Hospital margins plummeted in January amid omicron

Providers and patients again delayed non-emergent care, either to mitigate the spread of the virus or preserve resources for patients with more urgent needs, according to Kaufman Hall.

By Hailey Mensik • March 1, 2022

Mayo Clinic's 2021 operating income climbs to $1.2B

In reporting its annual results, Mayo Clinic also said it is giving eligible staff members a 4% minimum salary increase in 2022.

By Susan Kelly • March 1, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Payer/provider relationships

As M&A intensifies and companies embrace more holistic and value-based care models, partnerships have become more closely intertwined.

By Healthcare Dive staff

HHS received almost 300 info blocking claims since April, with majority lodged against providers

It's unclear what percentage of the claims are substantiated, though 77% of the possible claims of information blocking are against healthcare providers.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 1, 2022

Healthcare sector on alert for cyber threats in wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

AHA is especially concerned that some hospitals were collateral damage after Russia targeted Ukraine in a 2017 cyberattack that quickly spilled worldwide.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 28, 2022

For-profits focus more on outpatient care as inpatient volume remains depressed

Inpatient volumes for non-COVID-19 care have flagged throughout the pandemic, leading some operators to focus more heavily on outpatient service lines like ASCs and freestanding emergency departments.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 28, 2022

Rhode Island's largest health systems abandon merger after FTC sues to block union

Lifespan and Care New England's boards decided "not to pursue litigation," according to a joint statement released Wednesday.

By Hailey Mensik , Samantha Liss • Feb. 24, 2022

Texas judge throws out piece of surprise billing rule in win for providers

The ruling tosses out the part of the rule that instructs arbiters must begin with the presumption that the qualifying payment amount, or median in-network rate, is the appropriate out-of-network amount to be paid to providers.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 24, 2022

Another survey shows pandemic's persisting toll on healthcare workforce

Over half of the healthcare workers recently surveyed by USA Today and Ipsos Research said they are burned out. Nearly 40% agree with the statement: "The American healthcare system is on the verge of collapse."

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 23, 2022

As pandemic lingers, more nurses consider leaving their jobs, survey finds

Roughly a third of nurses surveyed by McKinsey said they're considering quitting their jobs. That's up from 22% in a poll conducted last February.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 22, 2022

Ascension's Q2 profit falls amid omicron surge

Ascension's operating margin in the first six months of its fiscal year fell to 0.2% from 5.7% the year prior as it faced a host of challenges.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 22, 2022

Nurses at Massachusetts Tenet hospital will keep union following decertification vote

Following a 10-month-long strike last year, the nurses voted in favor of keeping the union in a 302-133 vote, and will stay represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated March 1, 2022

FTC sues to block Rhode Island's largest health systems from merging

Regulators allege a union between Lifespan and Care New England would increase prices and diminish quality as the combined system would control at least 70% of the state's hospital market.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 18, 2022

AstraZeneca notches win in ongoing 340B legal fight

The decision vacates a violation letter HHS sent to the drugmaker that argued it was illegally restricting discounts on drugs providers delivered through contract pharmacies.

By Shannon Muchmore • Feb. 17, 2022

Nonprofit hospitals may provide less community benefit than for-profits in some states, study suggests

The results raise questions about the magnitude of tax subsidies nonprofits receive, and whether policymakers should better tie subsidies to facility performance in providing community benefit.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 16, 2022

CommonSpirit posts operating loss in quarter, hurt by surging labor costs

One of the nation's largest nonprofit health systems also disclosed an agreement to acquire a pair of hospitals in the central U.S. for $135 million.

By Susan Kelly • Feb. 16, 2022

Baylor Scott & White's income slumps as expenses climb

Like other healthcare providers, Texas' biggest nonprofit hospital system is contending with rising labor and supply costs and softer income as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Susan Kelly • Feb. 15, 2022

CMS delays hospital star ratings release

The updated five-star ratings are now expected in July instead of April after the agency identified an error in one of the measures.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 15, 2022

Kaiser sets new record for annual net income with $8.1B

Kaiser, which noted its integrated business model also helped it weather the pandemic on strong financial footing, covered 12.5 million members at the end of 2021.

By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 14, 2022

Hospital leaders, Congress mull fixes to current staffing woes

The omicron variant is posing new challenges as staff call in sick or quit their jobs entirely for higher-paying traveling nurse positions. That's leaving hospitals in a bind as they treat higher acuity COVID-19 patients.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 11, 2022

'An ever-spiraling upward cycle': nonprofit hospital CEOs paid 8 times more than average worker

The pandemic has given hospitals (and especially their boards, which decide salary) the chance to rethink how they compensate CEOs. Researchers suggest hospitals look into aligning CEO salary with the value they create.

By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 11, 2022

Only 14% of hospitals comply with federal price transparency rules, advocacy group finds

The report said only two of 361 hospitals at three of the largest hospitals systems — HCA Healthcare, CommonSpirit Health and Ascension — were estimated to be in compliance with the federal standard.

By William Borden • Feb. 11, 2022

Healthcare staffing shortages 'rising concern' for medtechs: Moody's

In a recent quarterly report, Moody's Investors Service called out hospital labor shortages as having a potential material impact on procedures in 2022, even as the omicron surge begins to decline.

By Elise Reuter • Feb. 10, 2022

Ascension inks strategic relationship with Labcorp, expanding testing capabilities

Under the terms of the deal, Labcorp will manage Ascension's hospital-based laboratories in 10 states, and acquire select assets of the St. Louis-based system's outreach laboratory business.

By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 10, 2022

Tenet continues bet on ambulatory surgery centers to drive long-term growth

The hospital operator plans to buy 30 more centers from SurgCenter Development in 2022, in addition to the 16 it's already acquired this year, executives said on a earnings call Tuesday.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 9, 2022

Jury trial gets underway in antitrust suit against Sutter Health

The California hospital system is accused of wielding its market power to drive up health insurance premiums for hundreds of thousands of consumers.

By Susan Kelly • Feb. 9, 2022