Healthcare M&A down but not out in 2016, PwC finds

While the number of deals decreased 1.4% year-over-year, healthcare is still a very active market, Thad Kresho, U.S. Health Services Deals Leader at PwC, told Healthcare Dive.

By Jeff Byers • Jan. 24, 2017

Behavioral health interest is rising. ACA repeal could change that

Growth rates for telehealth, virtual reality, mHealth apps and wearables in the space are expected to be in the double digits over the next five years, according to a new Frost & Sullivan report.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 20, 2017

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

CMS reins in pass-through payments

Safety-net hospitals, clinics and physicians will be looking for new income streams to replace billions in payments that are being phased out.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 19, 2017

CMS' new Office of Clinician Engagement aims to reduce regulatory burden

The formation of the new office could stem from a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act.

By Luke Gale • Jan. 19, 2017

Retail clinics thriving despite little use by the individually insured, study shows

Retail clinics are less expensive and more convenient than emergency room visits, but surprisingly, the individually insured are not the ones fueling their popularity.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 19, 2017

Meet Forward, a doctor office startup run by ex-Uber, Google employees

Forward offers unlimited access to a range of services from baseline screening to nutrition counseling for a monthly fee in lieu of insurance or a co-pay.

By Jeff Byers • Jan. 18, 2017

New blood pressure recommendations for senior adults highlight individualized assessment

Researchers say it might be best for doctors to ease up on the use of medications to reach aggressively low blood pressure targets in seniors.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 18, 2017

HHS finalizes substance abuse patient record sharing rule

With concerns about the epidemic of opioid abuse growing daily, the final rule regarding the confidentiality of patient substance abuse records seems to fall short for some industry stakeholders.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 16, 2017

Wider adoption of electronic transactions could save healthcare $9.4B, report says

While CAQH makes the case for the fiscal benefits of digital transactions, implementing an electronic workflow has seen some struggles in provider settings.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 13, 2017

NYU Langone finds redesigning bills helped reduce patient complaints

Healthcare has been all about trying to make patient bills easier to understand in recent years.  

By Luke Gale • Jan. 12, 2017

New weapons in infection control and prevention

Determining what technologies to invest in should start with a good cost analysis.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 12, 2017

Mind the gap: Bridging care coordination, IT infrastructure no easy feat

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General identified backend IT infrastructure as a critical vulnerability for the implementation of the Quality Payment Program in the coming year. 

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 11, 2017

Health Affairs: Larger market share gives negotiation power to insurers but consumer benefits unclear

Insurers with market shares of 15% or higher are able to negotiate significantly lower prices for medical services, researchers found.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 10, 2017

Burdened by bureaucracy, more physicians are burning out, report finds

Burnout and biases affect half of American physicians; they have plenty to feel stressed about.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 10, 2017

Blood pressure rates rising globally, study finds

Five countries accounted for more than half of all systolic blood pressure-related deaths.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 10, 2017

NQF guidance aims to reduce quality measure variation

The guidance provides a decision-logic framework for determining if variation exists and how to address it.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 6, 2017

Rural hospital find that expansion helps the bottom line

While too many rural hospitals are closing, a few facilities have hit upon a formula for success.

By Kathleen McGuire Gilbert • Jan. 5, 2017

What's at stake across the industry for ACA repeal and delay

Let's take a beat to assess the storylines behind the new "if you like your plan, you can keep it" battle.

By Jeff Byers & Meg Bryant • Jan. 4, 2017

Pop health vendors challenged by range of provider needs

“The world of population health is so vast that there is not one vendor that does it all for providers,” says KLAS’ Bradley Hunter.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 4, 2017

3 technologies that are disrupting healthcare logistics

Drones, ride-sharing apps and voice assistants are making a big splash.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 3, 2017

Judge rejects legal challenge to EEOC wellness program rule

The shift to value-based care has seen the proliferation of workplace wellness programs. 

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 3, 2017

The optimism and challenges for putting the 'value' in value-based care

Providers describe a “sweet spot” between getting optimal quality and achieving that at a reasonable cost.

By Meg Bryant • Dec. 30, 2016

Can art classes help make better physicians?

Medical schools are increasingly incorporating art classes into their curriculum, which help doctors build observation skills and keep the focus of attention on the patient. 

By Luke Gale • Dec. 23, 2016

Working-age adults find it easier to afford healthcare under the ACA

Following the full implementation of the ACA, every state saw a drop in the uninsured rate, with states expanding Medicaid seeing the most dramatic improvements.

By Kathleen McGuire Gilbert • Dec. 22, 2016

Education partnerships could produce better prepared healthcare employees

Healthcare organizations are having trouble filling many non-clinical, entry-level positions as many candidates don’t have the desired skills, according to a new Advisory Board Company report.

By Luke Gale • Dec. 22, 2016