Hundreds of hospitals sue HHS over payment cuts

Hospitals have filed three separate lawsuits this week. One alleges the government is unlawfully continuing a reduction in inpatient reimbursement. The other two claim DSH calculations are wrong.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 22, 2019

Myth Diagnosis: Is healthcare recession-proof?

"That's a little bit of a misnomer," Ben Isgur, health researcher at PwC, told Healthcare Dive. "It is a little recession-resistant, but eventually that wears off."

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 22, 2019

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

Uncompensated care up significantly at US hospitals, led by Southeast

Smaller hospitals and those in states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act were most hit, according to a new survey.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 22, 2019

Some of the nation's largest health systems want to care for patients in their homes. Here's why.

Ascension, CommonSpirit and Highmark Health are some of those signing joint venture deals with Nashville-based Contessa over the past few months, in a move away from the "heads in beds" model.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 21, 2019

University of Chicago Medical Center averts Thanksgiving strike

More than 2,000 nurses had been expected to walk off the job this week. Hospital officials had said they were worried about finding replacement workers over the holiday.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Nov. 25, 2019

Hospital market power shares blame for mushrooming middle-class health costs, Commonwealth Fund says

"There is very little restraint on pricing," the research group's president David Blumenthal said. Hospitals are motivated to boost prices to offset declining rates of inpatient utilization, particularly if they have excess capacity, he added.

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 21, 2019

Providers take next step in social determinants: hyperlocalism

Industry can "help others have an uncomfortable dialogue about what is truly driving health outcomes in this country," Atrium Health's Alisahah Cole said at the Healthcare of Tomorrow conference.

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 19, 2019

CommonSpirit growing pains lead to quadrupled operating loss in 1st quarter

The nine-month-old nonprofit health system, struggling to integrate Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives into one organization, also reported relatively flat operating revenue.

By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 19, 2019

Sutter to pay $45M on DOJ kickback, overbilling claims

The dominant system serving Northern California has agreed to pay about $75 million to settle various claims so far this year. The latest claims relate to alleged financial arrangements with physicians to incentivize them to refer patients to Sutter. 

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 18, 2019

Hospitals pledge to fight Trump admin price transparency plan in court

President Donald Trump said patients have "been getting ripped off for years" and HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the requirements are a "revolutionary" change for the industry.

By Samantha Liss , Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 18, 2019

An expanding Mayo Clinic sees net income double

The nonprofit reported financials for the first three quarters of 2019 as well as details on an expansion into the United Kingdom.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 18, 2019

JAMA: Lower cost hospitals have similar patient outcomes as higher cost counterparts

A new study in JAMA Network Open questions the assumption that patient acuity and case mix have as much of an impact on patient cost as the priciness of the individual hospital itself.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 15, 2019

Hospitals waste billions on bad supply chain management, Navigant says

Unnecessary spending on supply chain products and related operations reached $25.7 billion in 2018, according to the study of 2,127 hospitals.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 15, 2019

Hospitals — and now insurers — to reveal secret rates under latest Trump admin pitch

Industry lobbies have argued the government lacks authority to issue such mandates and are sure to fight back against what would be a landmark shift in healthcare.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 15, 2019

Highmark inks joint venture deal to provide at-home care

The health system said home services are available to commercial plan members in Western Pennsylvania, and MA beneficiaries will be eligible Jan. 1. It hopes to expand the offering to West Virginia and Delaware.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 14, 2019

Sanford, UnityPoint scrap plan to create $11B system

The union would have created one of the largest nonprofit health systems, with a significant footprint throughout the Midwest.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 13, 2019

Every for-profit hospital chain reported admission upticks: Is it a blip?

Tenet reported its third consecutive quarter of admission gains, while HCA called it the "strongest same-facilities growth in volume" over the past 17 quarters.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 12, 2019

Look beyond the EHR

Relying only on EHR data is problematic for hospitals and health systems evolving to value-based care.

By Mark A. Caron, CHCIO, FACHE, Geneia CEO • Nov. 12, 2019

Kaiser Permanente net income tops $1B, margins sag

Unions have cited the not-for-profit's hefty income to push for better working conditions. CFO Kathy Lancaster defended the profits, which she said "allows us to make investments in technology, infrastructure, and our people."

By Linda Wilson • Nov. 12, 2019

Google's 'Project Nightingale' prompts HHS investigation

The Office of Civil Rights launched a federal inquiry into Google's R&D using the personal health information of tens of millions of patients from Ascension, the nation's second-largest health system.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Nov. 13, 2019

Industry mourns unexpected passing of Kaiser Permanente CEO Bernard Tyson

Though the executive recently faced criticism from worker groups over labor practices and sweeping profits, Tyson was a respected and popular leader. Kaiser EVP Gregory Adams was named interim chairman and CEO. 

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 11, 2019

From telehealth to 'Medicare for All': takeaways from HLTH19

All of Healthcare Dive's coverage from the health innovation conference's second year.

Nov. 8, 2019

Duodenoscope reprocessors' poor work conditions exacerbate infection problem, FDA panel says

The advisory meeting followed FDA disclosing reports of three deaths, 45 patient infections and 159 cases of device contamination related to inadequate device reprocessing between October 2018 and March 2019.

By David Lim • Nov. 8, 2019

Hospital M&A spurs rising healthcare costs, MedPAC finds

Adding to a growing body of evidence, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission found providers with greater market share see higher commercial profit margins, leading to higher costs per discharge.

By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 7, 2019

Patients still aren't accessing their medical records online

Hospitals that are part of a larger system were more likely to see patients engage with online records as well as teaching and public hospitals, according to research in Health Affairs.

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 7, 2019