Hospital, doctor lobbies sue HHS over implementation of surprise billing ban

Congress intended for an arbiter to be able to consider a constellation of factors when payment disputes arise, but the final rule severely limits what an arbiter can consider, the lawsuit claims.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 9, 2021

Physician income dips when hospitals buy practices: Health Affairs

Average doctor pay slipped in hospital employment arrangements even as health systems typically benefit financially from acquiring physician practices.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 8, 2021

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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

Female doctors earn $2M less than men over course of career, study finds

Annual differences in income among male and female physicians accelerated during their first years of practice and did not recover, a study from the nonprofit Rand Corporation published Monday in Health Affairs found.

By Hailey Mensik • Dec. 7, 2021

Healthcare worker vaccine mandate blocked nationwide in second ruling

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday in a suit brought by 14 states challenging the requirement, following separate pauses in other states.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Dec. 1, 2021

Biden admin investing $1.5B to quell healthcare staffing shortages, promote workforce equity

The funding will go toward scholarship and loan repayment programs for healthcare students committing to work in hard-hit and high-risk communities, according to the White House.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 23, 2021

Anesthesiologists say Blue Cross NC 'abusing' surprise billing ban to drive down rates

Doctors are raising the alarm against what they perceive as Blue Cross NC's "take it or leave it" ultimatums to in-network clinicians, using the consumer protection legislation as a bargaining chip to negotiate more favorable rates.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 23, 2021

EHR vendor Athenahealth bought out in $17B private equity deal

The transaction, which will be financed through a mix of equity and debt, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year and is the latest in a recent string of large leveraged buyouts.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 22, 2021

CVS unveils new health-focused retail strategy, explicit move into primary care

Along with outlining three new store formats — including sites for primary care delivery, a new area for the retail drugstore behemoth — CVS plans to close 900 stores over the next three years as consumer buying patterns change.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 19, 2021

30% of hospital healthcare workers remained unvaccinated as of September

Healthcare workers in children's hospitals had the highest vaccination rates, along with those working in metropolitan counties, according to the analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 18, 2021

Providers were protected from pay cuts, layoffs as volumes fell during pandemic, survey finds

"You saw how groups tightened their belts and there was some learning from this that you're not going to let go of," Elizabeth Siemsen, one of the report's authors, said.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 12, 2021

Leapfrog Group's hospital safety grades this fall stay steady from pre-pandemic

The five states with the highest percentage of A-scoring hospitals were Virginia, North Carolina, Idaho, Massachusetts and Colorado.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 10, 2021

Oak Street faces DOJ inquiry into third-party marketing, transportation relationships

Analysts said the inquiry, while in early stages, could pressure the company's stock. "This creates a new potential risk factor that we are unlikely to get clarity on for some time," SVB Leerink analyst Whit Mayo said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 9, 2021

How a self-service approach can boost healthcare customer satisfaction

Automate for agility: How technology can solve healthcare organizations’ biggest challenges.

Nov. 9, 2021

3 priorities for patient-centric healthcare organizations

For decades, most patients have traveled to providers—whether medical offices or hospitals—for care. However, the coronavirus exposed the cracks in this facility-centric paradigm.

By Imamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA • Nov. 8, 2021

Catholic Health workers ratify contract agreements, plan to return to work this week

Union members voted Monday to ratify six contracts covering about 2,500 employees with a vote of 94% in favor, ending the strike that had nearly reached the 40-day mark at Mercy Hospital in New York, union officials said.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Nov. 9, 2021

Healthcare workers must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4 with no testing exception, CMS orders

Hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, long-term care facilities and others that receive federal funding from Medicare or Medicaid will have to ensure employees are fully vaccinated by Jan. 4 before they provide any care.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 4, 2021

Iora boosts One Medical's 50% revenue growth, but medical costs ding Q3 bottom line

Currently, at-risk membership makes up less than 5% of One Medical's overall membership base. But Medicare revenue in the quarter made up more than a fifth of the primary care chain's topline.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 4, 2021

How hospitals leveraged on-site child care during the pandemic in a bid to drive retention

An overwhelming amount of healthcare jobs are held by women. On-site child care can drive better retention amid a "Great Resignation," as burned out employees across all industries reevaluate their roles and workplaces.

By Hailey Mensik • Nov. 3, 2021

CMS finalizes plans to hike price transparency penalties, extend telehealth flexibilities

The agency is also moving forward with a plan to stop the elimination of the Medicare inpatient-only list, which is a win for hospitals.

By Shannon Muchmore • Nov. 3, 2021

Women in the healthcare workforce

Women who work in healthcare have long endured setbacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic threw a harsh spotlight on the obstacles they face while on the front lines.

Nov. 1, 2021

Regulatory burdens strapped medical practices over the past year, MGMA finds

Prior authorization requirements were the most frequently cited hurdle, while requirements for Medicare's Quality Payment Program and COVID-19 workplace mandates tied for second, a survey by the medical practices group found.

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 27, 2021

Lyft names new head of healthcare

The ride-hailing giant wants to continue capitalizing on non-emergency medical transportation and said the transition will be instrumental in that expansion, along with finding new use cases in the sector.

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 22, 2021

CMMI wants every Medicare beneficiary in an accountable care plan by 2030

Officials acknowledged provider concerns that current models are too burdensome and benchmarks too complex, which the innovation center aims to fix.

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 21, 2021

Oak Street Health buys specialty telemed provider for $130M

The deal comes as major U.S. clinical networks increasingly build out their suite of services to jockey for employer and payer clients in the competitive space.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 21, 2021

Hospitals still struggling to get operations, financials back on track, Kaufman Hall reports

COVID-19 continues to strain providers a year and a half into the pandemic, the poll of hospital leaders finds. Labor and supply costs are a key concern now.

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 19, 2021