Hospitals adopt new round of elective surgery restrictions, brace for Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge

The American College of Surgeons is among those placing new emphasis on factoring healthcare worker and surgeon wellbeing into capacity decisions going forward.

By Maria Rachal • Nov. 25, 2020

Fewer, but sicker, patients visit Ascension hospitals in its latest fiscal quarter

After closing out its last fiscal year with a net loss of $1 billion, the giant nonprofit swung to a quarterly profit with net income of $1.2 billion.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 24, 2020

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 reports healthy Q3 profit, but operations remain under stress

Even amid reports that its Midwest unit saw hundreds of employees test positive for COVID-19, the system touted a patient mortality rate from the virus of 0.71%, compared to 4% nationwide.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 22, 2020

Kaiser Permanente's earnings bump suggests it's weathering COVID-19

Buoyed by tens of billions in revenue from its health plans and fresh investment gains, the nonprofit appears to be managing the coronavirus crisis better than many of its counterparts that solely operate hospitals.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 20, 2020

Banking on acuity: Tenet, UHS execs optimistic about Q4

"On balance, we're not feeling the type of pressure we were feeling in the early days, where you don't entirely know what you're fighting," Tenet CEO Ron Rittenmeyer said this week at Wolfe Research's virtual healthcare conference.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 20, 2020

Travel nurse demand outpacing supply, with hospitals paying steep rates

Pay increases being offered to staff are based on a variety of factors, including hours and specialty. Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic both reported hundreds of workers out sick from the virus or exposure to it.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 20, 2020

Hospitals scramble to get ready for coronavirus vaccines

From ultra-cold storage capabilities to extra security staff, facilities are bracing now for their pivotal role in vaccine distribution.

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 19, 2020

Moderna's vaccine can last for weeks in a refrigerator, expanding an edge on rivals

Pharmacies and doctor's offices should be able to store Moderna's shot on site, a crucial advantage for the mass immunization challenge that lies ahead.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 17, 2020

Pandemic spurs consumer-friendly healthcare services that patients expect to continue

Millennials in particular feel more comfortable shopping among traditional providers, telehealth providers and retail clinics than previous generations, according to the Kaufman Hall report.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 16, 2020

Moderna says vaccine prevents COVID-19 in large study as virus surges

The results, on par with those reported by Pfizer and BioNTech last week, come as health systems nationwide scramble to prepare for eventual distribution of shots that healthcare workers will be among the first to get.

By Ben Fidler • Nov. 16, 2020

Despite COVID-19, CommonSpirit Health reports $800M quarterly profit

The nation's biggest Catholic system is dealing with a significant increase in supply costs to treat patients infected by the virus, but still eked out a 7.7% increase in operating revenues compared to the same period last year.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 15, 2020

FTC sues to block Tenet's Memphis hospital deal with Methodist Le Bonheur

The two organizations are stepping away from the previously announced sale and "have determined that the best course for both organizations is to continue serving our communities independently," Tenet said.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Dec. 23, 2020

As COVID-19 surges, hospitals scramble to find staff amid exhausted workforce

"These folks have been working flat out for eight or nine months ... and after almost three months of surge, they're exhausted, they're stressed," Andrew Pavia of Utah School of Medicine said. "Many ... have become ill themselves."

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Nov. 13, 2020

Epic, NextGen highest rated acute care EHR vendors for interoperability, Klas finds

Usability varies significantly by vendor, according to the report, despite an ongoing federal push for free and unfettered data sharing.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 12, 2020

McLaren sues ProMedica over alleged retaliation following St. Luke's buy

McLaren argues that ProMedica's actions will undermine competition in the Toledo, Ohio, area and deprive a large number of patients from access to their preferred providers.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Nov. 12, 2020

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 Parduhn • 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

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