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

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

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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • May 19, 2021

Eli Lilly fires back against HHS order to repay providers for violating 340B

As California's Attorney General, HHS chief Xavier Becerra led a group of states pushing the agency to force drugmakers to comply with the controversial drug discount program late last year.

By Hailey Mensik , Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated May 21, 2021

Health system that treated the first US COVID-19 patient reports 'turning a corner'

Washington state-based Providence said results from the first few months of the year signal a "return to more normal operations." Midwestern giant Advocate Aurora reported a similar story.

By Samantha Liss • May 18, 2021

HHS asks Supreme Court to keep site-neutral payments in place

Hospitals and HHS have been wrangling about the issue since the federal agency moved to cut payments to hospital-owned outpatient sites in 2019.

By Ron Shinkman • May 17, 2021

Tenet hospital hiring some replacement nurses permanently 11 weeks into strike

"We have received no indication from the MNA that they intend to compromise anytime soon, and it is really not sustainable to have a full complement of temporary replacement nurses," the CEO of St. Vincent hospital said.

By Hailey Mensik • May 17, 2021

Despite CMS rule, few hospitals post prices in a coherent fashion, study says

Among 25 common items and procedures posted by the 100 largest hospitals, far fewer than 20% of facilities had decipherable pricing for any single item, according to the research in JAMA Network Open.

By Ron Shinkman • May 14, 2021

Missouri Medicaid expansion hits snag, headed to court

Medicaid expansion in Missouri will now be decided by the courts as its legislature refused to allocate funds after voters approved expansion last year.

By Samantha Liss • Updated May 21, 2021

Robotic surgery outlook boosted by hospital spending pickup

The activity mirrors a boom in the broader economy that signals a recovery from the pandemic-driven recession. But the strength of demand from the hard-hit hospital sector surpassed expectations.

By Susan Kelly • May 13, 2021

Kaiser Permanente, Mayo team up on investment in acute care at home

The $100 million investment in Boston-based Medically Home will allow patients to be treated at home for infusions and conditions like cancer, infections and COVID-19, the nonprofit systems said.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 13, 2021

Piedmont Healthcare accelerates hospital buys throughout Georgia

The system has its sight set on acquiring University Health Care System in Augusta, adding another three hospitals to its roster. The news comes on the heels of its intent to acquire four HCA hospitals in the state.

By Samantha Liss • May 13, 2021

Report calls for broader scope of practice for nurses, better support for equity, mental health

Demand for nurses will only grow post-pandemic, as will the rigors of the job, according to the paper published Tuesday from the National Academy of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

By Hailey Mensik • May 12, 2021