Patients steadily return to in-person primary care as telehealth plateaus

Virtual visits that exploded in recent months are starting to level off and, in some cases, fall as doctor's offices reschedule backlogged patients for more in-person appointments, according to new data from The Commonwealth Fund.

By Hailey Mensik • May 21, 2020

COVID-19 sinks Advocate Aurora's operating income in Q1

The major nonprofit system was pushed into the red for the quarter due to the pandemic. It has a large presence in the Chicagoland area, a hot spot for the virus, and has discharged more than 3,200 patients who were infected.

By Samantha Liss • May 21, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Surprise Billing

Federal legislation banning surprise bills has hit a barrage of roadblocks, complicating efforts to protect consumers from unexpected out-of-network charges.

By Healthcare Dive staff

April was dismal for US hospitals, with long road ahead, surveys find

Operating margins plummeted 174% last month compared to April 2019 and were down 118% from March of this year as surgeries, ER visits and outpatient appointments declined drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 21, 2020

PAs gain authority during COVID-19 pandemic, but still face layoffs, furloughs

Over the past few months, 21 states have taken action — eight through executive orders — to waive practice requirements for physician assistants. But the financial strain on health systems has also led to job cuts.

By Hailey Mensik • May 20, 2020

Nonprofit health systems see investments slide as COVID-19 ravages economy

Major systems like CommonSpirit Health and Kaiser Permanente posted losses of more than $1 billion in first quarter reports.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 20, 2020

Hospitals, device industry set ground rules for sales reps' return

The guidance expands on advice for resuming elective surgery that a group of medical societies and the American Hospital Association released in April in preparation for reopening healthcare facilities for non-emergency care.

By Susan Kelly • May 20, 2020

COVID-19 pushes Mayo Clinic's operating income into free fall

Operating income plunged 88% while margin flatlined to 0.9% by the end of the first quarter due to the onset of the pandemic and the near closure of the health system's outpatient business.

By Samantha Liss • May 19, 2020

Knee replacements nearly halted as hospitals braced for COVID-19, data show

Even service lines involving what are often life-threatening illnesses saw large drops, with cardiac care falling 57% and cancer care decreasing 37%, according to an analysis from software company Strata Decision Technology.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 19, 2020

CommonSpirit posts $1.4B loss, says full COVID-19 impact unknown

The biggest proportion of losses were tied to investments, as the nonprofit health system's portfolio dropped in value by nearly $1.1 billion.

By Ron Shinkman • May 18, 2020

COVID-19 shreds Sutter Health's finances in matter of weeks

The Northern California nonprofit health system lost more than $1 billion in the first quarter due to the pandemic. Future finances could become even grimmer.

By Ron Shinkman • May 15, 2020

Fitch Q2 outlook for nonprofit hospitals: 'worst on record'

Moody's Investors Service also warned this week the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic will linger into next year and noted government assistance won't make up for all the financial losses.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated May 15, 2020

Front-line COVID-19 responders in middle of pack on pay

Medscape's annual survey also found men continue to earn more than women, a trend that's held now for a decade. Among primary care physicians, men earn roughly 25% more than women.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • May 14, 2020

For-profit, higher-margin hospitals at advantage when it comes to CARES funding

A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis looked at the implications of tying the latest round of $50 billion in federal bailout money to providers' net patient service revenue.

By Samantha Liss • May 14, 2020

House Dems carve out $100B for providers in latest attempt at COVID-19 relief package

The $3 trillion bill, which passed the House on Friday, is the Democrats' opening gambit for the next wave of congressional action, but Republicans and President Donald Trump say they're not in a hurry to approve new funding.

By Susan Kelly • Updated May 18, 2020

Orthopaedic surgeons predict return to somewhat normal volumes in 6 months

While procedures are expected to steadily ramp up over the next six months, Jefferies analysts found that more will be performed outside of hospitals — a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

By Hailey Mensik • May 12, 2020

Pushback against transparency, patient data plans in ONC's roadmap

Insurers and providers don't want negotiated rates made public while EHR vendors want to avoid federal "micromanagement," among other asks during the public comment period on the five-year federal health IT plan.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • May 12, 2020

Hospitals balk as CMS doubles down on price transparency

In the draft of the Medicare payment rule posted Monday, the agency also proposed raising the rate for inpatient hospital services by about 1.6% in 2021, which would amount to nearly $2.1 billion.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 12, 2020

Healthcare sector lost stunning 1.4M jobs in April

The bulk of jobs shed were concentrated in ambulatory services, which lost more than 1 million jobs, presumably due to the widespread cancellation of elective procedures during the pandemic.

By Ron Shinkman • May 11, 2020

Trump administration: states to decide which hospitals get Gilead's COVID-19 drug

Remdesivir was cleared for FDA emergency use May 1 but hospitals and physicians were in the dark over how it would be distributed across the country, sparking frustration over the lack of transparency. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • May 11, 2020

Kaiser reports $1.1B net loss in Q1 due to stock market slide

The quarter did include some COVID-19-related costs, including establishing mobile hospitals and triage units and increasing inpatient capacity, but they were "not significant," the integrated system said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • May 11, 2020

Hospital workforce tracker: COVID-19 spurs layoffs, furloughs

Dallas-based Baylor Scott and White is outsourcing, laying off or retraining 1,700 employees in five departments. The system laid off a third of its workforce in May and a third of its corporate finance staff in December.

By Hailey Mensik • May 7, 2020

AHA says hospital COVID-19 losses top $50B per month

The American Hospital Association estimate counts the first four months of the pandemic, including a forecast through June. It comes as the lobby pushes for additional aid on top of the $175 billion Congress has allocated so far.

By Ron Shinkman • May 6, 2020

For-profit hospital chains only saw beginning of COVID-19 impact in Q1

Companies started to see volumes plummet in the end of March as a result of the pandemic, but the effect on overall financial results was relatively limited. That could be a different story for the second quarter.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 6, 2020

Tenet Q1 volumes plunge, though execs eye May as 'beginning of the recovery'

Despite the hit from COVID-19, the system was still able to swing back to black and delivered net income of $94 million compared to a net loss during the first quarter of 2019.

By Samantha Liss • May 5, 2020

Cardiovascular societies offer roadmap to restart TAVR, other postponed surgeries

As more states ease coronavirus-driven restrictions on elective medical care, North American cardiovascular groups laid out stages of safe reintroduction for invasive procedures and diagnostic imaging.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 5, 2020