State employee health plans know hospitals drive most costs, but struggle to make a dent

Most states instead focus on attempting to control prescription drug costs and lower utilization, according to the Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms' poll.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 16, 2021

Physicians, patients see race and trust in healthcare differently, poll finds

Patients' trust in their primary doctor rises with age and income, though 12% of respondents said they have been discriminated against by a healthcare facility, according to the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago.

By Hailey Mensik • June 15, 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

Majority of hospitals not complying with price transparency rule: JAMA

"Compliance may increase over time, but the early selective compliance suggests reluctance that may persist," researchers said, suggesting policymakers consider stiffer penalties than the current $300 a day fine.

By Rebecca Pifer • June 15, 2021

Providers ask HHS for more flexibility in deadlines to use COVID-19 relief funds

The American Hospital Association wrote that the previous guidance limiting new deadlines to funds received after June 2020 "disadvantages certain providers without providing a clear policy rationale."

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated June 24, 2021

NNU tees up fight amid HCA, Sutter, CommonSpirit contract talks: 'Put patients before profits'

Employment contracts covering tens of thousands of unionized nurses at the country's biggest health systems expire this summer, and labor unions are using the pandemic as a rallying cry for reforms.

By Susan Kelly • June 14, 2021

OSHA issues long-delayed COVID-19 safety rules for healthcare workplaces

The agency is extending the comment period on the emergency temporary standard, but it's not extending compliance dates for healthcare facilities.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated July 12, 2021

Ambulatory services led healthcare jobs recovery in May

The sector added 23,000 jobs in May, while hospitals saw their first gains in months, according to Friday's government report.

By Hailey Mensik • June 4, 2021

Medtronic pulls HeartWare HVAD pump from market amid recalls, patient deaths

The medtech said the move was influenced by growing evidence the system had higher mortality risks than comparable devices. FDA advised providers to use Abbott's HeartMate 3 as an alternative.

By Ricky Zipp • June 4, 2021

Sentara, Cone Health latest nonprofit systems to nix merger plans

The deal would have created a 17-hospital, $11.5 billion system. Public comments to North Carolina's attorney general expressed fears the merger could reduce competition in the market.

By Hailey Mensik • June 2, 2021

CVS Caremark CMO on addressing disparities through data

Data and analytics will play a key role in reducing health disparities and supporting chronic disease management post-pandemic, CVS Caremark's chief medical officer argues.

By Sree Chaguturu • June 1, 2021

Nurse shortages spur systems to dangle steep sign-on bonuses

Tenet-owned Baptist Health system in Texas is offering up to $20,000 for new nurses and other workers. Nurses who treated COVID-19 patients are in demand, Iman Abuzeid, CEO of nurse staffing platform Incredible Health, said.

By Hailey Mensik • June 1, 2021

Cleveland Clinic's latest acquisition boosts quarterly performance

Cleveland Clinic noted emergency room visits are down nearly 10% compared to the prior-year period. At the same time, surgical cases increased 6.5%, aided by the Mercy acquisition.

By Samantha Liss • June 1, 2021

Rising hospital ransomware attacks could endanger patients, hit bottom lines hard, Moody's says

Systems have become more vulnerable due to COVID-19 as non-clinical employees working from home led to use of "less secure networks, increasing the number of access points vulnerable to a breach," a new report said.

By Ron Shinkman • May 27, 2021

Ransomware, other cyber threats mount as medtech industry tries to adapt

"Everything is hackable," said Kevin Fu, the FDA's medical device cybersecurity chief, who noted that ransomware in particular can render a device useless.

By Greg Slabodkin • May 27, 2021

Investments drive Ascension to income of $957M, despite dampened patient volumes

The nonprofit, which operates a venture capital fund and an investment advisory firm, brought in $1.1 million in investments in the quarter, contributing to a significant rise in the system's liquidity.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 27, 2021

HCA pens pact with Google Cloud to create new clinical decision-making platform

The deal is the latest among provider networks partnering with cloud computing giants to help automate functions and drive new clinical insights.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 26, 2021

Physicians, patients lost trust in US healthcare system amid pandemic, survey finds

Patients said they generally trust doctors and nurses more than they trust health systems, the report from NORC at the University of Chicago found.

By Hailey Mensik • May 25, 2021

Mayo Clinic bounces back from pandemic, but expenses rise dramatically

The nonprofit also reported that in the first quarter most patient volumes returned to pre-coronavirus levels. Outpatient visits matched 2019 numbers, while surgical volumes exceeded those of two years ago.

By Ron Shinkman • May 24, 2021

April hospital margin gains contrast steep losses from start of COVID-19, not improved performance

Hospitals' operating margins, revenue and volumes continue to tick up compared to 2020 lows, but month-to-month fluctuations underscore ongoing uncertainty in the sector, consultancy Kaufman Hall found in a new report.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 24, 2021

Medtronic HeartWare system hit with slew of Class I recalls, device reports since 2012 PMA

The pump has a higher rate of malfunction reports than rivals, according to an ECRI analysis of the FDA's MAUDE database. But it's hard to draw conclusions from a disparate system of safety reporting.

By Ricky Zipp • May 24, 2021

Pandemic scrambled priorities of hospital CIOs, according to survey

Stoltenberg Consulting's annual exec poll concludes that COVID-19 has placed a new priority on the digital needs of patients as opposed to other facets of healthcare IT.

By Ron Shinkman • May 20, 2021

Banner launches digital health program through its Cerner EHR

The Arizona system's partnership with Xealth aims to give clinicians tools like therapeutics and remote monitoring directly.

By Hailey Mensik • May 20, 2021

Virtual proctoring, training poised to be new normal in post-pandemic surgical interactions

Prior to the COVID-19 public health crisis, momentum to transition operating rooms into digitally connected learning environments was building. Social distancing mandates accelerated those efforts.

By Greg Slabodkin • May 20, 2021

Sutter posts Q1 operating loss, warns 'break even by year end is ambitious'

The dominant northern California health system blamed unpredictable patient volume and increased expenses over the last year for its latest results.  

By Samantha Liss • May 19, 2021

CommonSpirit and Essentia call off 14-hospital deal following nurse complaints

In a petition opposing the deal, the Minnesota Nurses Association and employees at Essentia and CommonSpirit said they feared layoffs and restricted access to patient care.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 19, 2021