Done deal: UnitedHealth completes $13B Change Healthcare buy

To alleviate other antitrust concerns, UnitedHealth agreed to divest ClaimsXten to private equity group TPG Capital.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 3, 2022

DOJ silent on appeal as UnitedHealth-Change deal close looms

A closed deal would be a major setback for the DOJ, which lost another merger case this year, antitrust legal experts told Healthcare Dive.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Oct. 3, 2022

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

With little data to go on, experts question how useful new Alzheimer’s drug will be

Positive results from a late-stage clinical trial of the drug, called lecanemab, were a surprising success for a field used to setbacks. But doctors and researchers point out that the reported benefit appears relatively modest.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 29, 2022

Digital pathology picking up among US providers, vendors, report finds

Digital pathology technologies, already popular in Europe, are primed for growth in the U.S., according to a report from KLAS research.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 29, 2022

Almost half of Americans have inadequate healthcare coverage, survey finds

Even as the uninsured rate has dipped to a record low, having coverage is not enough to protect consumers from the high-cost of care, Commonwealth Fund researchers found.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 28, 2022

Positive Alzheimer’s trial results raise hopes for other experimental drugs

Expectations are now higher for amyloid-clearing drugs after lecanemab showed it can slow the disease’s progression in a large late-stage clinical trial.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 28, 2022

Mass General Brigham’s plan to slash millions in costs gets green light

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission required the state’s largest health system to submit to a cost-cutting plan, a first for the state board.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 28, 2022

Hospitals altered charity care policies during pandemic, study shows

Many made positive changes, but vague and unpublicized eligibility criteria were also common, research published in JAMA Network Open found.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 27, 2022

AHA asks HHS to delay Oct. 6 deadline for information blocking compliance

Health groups must start sharing health information electronically as regulators seek to make it easier for consumers to access their health data. But groups warn they’re not prepared to meet the deadline.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 27, 2022

CommonSpirit posts $1.3B full-year operating loss

It’s the latest system to report that pressures from inflation and expenses are outpacing revenue growth.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 26, 2022

NYT investigation finds Providence pressured poor patients to pay

The report raises questions about how much charity care Providence provides. Last year, the health system spent less than 1% of its expenses on free or reduced care for patients.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 26, 2022

Violence against emergency room physicians is on the rise, survey finds

Two-thirds of emergency room physicians reported being assaulted in the past year alone.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 23, 2022

Texas Medical Association files another lawsuit over surprise billing ban

“We are, once again, asking for the law to be followed as Congress intended, and for the challenged provisions to be invalidated,” TMA’s president said.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 23, 2022

Bipartisan Senate bill aims to boost mental health access, improve worker shortages

The legislation comes as the Biden Administration aims to tackle the country’s worsening mental health crisis, which was exacerbated by the pandemic.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 22, 2022

Emotional exhaustion worse for healthcare workers in second year of pandemic, research finds

Nurses reported feeling more emotionally exhausted during the pandemic, with physicians also noticing an increase. The report comes as some nurses fight for better working conditions.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 21, 2022

Doctor, hospital lobbies move to dismiss lawsuit over surprise billing ban

The groups hinted that another lawsuit may be on the way despite the bid to dismiss the original claims.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 20, 2022

Fitch cuts Lifespan’s outlook to negative after weak Q3

The credit rating agency’s downgrade for Rhode Island’s largest health system is another sign of mounting financial pressures on hospitals.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 20, 2022

Healthcare saw less job loss than other industries during pandemic, research finds

During the pandemic, unemployment rates among healthcare workers rose to 3.2% while those for non-healthcare workers rose to 6.1%, according to research published Monday in JAMA.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 19, 2022

Health sector causes 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, report finds

The congressional report also found a majority of health systems surveyed had been affected by an extreme weather event.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 19, 2022

Providence plans $712M Southern California expansion

The announcement comes on the heels of a restructuring plan and a $934 million operating loss during the first half of this year.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 19, 2022

Congressman calls on HHS to investigate HCA over emergency room admissions

New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell is alleging HCA Healthcare sets admissions targets and retaliates against clinicians if those targets are not met.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 16, 2022

Hospitals sending ‘distress flare’ after billions in projected 2022 losses

A Thursday report prepared by Kaufman Hall showed that hospitals are likely to lose billions, driven by an overall expected $135 billion increase in expenses this year, and a $86 billion rise in labor costs alone.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 16, 2022

Healthcare industry’s resiliency to surging inflation is poised to ebb

Healthcare costs — unlike other goods and services — haven’t experienced immediate price increases amid record inflation. That’s starting to change.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 15, 2022

Physician burnout higher in 2021 than 2020, study shows

Burnout can push providers to leave the profession or retire early, and poses other complications for health systems and clinics.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 15, 2022

Sutter Health taps Oschner executive as new CEO

Warner Thomas will become Sutter’s first external CEO in more than 40 years.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 15, 2022