Another court rules against hospitals on DSH payments

Hospitals had argued CMS should only use Medicaid and uninsured patient payments toward the disproportionate share hospital payment cap. A lower court ruled in favor, but an appeals court overturned that decision Monday.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 22, 2020

2nd round of hospital CARES funding tied to patient revenue

The second wave of the $100 billion in funding includes $10 billion for areas hard-hit by the virus like New York. The larger net patient service revenue, the more funding a hospital is likely to receive based on the latest formula.

By Samantha Liss • Updated April 23, 2020

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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

Beaumont-Summa merger plans end as COVID-19 batters hospitals

The health systems had delayed the combination in April, citing the financial toll and uncertainty of the pandemic. They did not provide more details about the breakup Friday.

By Samantha Liss • Updated May 29, 2020

Trump signs bill designating additional $75B for hospital COVID-19 response

It's the fourth major piece of emergency legislative relief Congress has approved amid the pandemic. But hospitals and providers say more help will be needed.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated April 24, 2020

New York nurses sue Montefiore, Westchester hospitals over pandemic working conditions

Both systems defended themselves against the actions by the New York State Nurses Association, which also sued the state health department. Nurses argued they were not properly trained for redeployment and not receiving PPE.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 21, 2020

HCA profit down 45% amid COVID-19 volume depression

The Nashville-based for-profit hospital operator missed Wall Street expectations for both earnings and revenue, chalking up the results to significantly lower patient volume in the last two weeks of the first quarter.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 21, 2020

CMS, surgeon group offer paths forward to resume elective procedures

Most facilities have been putting off non-emergency services since mid-March, but have taken a financial hit as a result. Congress is debating a fourth coronavirus relief package that reportedly contains $75 billion for hospitals.

By Susan Kelly • April 20, 2020

FCC releases 1st round of CARES funds for coronavirus telehealth response

Six providers, including those in hard-hit areas like New York and New Orleans, received more than $3.2 million from the $200 million fund set aside for telehealth by the CARES stimulus package Congress passed last month.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 17, 2020

Public health agencies, commercial labs warn patchy IT infrastructure hobbling COVID-19 response

"Public health is spending time digitizing the information, rather than being able to immediately analyze and act upon it," Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 17, 2020

Hospital lobby asks feds for more CARES funds, targeted distribution

The plea comes as CMS said the second round of the $100 billion package will come by the end of the week. The AHA chief said more is needed to address the worst financial crisis in history for hospitals.

By Ron Shinkman • April 17, 2020

2nd round of CARES funding, with broader reach, to go out this week

The first distribution was based on Medicare payments, but this week's funding round looks at "providers across the board, whether they serve Medicare patients, Medicaid or private insurers," CMS head Seema Verma said.

By Hailey Mensik • April 16, 2020

CDC to launch clinical reporting app for COVID-19 in May

A patchwork of requirements creates confusion and leads to COVID-19 cases being "significantly underreported," a CDC official said Wednesday at a virtual meeting of health IT congressional advisory group HITAC.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 16, 2020

Could coronavirus derail the decades-long shift to value-based care?

"This is not about managing a population. This is about doing everything you can to keep these people alive," Dean Ungar, vice president of Moody's Investors Service, said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • April 15, 2020

Medtechs adapt to new sales reality amid halt on elective surgeries, hospitals' financial stress

Device manufacturers can't control how long COVID-19 shuts down the procedures and traditional sales models they depend on. But their flexibility during the down period can make or break the restart, industry advisers say.

By Maria Rachal • April 14, 2020

Hospital CARES funding not quite 'no strings attached'

Chains like Tenet and CHS can expect to see the biggest benefit in relation to profitability as providers start to receive the first $30 billion of the $100 billion allocated, according to Jefferies analysts.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 14, 2020

GM, Philips land $1.1B in HHS ventilator contracts, Medtronic boosts production

Much of industry has been prodded to ramp up production of the often large, complex and pricey devices barely mentioned in company financials before the pandemic but now seen as critical to saving the sickest COVID-19 patients.

By Nick Paul Taylor • April 13, 2020

AMA, other doc groups seek piece of CARES act funding

The doctors lobby, along with groups representing cardiologists, dermatologists and a range of other specialties, urged HHS Secretary Alex Azar to provide immediate aid "to support them against financial peril while they put their lives and businesses at risk."

By Hailey Mensik • April 9, 2020

Hospital costs to treat uninsured COVID-19 patients could top $40B

The Kaiser Family Foundation analysis is another indication that more funding will be needed to keep the U.S healthcare system running as it faces the unprecedented crisis.

By Shannon Muchmore , Hailey Mensik • April 8, 2020

COVID-19's public health crisis could also be a financial disaster for hospitals

Most systems already operate on relatively thin margins, with little room to handle a downswing, much less the pandemic that has now caused more deaths in the U.S. than any other nation.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 8, 2020

Hospitals scramble to triage amid testing delays, PPE shortages, OIG finds

Scarcity of tests and delayed results meant presumptive positive patients greatly strained bed availability, PPE supplies and staffing, the survey of 323 hospital officials found. AHA called it an accurate reflection of the situation.

By Hailey Mensik • April 7, 2020

OCR suspends some HIPAA regulations in response to COVID-19

The HHS agency said it would use its discretion to not enforce the law against "the good faith uses and disclosures of protected health information." The change mostly applies to business associates and federal agencies.

By Ron Shinkman • April 3, 2020

Quorum files for bankruptcy

The CHS spinoff had warned the action might be necessary after years of flagging financial performance. The system has entered into a restructuring agreement with terms to reduce its debt by about $500 million.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated April 7, 2020

HHS to divert some of $100B hospital COVID-19 funding to uninsured

AHA seemed to object to the order, saying funding to treat the uninsured should come from new legislation or an emergency program as the $100 billion for them "was intended to provide hospitals with an infusion of emergency relief."

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated April 6, 2020

Hospitals should brace for up to 17-fold surge in demand for supplies

The average respondent to a survey from Premier had 23 days of N95 respiratory mask inventory on hand, but those with active COVID-19 patients had an average of just three days' worth.

By Hailey Mensik • April 2, 2020

Tenet pulls 2020 guidance in wake of COVID-19 impact

The for-profit hospital chain said its system is not currently overwhelmed but has rescheduled "a substantial amount" of elective procedures and closed or reduced hours at ambulatory surgery and outpatient centers.

By Shannon Muchmore • April 2, 2020