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

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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

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 Parduhn • 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

Hospital lobby argues its case against 340B payment cut before SCOTUS

Tuesday's arguments seemed to center around single words and phrases to determine whether HHS had the authority to change payment rules in 2018 for 340B hospitals, which serve a large share of low-income patients.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 1, 2021

Hospital lobbying fails to stop looming Medicare cuts in year-end proposal

Lawmakers on Thursday reached a bipartisan year-end spending bill that doesn't include provisions to push back or stop the upcoming Medicare cuts.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated Dec. 3, 2021

Medical device security continues to be casualty of hospital-medtech divide

FDA says manufacturers and hospitals are both responsible for protecting devices from growing cybersecurity threats. However, healthcare organizations carry a much heavier load.

By Greg Slabodkin • Dec. 1, 2021

Hospitals brace for omicron as margins weaken further, Kaufman Hall reports

New uncertainties raised by the variant are likely to challenge hospitals as they grapple with shrinking operating margins as a result of escalating labor costs.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 1, 2021

Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in 340B case with billions of dollars at stake

A lower court initially sided with the American Hospital Association, a decision that was later reversed by an appeals court, which AHA characterized as a "legal error."

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 30, 2021

Healthcare worker vaccine mandate blocked nationwide in second ruling

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday in a suit brought by 14 states challenging the requirement, following separate pauses in other states.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Dec. 1, 2021

UnitedHealthcare to appeal after jury awards TeamHealth $60M in damages

The payer is arguing the Las Vegas jury didn't get to hear several key pieces of evidence in its ongoing legal fight with private equity-backed TeamHealth. 

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated Dec. 8, 2021

Banner Health posts turnaround as finances rebound

Banner Health's finances are back in the black, though labor costs continue to challenge the Arizona-based system.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 29, 2021

UPMC more than quadruples net income to $1.2B amid returning care and investment gains

Though patients returning to medical care delayed earlier in the pandemic helped its provider division, UPMC's health plan margin shrank due to higher medical claims in the period.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 29, 2021

Medtronic blames revenue miss on COVID-19 resurgence, hospital staffing shortages

CEO Geoff Martha said the medtech was hit in its second quarter by pandemic-related challenges that weighed on procedure volumes, particularly in the U.S.

By Greg Slabodkin • Nov. 24, 2021