UPMC launches in-house travel staffing agency

The system said it can hire two of its own nurses or surgical technologists for the price of one contracted through an outside agency.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 21, 2021

Biden administration to send military medical personnel to overwhelmed hospitals

As the omicron variant spreads rapidly, the White House is mobilizing federal agencies to assist hospitals and states in the latest wave of infection.

By Shannon Muchmore • Dec. 21, 2021

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

After intense pushback, Biogen to cut price of Alzheimer's drug

Effective Jan. 1, the average list price for Aduhelm will drop about 50% to just over $28,000 a year. It's a move the company hopes will appease insurers and lower out-of-pocket costs for patients.

By Jacob Bell • Dec. 20, 2021

Nurses, Tenet hospital reach deal 9 months into strike

Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital are set to vote Jan. 3 to ratify a new contract after labor leaders and management reached a tentative agreement Friday. The nurses also agreed to suspend picketing outside the hospital until the vote.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Dec. 21, 2021

Hospitals clamp down on elective surgeries as COVID-19 surges

Cleveland Clinic, Banner Health and other hospital systems are pausing nonessential procedures, while provider groups issued a joint statement Friday declaring that doctors and nurses are exhausted and heartbroken.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 20, 2021

Achieving a new vision of healthcare delivery depends on our nurses

In the face of a national crisis, now is the time to invest in attracting and retaining great talent for patient care.

By Dr. David Roer, chief medical officer for DaVita Integrated Kidney Care • Dec. 20, 2021

Physician compensation rises alongside burnout, retirements in 2021

Over 73% of physicians reported feeling overworked amid the pandemic and 50% said they are considering an employment change because of it, Doximity's annual report found.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 17, 2021

Intermountain, SCL Health move forward with merger plans

The two providers are planning to create an $11 billion system, led by Marc Harrison, Intermountain's current CEO.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 16, 2021

HHS to funnel $9B in relief funds to providers

The federal government will reimburse smaller providers more favorably in this funding round, regulators said, acknowledging these facilities tend to operate on shakier financial footing compared to larger peers.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 15, 2021

Huge variance in state costs for complex hospitalizations from COVID-19, analysis finds

New Jersey has the highest in-network costs for complex hospitalizations from COVID-19 of any U.S. state, nonprofit Fair Health said. Maryland, which uses an all-payer model, had the lowest.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 15, 2021

Coronavirus variants are accelerating front-line worker burnout to new heights

While physicians said chaotic work environments are to blame for their burnout, nurses cited after-hour workloads, according to a recent report from KLAS Research's Arch Collaborative.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 14, 2021

SCOTUS blocks challenge to New York's health worker vaccine mandate

The lawsuit was filed by a group of doctors and other medical professionals protesting that the state's requirement for staff in hospitals, long-term care and other healthcare facilities does not allow for a religious exemption.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 14, 2021

Flurry of doctor group buyouts helps fuel 'extraordinary' surge in health M&A

Companies across the healthcare spectrum are pursuing deals to strengthen operations after two years of pandemic-driven challenges, a new PwC report found.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 14, 2021

Hospital price disclosure push coming up short, JAMA study finds

Researchers said lack of transparency on costs for services by independent providers that bill separately from hospitals is complicating CMS' effort to help patients shop around for the best value.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 13, 2021

FDA seeks comment on 3D printing of medical devices at hospitals, doctor's offices

The agency's discussion paper lays out the benefits and challenges of creating 3D-printed devices in healthcare settings as well as a potential approach for regulatory oversight.

By Greg Slabodkin • Dec. 13, 2021

Kaiser Permanente workers ratify contract agreement after narrowly avoiding strike

After months of contentious negotiations, workers have agreed to a new contract that secures wage increases and safe staffing commitments.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 10, 2021

Hospital, doctor lobbies sue HHS over implementation of surprise billing ban

Congress intended for an arbiter to be able to consider a constellation of factors when payment disputes arise, but the final rule severely limits what an arbiter can consider, the lawsuit claims.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 9, 2021

Study finds surgery volumes bounced back after 2020 COVID-19 shutdown

But more recently, confounding factors such as healthcare staffing shortages are causing the delta variant headwind to drag on. Rapidly increasing inpatient volumes are leading some U.S. hospitals to again delay surgical procedures.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Dec. 9, 2021

Physician income dips when hospitals buy practices: Health Affairs

Average doctor pay slipped in hospital employment arrangements even as health systems typically benefit financially from acquiring physician practices.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 8, 2021

Senate passes legislation to avoid Medicare cuts in year-end sprint

The bill, which delays 2% cuts to Medicare rates through March and a separate round of 4% cuts to 2023, now heads to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Dec. 10, 2021

Female doctors earn $2M less than men over course of career, study finds

Annual differences in income among male and female physicians accelerated during their first years of practice and did not recover, a study from the nonprofit Rand Corporation published Monday in Health Affairs found.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 7, 2021

States with robust merger reviews are tougher on hospital tie-ups, study suggests

Just eight states challenged the majority of the deals that regulators scrutinized during a 10-year time period. Still, it did little to slow price increases, according to new research in Health Affairs.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 7, 2021

Nurses burned out, dissatisfied with careers consider leaving the field, survey finds

New staffing approaches would make the profession more manageable, as would higher wages, nurses told staffing firm Cross Country Healthcare and Florida Atlantic University's College of Nursing.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 6, 2021

Appeals court limits nationwide halt on health worker vaccine mandates

A federal appeals court Wednesday stopped the nationwide pause on CMS' vaccine mandate, limiting the scope of that injunction to the 14 states that sued for relief.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Dec. 16, 2021

Heart attacks struck Sek Kathiresan's family. He's devoted his life to stopping them.

After several family members had early heart attacks, Kathiresan vowed to understand why they happen. His research journey has changed medical practice and led to a new biotech startup, Verve Therapeutics.

By Ben Fidler • Dec. 2, 2021