5 issues hospitals want Biden to tackle in his first 100 days

Taming the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to overwhelm the sector's resources, is the No. 1 ask. Rolling back limits to Medicaid and sustaining COVID-19-spurred telehealth reimbursement are also on the list. 

By Samantha Liss , Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 10, 2020

COVID-19-related OSHA complaints, fines pile up for healthcare facilities

"OSHA was getting a lot of really bad press about how aggressively they were responding," lawyer Eric Conn said. "And ... maybe for some theater, they have focused on healthcare, because it's easy."

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 9, 2020

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

Biden names COVID-19 experts, calls pandemic top priority for transition

The transition team added three members to the advisory board late last week, including a Seattle nurse and former union organizer, the executive director of the Navajo Nation Department of Health and a former OSHA administrator.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Dec. 1, 2020

Coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer, BioNTech prevents COVID-19, early results show

The results, from a large Phase 3 trial that began in late July, cap off a dizzying eight months of research, into which scientists at Pfizer and German drug developer BioNTech compressed what's normally a yearslong process.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 9, 2020

Intermountain sells supply chain management business to Vizient

The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, is likely intended to streamline the operations of the dominant hospital operator and health insurer in Utah.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 6, 2020

FDA warns of COVID-19 antigen test false positives as report flags Quidel on accuracy

The agency alert, prompted by reports from nursing homes and other settings, comes a day after data emerged raising concerns about the ability of a Quidel test to detect asymptomatic cases.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Nov. 6, 2020

Patients shirked diagnostic testing, in-person preventive care amid telehealth boom this spring

Routine preventive services that can't be done virtually, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, plunged 65% in March and April compared to the year prior, according to an analysis of insurance data published in JAMA Network Open.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 5, 2020

Biden faces a divided Congress, stifling chance for more progressive health policies

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the U.S. presidency, the Associated Press and all the major networks said, after votes were tallied in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Nov. 7, 2020

Ryuk is challenging traditional 'find a flaw, fix a flaw' strategy

As healthcare and election security collided this week, security researchers have been breaking down the ransomware strain and its likely execution path.

By Samantha Schwartz • Nov. 5, 2020

Roadmap for keeping electives up amid COVID-19 surges laid out

The key is the use of predictive modeling in developing a clinical decision support tool to determine factors like patient length of stay and use of a ventilator, according to research in JAMA Network Open.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 2, 2020

Healthcare Dive's 2020 election coverage

The outcome of the presidential race and control of the Senate were still unknown. Polling showed healthcare issues were top of mind for many as they cast their vote.

Nov. 2, 2020

Thoughts on diversity in healthcare C-suite from an executive search specialist

The COVID-19 pandemic harshly exposed racial disparities in treatment and care outcomes that remain across the country, and the healthcare industry has a long way to go in diversity and inclusion among its ranks.

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 2, 2020

Despite worsening pandemic, UHS Q3 profit more than doubles

The hospital chain's volumes continue to face downward pressure while the system is caring for sicker patients compared to a year ago.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 30, 2020

FBI, DHS warn of hospital cyberattacks as Ryuk ransomware wakes from hibernation

The malware that hit more than 250 Universal Health Services hospitals last month is poised for another onslaught, federal officials warned.

By Samantha Schwartz • Oct. 29, 2020

Urban-rural divide growing amid primary care workforce, study finds

While more physicians are practicing primary care today than roughly 10 years ago, they're setting up shop in large urban areas — more so than the underserved, rural communities that need them most.

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 28, 2020

From El Paso to St. Louis, dire warnings from hospitals on rationing, capacity as COVID-19 surges again

Officials warn that providers may have to make heart-wrenching decisions about who gets beds and equipment. "That is something that Americans don't fully understand," Bruce Siegel, CEO of America's Essential Hospitals, said.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 28, 2020

First site in embattled $16B Cerner VA project goes live

The overhaul has been dogged by delays, management turnover, snowballing spending and operational issues since it launched in 2018.

By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 27, 2020

After hospital volumes plummeted due to COVID-19, full rebound not likely soon

Researchers writing in JAMA Internal Medicine suggested patients may be avoiding the hospital or may have lost health insurance as a result of the economic fallout from the pandemic.

By Ron Shinkman • Oct. 26, 2020

Supply chain pains: How Geisinger, Sutter and Intermountain are prepping for flu season

"I'll be frank with you, we are concerned," John Wright of Intermountain Healthcare said. "We have concerns just in our manufacturers' abilities to keep up with demand on a global basis. Because it's a global issue."

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 26, 2020

Intermountain, Sanford Health ink merger deal

The union would create a 70-hospital system with more than $13 billion in revenue. M&A activity has not been much deterred despite the pandemic.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Oct. 27, 2020

COVID-19 cases could be 5% of 2021 admissions, HCA says amid rising Q3 profits

The hospital giant reported profit of $668 million in the third quarter, up 9% from the same time last year. Results come weeks after it said it would return millions in government grants early and as COVID-19 surges in key markets.

By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 26, 2020

AHA, AMA ask Congress to extend suspension of Medicare sequester

The 2% payment cut was suspended under the CARES Act, but providers say the ongoing financial pain they are feeling due to the COVID-19 pandemic means it should continue to be on hold well into next year.

By Ron Shinkman • Oct. 23, 2020

8 hospital megaprojects in the US

Most of these $1 billion-plus projects were planned before the pandemic. The list includes a $3.4 billion expansion of a Philadelphia children's hospital.

By Zachary Phillips • Oct. 23, 2020

HHS walks back CARES fund reporting requirement hospitals feared

The department said it had earlier concerns that some providers would wind up more profitable than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Oct. 23, 2020

Envision, Cigna avert out-of-network status in Florida

A deal between the private equity-backed staffing group and insurer ensures that thousands of clinicians remain in network during a deadly pandemic, averting potential for surprise medical bills.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 22, 2020