Outpatient facilities targeted for cyberattacks nearly as often as hospitals, data shows

Business associates such as claims processors are also a prime target for hackers, and now account for 43% of all healthcare breaches, according to the report from Critical Insight.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 27, 2021

Swell of COVID-19 cases likely to pressure hospital margins, Fitch says

As hospitalizations overwhelm facilities, operators need more staffing. But workers are in short supply, causing costs for contracted labor to rise. The ratings agency expects staffing shortages to persist into next year.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 27, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

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

Mayo Clinic, Alphabet's Verily partner to build clinical decision support tools

The two plan to initially focus on a set of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic conditions.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 27, 2021

Intermountain giving pay raises, boosting minimum wage to $15 an hour

The last time the system raised its minimum wage across the board was in 2019, to $13 an hour, though earlier this year nurses did receive an off-cycle wage adjustment, according to a spokesperson.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 26, 2021

North Carolina amends certificate of need in bill headed to governor's desk

The laws came under scrutiny as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation last year and overwhelmed hospital resources, raising questions about the value of the restrictions.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 26, 2021

UPS delivers COVID-19 vaccines via temperature-controlled drone

The first delivery will go from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in North Carolina to one of the health system's family medical practices.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 25, 2021

Hospital volume recovery on shaky ground amid delta, Kaufman Hall reports

Outpatient revenues fell 2% in July from the month prior, suggesting patients might again be delaying non-urgent care due to virus concerns.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 25, 2021

Health systems need to provide policymakers with audited financial statements: report

An examination of 50 health systems points to the uneven distribution of federal coronavirus relief funds as a consequence of not having nuanced financial information readily available, Harvard and the Urban Institute researchers said.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 23, 2021

Mayo Clinic's financials see sharp Q2 rebound

While the report was generally upbeat, the system warned “COVID-19 could still negatively affect the operating margins." And results don't include the late summer surge due to the delta variant that has hammered some regions.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 22, 2021

Hospital patient volumes match 2019 levels, will exceed them next year

Hospital executives surveyed by McKinsey also said they will focus on growing surgical volumes — which took a huge hit in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. — but will shift more of them to the outpatient setting.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 20, 2021

AHA moves to shift cost blame to health plans in letter to antitrust regulators

The letter included an updated AHA-funded study on the benefits of hospital mergers, which was previously criticized by outside experts for cherry-picked data, among other methodological weaknesses.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 19, 2021

The federal price transparency rules have critical gaps that must be addressed to achieve their objectives

Castlight Health CEO Maeve O'Meara argues that if regulations aren't implemented in a meaningful way for consumers, the efforts will likely fail to inform healthcare decision making and achieve the desired cost savings.

By Maeve O'Meara • Aug. 18, 2021

Burnout, delta variant boost demand for traveling nurses again

Hospitals are probably paying 10% to 20% more than they were during previous COVID-19 waves for travel nurses, Kathy Kohnke, senior vice president of client relations at Fastaff, said.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 18, 2021

Patients were still hesitant to seek medical care out of virus fears this spring, survey finds

Despite reopenings, one in 10 nonelderly adults put off needed medical care this spring, an April survey from the Urban Institute funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 18, 2021

Providence posts H1 operating loss amid increased labor costs

As more patients returned for care, the Washington state-based system's expenses increased to meet demand and was further stressed by worker shortages.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 18, 2021

HHS OIG backs nixing capital cost exemption for new hospitals

Currently, new facilities help pay for their capital costs through a special exemption. An HHS watchdog says Medicare could see significant cost savings if regulators did away with the carveout.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 17, 2021

AI gains steam, though some execs still not sold at HIMSS21

Data released Wednesday finds 7% of healthcare executives said they believe AI and machine learning are the top priority for the future, while 7% called them a "distraction."

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 13, 2021

Predicting the future of healthcare: 10 takeaways from HIMSS21

Along with "guarded optimism" on the current state of the pandemic, some 19,000 on-site attendees in Las Vegas mulled what's next for AI, telehealth, cybersecurity, mental health and more.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn , Hailey Mensik • Aug. 13, 2021

8 insights from a chat with Joe DeVivo, Teladoc's head of hospitals and health systems

DeVivo hinted at joint R&D with tech behemoth Microsoft, a future API marketplace and where Teladoc sees virtual visits stabilizing post-pandemic.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 12, 2021

Health equity takes center stage at HIMSS21

Significant racial gaps in receiving vaccinations remain, despite the ongoing push to inoculate a greater swath of the U.S. population as the delta variant drives a surge in COVID-19 cases.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 11, 2021

Should healthcare organizations pay to settle a ransomware attack? Experts weigh in at HIMSS21

"I don't think there's a single yes or no," said Michael Coates, former chief information security officer for Twitter.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 11, 2021

HCA accused of hospital monopoly in North Carolina

After acquiring Mission Health System in 2019, the hospital operator has continued tactics of all-or-nothing arrangements with payers and gag clauses, driving up prices and insurance premiums, the class action complaint alleges.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 11, 2021

Rethinking healthcare workers' roles post-pandemic

Healthcare employers need to consider how to make front-line caregiving a more sustainable career, and how they'll leverage technology to accomplish that — all while the workforce suffers significant burnout, experts said.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 11, 2021

Kaiser Permanente's Q2 profit down one-third despite revenue climb

The integrated health system remained in the black for the quarter ending June 30, but rising costs associated with COVID-19 are eating into its bottom line.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 10, 2021

Tenet CEO Rittenmeyer stepping down, Sutaria to take post

Suam Sutaria will take over Sept. 1, after serving as COO since joining the for-profit chain in January 2019. Both the executives' pay packages have come under fire.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 10, 2021