Voting ends Sunday for Kaiser Permanente union in California to greenlight strike

A strike of this size could cripple operations for Kaiser in southern California. Those 24,000 healthcare workers eligible to vote on a strike represent about 31% of the system's nearly 76,000 employees in that area.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 7, 2021

HCA sells another Georgia hospital, with $637M price tag

The latest deal means the system will no longer have a footprint in the northwest part of the state after completing a divestiture plan of offloading hospitals surrounding the Atlanta area.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 6, 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

Labor shortages will strain hospital budgets through 2022, Moody's says

The pressure on health system profitability comes as lucrative non-emergency procedures are on hold in some areas to handle incoming COVID-19 inpatients, according to the report.

By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 6, 2021

Ransomware attacks put availability of medical devices at risk, FDA cyber chief says

Industry reached a "watershed moment" earlier this year when a device outage caused by malware endangered patient lives, Kevin Fu, acting director of cybersecurity at CDRH said. "That was something we haven't seen before."

By Greg Slabodkin • Oct. 4, 2021

How much is too much? OIG warns about booze for doctors in medtech speaker programs

Drug and device makers have spent $2 billion in the past three years on such events, according to OIG. Companies have been required since 2013 to disclose payments to doctors and health systems, made public annually.

By Kim Dixon • Oct. 4, 2021

3 in 10 nurses want to leave their employers, survey shows

Nurses younger than 35 said they were most likely to leave their current job, a particularly troubling trend for providers already under staffing strains.

By Ron Shinkman • Oct. 1, 2021

Over 2,000 workers at Catholic Health hospital in New York wage open-ended strike

The two sides are close to an agreement on measures related to pandemic preparedness and extended sick leave pay, but are still far apart on salary and staffing proposals, according to the union.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Oct. 12, 2021

Doctors slam surprise billing rule that details dispute resolution process

The interim final rule established that existing rates in a provider's geographic area will be a strong anchor for final payment decisions by arbitrators.

By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 1, 2021

Healthcare workers report cybersecurity, burnout woes worsened by COVID-19

Nearly three quarters of healthcare professionals are concerned that patient health information is being sent through unsecured tools, according to a new survey from hospital communication firm Spok.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 30, 2021

More than half of states will see nursing demand outstrip supply in the next 5 years, Mercer finds

Other predictions include that primary care will increasingly be provided by non-physicians, like physician assistants and nurse practitioners, and demand for mental health providers will rise by more than 10%.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 29, 2021

Intermountain launches outpatient imaging business

For the health system, which operates 25 hospitals, the move to form the subsidiary may be in response to insurers cracking down on costly hospital-based imaging.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 29, 2021

Cleveland Clinic forecasts latest COVID-19 surge will soon peak as nation sees declining hospitalizations

Lower volumes are a welcome sign for health systems that have been overwhelmed by patient volumes and forced to delay nonemergency procedures. The downward trend signals a return to normal for operators.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 28, 2021

Nursing union says hospitals aren't following OSHA standard amid delta

Facilities should now be in compliance with the emergency temporary standard, but nurses still face challenges with COVID-19 testing and notifications when they're exposed to the virus, according to a new survey.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 28, 2021

Beaumont, Spectrum deal delayed by FTC backlog

The two Michigan health systems expected the union to close this fall. But now it will take longer than originally anticipated as the Federal Trade Commission is experiencing a surge in merger filings. 

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 27, 2021

Delta pressure on US hospitals dragged August operations, Kaufman Hall finds

"The August data show we are not out of the woods yet, and hospitals face additional uncertainties as we move into the fall and winter," Erik Swanson, senior vice president of data and analytics at Kaufman Hall, said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 27, 2021

Quarter of providers saw mortality rates rise after ransomware attacks, survey finds

This study of health delivery organizations is one of the first finding a direct impact on patient care down the line, and comes roughly a year after a patient in Germany died as a result of delayed care following a ransomware attack.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 23, 2021

Sutter kicks off nationwide CEO search as Sarah Krevans announces retirement

Whoever replaces Krevans will inherit a difficult financial situation, shaky relations with worker groups and a brand marred by several recent legal disputes with the federal government.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 23, 2021

AHA-backed study predicts hospitals could lose $54B in profit this year

Despite the dire prediction, most major U.S. systems reported major year-over-year profit jumps in the second quarter, illustrating the industry continues to be highly lucrative.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 21, 2021

Over 2,000 workers at Catholic Health Mercy Hospital in New York plan strike

Staff at the Buffalo facility are ready to strike in less than two weeks if they're unable to nab a new contract with the measures they say are necessary to attract and retain staff.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Sept. 21, 2021

Hospitals with top clinical outcomes often don't score well in equity metrics, rankings find

The Lown Institute scores, now in their second year, are meant to take a broader look at how hospitals serve their communities by analyzing more than just outcome metrics.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 21, 2021

HCA to acquire 5 Utah hospitals from Steward Health Care

The move comes less than a week after the state's largest provider, Intermountain Healthcare, announced a merger with SCL Health to expand its footprint to Colorado, Montana and Kansas.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 21, 2021

Mergers cut mortality rates at rural hospitals, study finds

Researchers concluded that the lower rate continued for years after the merger was completed, and that such deals could play a significant role in improving the quality of rural healthcare services.

By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 20, 2021

Kaiser Permanente union in California nearing strike

No agreement was reached before the contracts expired, leading the union to hold a strike authorization vote that could herald a historic work stoppage of Kaiser's healthcare workers.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Oct. 1, 2021

CommonSpirit's net income jumps to $5.5B in 2021, reversing major COVID-19 loss

However, the nation's largest nonprofit system said the pandemic will likely keep stressing operational performance in the coming fiscal year.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 20, 2021

Ascension rebounds from last summer's pandemic losses

After posting a $1 billion loss during the prior-year period, the nonprofit Catholic giant posted about $5.7 billion in net income for its fiscal year ended June 30.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 17, 2021