in 2022

The health system said contract labor increased 37% compared to the prior year as admissions declined year over year, due to capacity constraints and longer patient stays.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 28, 2023

UPMC, top surgeon pay $8.5M to settle whistleblower lawsuit over simultaneous surgeries

The lawsuit alleges that UPMC’s longtime head of cardiothoracic surgery, James Luketich, regularly performed as many as three complex surgeries at the same time.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 28, 2023

HHS issues advisory on Clop data breach threat

Tennessee-based Community Health Systems was breached as part of the attacks, which may have compromised the health information of 1 million patients within CHS alone.

By Brian T. Horowitz • Feb. 27, 2023

Illinois nurses file class action lawsuit against Ascension over wage issues

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of four current and former Illinois nurses, alleges that Ascension failed to properly pay employees and that the health system engaged in “improper” cost-cutting practices.

By Sydney Halleman • Feb. 27, 2023