Practice Management

HCA nurse union win called 'breakthrough' in long-sought North Carolina

The vote marks the first private sector hospital union election victory in the state and the largest at any nonunion hospital in the South since 1975, according to National Nurses United.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 18, 2020

Walmart details Health superstore expansion, one year after pilot

The retail giant currently has six locations up and running, and plans to open seven more in Georgia by the end of 2020, two in Chicago this fall and seven in Florida next year.

By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 18, 2020

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Trendline

Consumerism

Some stablished players have paying more attention to patient experience, rolling out improvements such as same-day appointments, apps the help explain coverage or health conditions and better integration with email and text messaging.

By Healthcare Dive staff

In COVID-19's wake, hospitals look to hybrid model with in-person, virtual care on equal footing

Comments throughout the AHA conference reflected a clear agreement that not only is telehealth here to stay, but it's also going to be at the heart of care delivery going forward.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 17, 2020

OCR settles with 5 more providers on HIPAA right of access violations

Three of the providers failed to give the patient medical records access until after a second complaint to the HHS Office of Civil Rights was submitted and validated.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 16, 2020

New York nursing homes with unions had fewer COVID-19 deaths, infections

Researchers writing in Health Affairs said healthcare unionization "may play an important role in ensuring access to appropriate PPE and implementing infection control policies that protect vulnerable nursing home residents."

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 14, 2020

Physician stress, burnout, loneliness worsening amid pandemic, Medscape finds

While more than half of U.S. physicians said they aren't considering switching careers, some 25% said they now plan to retire earlier than expected due to the COVID-19 crisis.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 11, 2020

Doctors affiliated with health systems have much higher MIPS scores, JAMA study finds

A separate study found that physicians who had the highest proportion of patients dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid also had significantly lower performance scores than other doctors.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 08, 2020

Healthcare jobs inch back to pre-pandemic levels, adding 75K in August

Some sub-sectors, like hospitals, are close to last year's levels, but not all are bouncing back, new Labor Department figures show.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 04, 2020

Nurses, service workers set to strike at University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago

The hospital said authorizing a strike doesn't mean it will definitely happen, and it will do everything in its power to avert the work stoppage. Negotiations have been held this week.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 03, 2020

Healthcare workers likely to be first in line for coronavirus vaccination

Initial vaccine supplies will be limited. Advisory groups, most recently the National Academies, are developing plans for who should get access first.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 03, 2020

Walmart, newly public Oak Street Health launch clinic partnership in Texas

Walmart is replacing its own clinics at three Dallas-Fort Worth stores with ones operated by Oak Street Health, a value-based medical group that went public in July, as it continues to invest in retail primary care clinics.

By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 02, 2020

Allina, Minnesota Blues enter into sweeping value-based pact

The payer and provider aim to cut the cost trend for care by 10% over the next five years through the multiyear agreement, which will cover about 130,000 people.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 28, 2020

4 in 10 say COVID-19 reduced their access to care, CDC survey shows

A separate survey from the agency found that nearly 37% of people said their provider now offers a form of telehealth, compared to about 14% who said it was offered before the pandemic.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 27, 2020

Aetna turns to WellBe Senior Medical to deliver at-home care to high-risk seniors

The partnership allows the payer to tightly manage a group of patients that are likely to be more costly — seniors with multiple complex health conditions — by keeping them out of higher-cost settings like a hospital.

By Samantha Liss • Aug. 26, 2020

Opinion

Reducing the stigma of clinician mental health, pressure to portray perfection

"The uncertainty of the pandemic coupled with the already high-stress situation of emergency medical care creates an acute crisis for clinicians' mental health," Envision VP Stefanie Simmons writes.

By Stefanie Simmons • Aug. 19, 2020

HCA workers want state regulator to probe 5 Las Vegas hospitals

The biggest for-profit chain said it's following CDC guidance, but one union steward said those loosened regulations "shouldn't be the ceiling. They should be the floor."

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 18, 2020

In-person healthcare visits can be done safely despite coronavirus risk, small JAMA study suggests

The analysis of more than 100 obstetrical patients at Boston hospitals found no meaningful association between the number of in-person visits and the rate of novel coronavirus infection.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 17, 2020

Patient-provider encounter trends have stabilized, but remain significantly lower than before COVID-19

Meanwhile, telemedicine encounters have settled in at rates much higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, they still make up just a fraction of visits, according to an analysis from The Commonwealth Fund.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 17, 2020

Peer groups, tweaked quality measures pitched for revamped CMS hospital star ratings

Hospital groups welcomed the changes to the system they've long blasted as arbitrary and burdensome.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 12, 2020

New CMS value-based payment model aimed at rural hospitals, ACOs

The program will include upfront and capitated payments for providers as well as some regulatory flexibilities. It will require facilities to partner with state Medicaid agencies in an attempt to improve care coordination.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 11, 2020

Sanitized N95s acceptable alternatives to new masks, JAMA study finds

One of the biggest problems health systems have faced during the COVID-19 crisis is securing enough personal protective equipment to keep providers safe. The problem has sparked labor unrest and lawsuits.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 11, 2020

Telehealth claims dipped in May, but still up 5,680% from year ago: Fair Health

The latest insurance data found private claims for virtual care fell 33% from April, but are still wildly up amid lockdowns and the ongoing pandemic.

By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 07, 2020

Healthcare gains jobs in July, but still down 800K from February

The latest report shows ambulatory, outpatient and medical and diagnostic lab service jobs are creeping closer to last year's levels following the COVID-19 downturn. Hospitals added 27,000 jobs last month.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 07, 2020

For-profits, church-run health systems dominated M&A growth from 2016 to 2018: Health Affairs

The share of physicians affiliated with vertically integrated health systems rose 11 percentage points, from 40% to 51%, the survey of 50 deals found.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 04, 2020

Nurses union survey finds most still feel unsafe at work amid pandemic

Months into the COVID-19 crisis, just 23% of nurses surveyed said they'd been tested, and only 31% said their systems screen every patient.

By Hailey Mensik • July 29, 2020