HHS reminds providers of civil rights obligations amid COVID-19 race disparities

The agency on Monday said it's seen an uptick in complaints since the pandemic began and issued guidance to ensure providers comply with federal civil rights laws.

By Hailey Mensik • July 21, 2020

Hospitals facing depleted volumes beg for more funds, advanced Medicare loan forgiveness

About half of the country's hospitals could be operating on negative margins by the end of 2020, according to a new industry analysis funded by the American Hospital Association.

By Hailey Mensik • July 21, 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

Strike averted with new contract for Chicago Loretto Hospital workers

Instead of striking, hospital workers will "show their solidarity for workers across the city and country calling for the resources, wages and workplace protections needed to protect Black lives," SEIU Illinois said.

By Ron Shinkman • July 20, 2020

As pandemic rages on, hip and knee surgeons lay out elective procedure guidance

An international group of orthopaedic experts recommended changes to hospital protocols to prevent transmission of COVID-19 when elective procedures are resumed.

By Susan Kelly • July 20, 2020

Home healthcare sees surge in wake of COVID-19 nursing home fears

While nursing homes lost about 18,000 jobs last month, home healthcare services gained the same amount, a trend some industry officials say was sped up by the pandemic.

By Hailey Mensik • July 17, 2020

CommonSpirit's CHI Franciscan inks deal to explore combination with Virginia Mason

Together the two organizations would operate 12 hospitals, more than 250 sites of care and would employ more than 21,000 people.

By Samantha Liss • July 17, 2020

Big hospital groups ramp up lobbying for additional relief funds with new polling

Three-fourths of Americans support $100 billion in additional congressional funds for hospitals, the industry-sponsored polling found. Hospitals are hoping Congress will grant them more funds in a fourth round of relief legislation.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 17, 2020

HHS to send $10B to hospitals in coronavirus hot spots as surge continues

Total funding committed to the most distressed hospitals now totals more than $20 billion, representing 12% of the $175 billion allocated by Congress.

By Samantha Liss • July 17, 2020

Hospitals to challenge loss on site neutral payments

An appeal court ruled earlier this month HHS was acting within its authority when it reduced some payments to off-campus hospital outpatient departments to make them consistent with other outpatient payments.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated July 27, 2020

UHS partners with home health giant Bayada on at-home services

Bayada will manage post-acute home health operations, while UHS will utilize Bayada's years of expertise in the sector in tandem with UHS' capabilities and resources to further its integrated model, a system exec said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 17, 2020

Embattled Arizona hospitals bring in hundreds of out-of-state nurses

The state’s largest health system Banner Health is bringing in 1,000 out-of-state nurses and respiratory therapists. The health department is also deploying 584 nurses to stressed hospitals and will absorb the cost.

By Hailey Mensik • July 16, 2020

To stay independent, Boulder Community Health inks deal with Optum

The UnitedHealth Group unit has inked another deal with a small hospital operator, this time in Colorado. BCH CEO Robert Vissers said it represents a middle path instead of having to succumb to an acquisition.

By Samantha Liss • July 16, 2020

Public health officials blast COVID-19 data reporting change imposed on hospitals

"In the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century, it is counter-productive to create a new mechanism which will be extremely complicated to build and implement," one coalition said of the abrupt change.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 16, 2020

COVID-19 causes unprecedented drop in physician demand

A new survey from Merritt Hawkins also concluded the pandemic has depressed overall physician pay, but the staffing firm said it was too early to provide specific estimates.

By Ron Shinkman • July 15, 2020

ER visits lag behind in hospital volume recovery

Adult visit volumes rebounded far more quickly by the end of June than emergency and outpatient pediatric visits, but the recovery was slower for inpatient services, according to an analysis from Transunion Healthcare.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 15, 2020

COVID-19 hospital charges vary widely by age, Fair Health study finds

The most common venue for an initial diagnosis was a doctor's office. About 33% of patients sought help from an office, while 23% went to an inpatient facility, such as an ER, according to the analysis of insurance claims.

By Hailey Mensik • July 14, 2020

Pandemic spurs national union activity among hospital workers

Striking a balance between union action and continuing care for patients could be an ongoing challenge, said Patricia Campos-Medina, co-director of New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute.

By Hailey Mensik • July 13, 2020

UHS finalizes DOJ fraudulent billing case for $122M

The hospital operator continues to deny the allegations and does not admit guilt. Criminal charges were dropped when the settlement was first announced roughly a year ago.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 13, 2020

Sutter loses bid to delay $575M antitrust settlement approval

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a plaintiff, applauded the ruling. "Sutter's practices harmed California's healthcare market ... long before the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 10, 2020

'If the public knew:' Ripple20 shows medical device software cyber weakness

Last month's discovery that Baxter and B. Braun infusion pumps face risk of remote attacks by hackers comes as a medtech effort gains momentum to track third-party components in devices.

By Greg Slabodkin • July 9, 2020

Providence, Humana back ad campaign urging patients to stop 'medical distancing'

Since the pandemic's onset in the United States, health officials have been concerned about the consequences of routine and preventive care being delayed or put off entirely. Providers also fear continued revenue loss.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 8, 2020

New hospital rankings show 'elite' facilities struggle with health equity, inclusivity

A Massachusetts-based think tank compared 3,300 U.S. hospitals on measures including commitment to equity and inclusion. It discovered smaller, lesser-known hospitals get better grades than their well-known, well-funded peers.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 7, 2020

Illinois nurses on strike after stalled contract negotiations

Nurses went on strike Saturday after contract negotiations stalled between the hospital and union. Both sides have been working on a new contract since the last one expired this May. 

By Hailey Mensik • July 6, 2020

Hospital traffic stalls as COVID-19 cases surge, analysts say

Some major chains saw volume dropping in the week ended June 28. HCA and Tenet saw 5.9% and 5.4% declines week over week when zeroing in on Texas, according to cell tower data tracked by Jefferies. 

By Samantha Liss • July 6, 2020

Healthcare sector added 358K jobs, hospitals had first gains in 2 months

The unemployment rate dropped to 11.1%, but the report doesn't cover the last two weeks of June, when western and southern states reported some of their highest daily COVID-19 case numbers since the outbreak began.

By Hailey Mensik • July 2, 2020