Hospitals in South, West gird for COVID-19 surges as states hold back limits

After Texas revived a halt in elective surgeries, other hot spots like Arizona have yet to follow suit. Still, hospital giant CommonSpirit said it will limit non-essential surgeries at its two Phoenix facilities.

By Shannon Muchmore , Hailey Mensik • June 29, 2020

Gilead sets price for COVID-19 drug remdesivir

A typical course of treatment with remdesivir will cost between $2,340 and $3,120 in the U.S., a price range that likely ensures Gilead earns a profit on sales of the drug.

By Ned Pagliarulo • June 29, 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

AHA urges CMS to keep relaxed regulations beyond crisis

Federal and state regulators have peeled back rules to allow hospitals to effectively respond to the crisis posed by the coronavirus pandemic, including popular waivers enabling more telehealth use.

By Samantha Liss • June 29, 2020

US risks 139K physician shortage by 2033, AAMC warns

The annual report also looked at underserved populations, estimating that if they were to have the same healthcare use patterns as those with fewer barriers to access, demand could rise by another 74,100 to 145,500 physicians.

By Hailey Mensik • June 26, 2020

HCA, nurses at California hospital prep for Friday strike

While unusual for a labor union to strike just days before scheduled contract negotiations, that's what happening at Riverside Community Hospital, where the pandemic has exacerbated long-simmering staffing issues.

By Hailey Mensik • June 25, 2020

North Carolina BCBS seeks to keep primary care practices afloat, nudge to value-based care

Participating doctor's offices will get added payments to stabilize flagging revenue for primary care services at their pre-COVID-19 levels beginning in September through 2021.

By Rebecca Pifer • June 25, 2020

CommonSpirit doubles down on primary care with new direct-to-employer partnership

Employers will pay a flat fee per worker to access onsite, near-site or virtual clinics staffed by family medicine doctors and medical assistants. The nonprofit giant is partnering with ex-DaVita subsidiary Paladina Health on the model.

By Rebecca Pifer • June 25, 2020

US hospitals saw some recovery in May but distress 'far from over'

Median operating margins were back in the black and operating minutes almost doubled from April, but figures were still significantly down year over year, according to Kaufman Hall's latest flash report.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 24, 2020

AHA appeals price transparency case after judge sides with HHS

In its appeal, the hospital lobby characterized HHS' latest interpretation of the section on price disclosures as "obscure" and "far fetched."

By Samantha Liss , Hailey Mensik • Updated July 20, 2020

HCA nurses issue 10-day strike notice at California hospital

The nurses plan to strike from Friday through July 6, prior to starting contract negotiations with the biggest for-profit hospital chain on July 7.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated June 23, 2020

Nonprofit health systems — despite huge cash reserves — get billions in CARES funding

Healthcare Dive's findings revive concerns that greater examination of hospital finances is needed before divvying up COVID-19 rescue funding allocated by Congress.

By Samantha Liss • June 23, 2020

AHA asks for COVID-19 public health emergency to be extended

The group is requesting the emergency status be continued until multiple criteria are met regarding the availability of supplies for testing and treatment, number of patients requiring intensive care and deaths over a two-week period.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 22, 2020

Moody's: US healthcare system rebounds from COVID-19 in May, but a bumpy road lies ahead

Last month saw improvement in care volumes, but recent pullbacks in hot spots like Arizona may exemplify the rocky road ahead for hospitals and medical device companies.

By Ron Shinkman • June 19, 2020

Recovery of medical staffing firms will lag behind hospitals, analysts say

The "pace of recovery will not be linear" and depends on the mix of service lines and geography, S&P Global analysts said in a Thursday note. Analysts also expect hospitals to aggressively renegotiate contracts later in the year.

By Rebecca Pifer • June 19, 2020

Advocate-Aurora, Beaumont ink letter of intent to explore merger

A union would create a system with combined revenue of about $17.5 billion. The plans come soon after Beaumont, Michigan's largest health system, canceled a planned merger with Ohio-based Summa Health.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 17, 2020

Sutter, citing COVID-19 losses, seeks to delay antitrust settlement approval

The system, which reported a net loss of more than $1 billion in the first quarter of this year, warned it could be forced to shut down or divest some of its hospitals because of the pandemic.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 17, 2020

Tenet cites dramatic rebound of patient volume post COVID-19 slump

New hotspots are emerging in states in the West and South largely spared from the first coronavirus wave, posing a challenge for hospital operators with major footprints in those states, such as the Dallas-based chain.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated June 17, 2020

MedPAC urges MA, ACO tweaks to speed up value-based payment reform

Medicare Advantage and ACOs could be vehicles for much needed value-based payment reform, but not without better aligned incentives and improved quality assessment, the advisory commission said.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 16, 2020

Surgeons, device makers grow more confident in elective care comeback

As some medtechs indicate forecasts entering Q2 may have been too conservative, a Bain & Co. survey of physicians and administrators suggests rising capacity for elective procedures, albeit without sales reps at full force.

By Maria Rachal • June 15, 2020

As states face mounting cases, how 1 NYC system managed COVID-19 surge

To respond to the worst of the novel coronavirus outbreak in its community, New York City Health + Hospitals created three new field hospitals and ordered its 11 existing facilities to "become a single large intensive care unit."

By Shannon Muchmore • June 15, 2020

1 in 4 workers at high risk for serious COVID-19 illness as states reopen despite surges

New data from the Kaiser Family Foundation could throw a wrench in employers' plans to reopen offices and resume a normal course of operations, even as more than half of states report rising COVID-19 infections.

By Rebecca Pifer • June 15, 2020

Detroit nurses sue Tenet for alleged retaliatory firings over COVID-19 safety concerns

But a Detroit Medical Center spokesperson told Healthcare Dive the hospital took "appropriate action" following an investigation into complaints that employees took inappropriate photos of deceased patients. 

By Hailey Mensik • June 12, 2020

It's time for a national hospital supply chain czar

If the current lack of supply chain coordination isn't resolved before the expected second surge in COVID-19 cases strikes, the result will be a far worse crisis, writes Jody Hatcher, a healthcare supply chain expert.

By Jody Hatcher • June 12, 2020

Pennsylvania mandates more COVID-19 protections for hospital workers

The new rules focus on effective contact tracing that is labor intensive, Gerald Maloney, chief medical officer for Geisinger Health, which operates six hospitals in the state, told Healthcare Dive.

By Hailey Mensik • June 11, 2020

HCA seeks nurse backup ahead of potential strike

The hospital chain has a job posting for qualified nurses in the event of a strike, an action a union spokesperson called "a threat to nurses."

By Hailey Mensik • June 10, 2020