HHS resolves complaint over COVID-19 no-visitor policy for patients with disabilities

In May, the agency began receiving complaints that Connecticut's guidance violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, alleging that without support people, patients with disabilities were denied equal access to treatment.

By Hailey Mensik • June 9, 2020

COVID-19 spikes in some states reignite hospital capacity worries

Arizona system Banner Health said it may need to activate its surge plan as hospitalizations are "rapidly increasing," the ICU is "very busy" and ventilator usage has seen a sharp incline.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 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

Calls mount for CMS to extend telehealth waivers

The American College of Physicians and Premier want to see pay parity and cost-sharing adjustments stay in place beyond the public health emergency declared for the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Ron Shinkman • June 5, 2020

Healthcare sector added 312K jobs in May, but hospitals left out

The sector lost 43,000 jobs in March, then another 1.4 million in April, with most concentrated in ambulatory care, dentists' offices and doctors' offices. But Friday's figures seem to show a surprising reversal.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated June 8, 2020

COVID-19 creates thicket of legal concerns for providers

"There's a push and pull here ... between offering patients protection and between providing immunities" to let providers operate without fear of prosecution, one expert said.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 5, 2020

Intermountain to provide acute-level care in patient homes

The service is in partnership with value-based care spinoff Castell and builds on previous efforts to move more treatment into the home. It was accelerated by preparation for potential surges of COVID-19 patients, the system said.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 5, 2020

ER volumes dropped 42% in April due to pandemic

Some of the highest emergency visit declines occurred in COVID-19 hotspot regions, including New York and New Jersey, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By Hailey Mensik • June 4, 2020

Providers call CARES funds a lifeline — but some say headaches not worth risks

Legal experts Healthcare Dive spoke with had provider clients opting to return the funds, citing unwillingness to accept the terms and fears over potential risks that come with accepting the money.

By Samantha Liss • June 4, 2020

COVID-19 helps reignite merger talks between Lifespan, Care New England

The two have reached the next stage in the merger process. Previous discussions of a formal collaboration between the Rhode Island health systems have always fizzled out.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Sept. 10, 2020

Governors plead for Trump admin to streamline testing supply distribution

"The surprise element is, here we're competing against other states and sometimes our own federal government," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, told a House subcommittee Tuesday.

By Rebecca Pifer • June 3, 2020

CMS relaxing more value-based model requirements in wake of pandemic

The changes are aimed at minimizing reporting burden and increasing flexibilities for providers as they continue to face great financial and logistical challenges from the novel coronavirus.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 3, 2020

Medicaid expansion key indicator for rural hospitals' financial viability

Other factors that play a positive role include tax-exempt status and occupancy rates, according to a study in Health Affairs.

By Hailey Mensik • June 2, 2020

Hospitals push for release of $50B more in COVID-19 funds

The American Hospital Association wants the money for all hospitals but also hot spot areas and facilities that serve a higher number of uninsured and Medicaid members.

By Samantha Liss • June 2, 2020

Providers show support amid unrest: #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives

Health officials also expressed worry that the protest gatherings could further spread of the novel coronavirus. Some COVID-19 testing sites have been shut down for safety reasons, further exacerbating concerns.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 2, 2020

UPMC latest hospital system to report Q1 loss due to COVID-19

The Pennsylvania-based system's health insurance plan saw increased revenue due to a significant rise in its membership, but its operating income dropped by 56%.

By Ron Shinkman • June 1, 2020

Sluggish patient volume could jeopardize hospitals repaying advanced Medicare funds, report suggests

Older patients lead the pack in returning to emergency rooms while younger generations had smaller declines in visit activity overall and are returning to all care settings faster, a survey of 500 hospitals by Transunion found.

By Hailey Mensik • June 1, 2020

Hospitals to face bumpy recovery with depressed margins into 2021, S&P predicts

Federal funds are helping offset short-term health system losses, but a potential second coronavirus surge makes long-term prospects unpredictable.

By Hailey Mensik • May 28, 2020

Providers take steps to ease patient fears, but see restart of elective care taking months

The biggest worry among officials at health systems and ambulatory surgery centers is the possibility of an outbreak or second wave, followed by low patient demand and inadequate supplies, according to a survey from Deloitte.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 28, 2020

Chicago hospitals blame 11th-hour legislation shakeup for ending $1B South Side project

Four hospitals had inked an ambitious plan, now shelved, to create a new health system to cater to the city's most vulnerable.

By Samantha Liss • May 27, 2020

How tariffs ravaged the COVID-19 medical supply chain

Months into the pandemic, the U.S. faces an ongoing shortage of PPE and some of it is still subject to tariffs.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • May 27, 2020

COVID-19 has forced nearly half of patients to postpone care

About a third of those who have put off treatment said they would seek it in the next three months, and 10% said they will do so in four months to a year, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 27, 2020

Pandemic response complicated by public health agencies' inability to receive data from hospitals

Hospitals in regions forecast to be some of the hardest hit from COVID-19 were more likely to say public agencies were unable to receive health data electronically, according to a new study published in JAMIA.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 27, 2020

Here's how much for-profit hospitals have received in COVID-19 bailout funding so far

The nation's largest for-profit hospital chains have received about $2.2 billion​, money they don't have to pay back. Healthcare Dive is tracking how much major health systems have collected in federal relief.

By Samantha Liss • May 26, 2020

HCA tells nurses union to give up bargained wage increases — or face layoffs

The country's largest nurses union said HCA is also threatening elimination of employer contributions to 401k plans, wage freezes and pay cuts if they do not give up contractually-promised raises.

By Hailey Mensik • May 26, 2020

Providence, 1st to treat COVID-19 patient, posts $1.1B loss

The nonprofit system saw investment losses of $763 million in the first quarter as stock market volatility followed stay-at-home orders for much of the U.S. That compared to a $582 million investment gain in the prior-year period.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 26, 2020