Healthcare Business Trends

Personalized communication helps State provide the highest possible recovery and patient-satisfaction rates for clients

Learn about a company that combines advanced technology with human interaction to increase recoveries and patient satisfaction.

HFMA June 4, 2024

News Briefs: A second appeals court rules against providers in the 340B contract-pharmacy dispute

A decision issued by an appeals court represents the latest setback for 340B providers seeking to secure price discounts on Medicare Part B drugs. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 21 upheld a district-court ruling that drug manufacturers can impose restrictions on the 340B discounts they provide for drugs dispensed at contract pharmacies.…

Nick Hut June 3, 2024

A new DOJ task force is the latest example of intensified federal oversight of healthcare antitrust issues

A new task force at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is likely to bring additional scrutiny on whether healthcare transactions adversely affect competition. The department’s Antitrust Division announced the formation of a group to “consider widespread competition concerns shared by patients, healthcare professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs, including issues regarding payer-provider consolidation, serial acquisitions, labor…

Nick Hut May 29, 2024

Maryland’s example is no solution to healthcare’s true crises

In the wake of Medicare’s enactment in 1965, healthcare costs in the United States began rising at double-digit rates annually.a Many policy experts blamed hospital costs, which by 1980 had reached almost 41% of health spending.b It was believed that if you contained hospital costs, overall health spending would come under control. In 1974, the…

Jeff Goldsmith, PhD May 22, 2024

News Briefs: Hospital advocates bemoan the small Medicare payment increase proposed for FY25

The payment update described in Medicare’s FY25 proposed rule for inpatient hospital care and long-term care hospitals falls well short of what hospitals need to keep up with costs, advocates say. The inpatient payment rate would rise by 2.6% for hospitals that fulfill quality-reporting requirements and meet the criteria to be designated as meaningful users…

Nick Hut May 1, 2024

The Payvider Movement Is Here.

This white paper examines how becoming a payvider drives additional revenue as well as strategic value.

HFMA April 1, 2024

News Briefs: Providers face trying times  in the first month after the Change Healthcare cyberattack  

Healthcare providers struggled financially and operationally in the first 30 days after a Feb. 21 cyberattack forced the shutdown of Change Healthcare’s claims submission and payment systems, among more than  100 other applications.  As of the week of March 18, parent company UnitedHealth Group had restored Change Healthcare’s payment platform and was reporting progress in…

Nick Hut March 30, 2024

David Johnson: GoFundMe helps some pay for healthcare, but it’s an awful solution

During the chaotic runup to the 2020 elections, President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s vacated seat. On Sept. 26, 2020, Trump held a White House Rose Garden ceremony to celebrate Coney Barrett’s nomination. It became a COVID-19 super-spreader event. At least 11 of the attendees contracted COVID. They included…

David W. Johnson March 25, 2024

8 healthcare trends for 2024: A guide for health system leaders and their boards

As health systems progress through 2024, they will require effective governance to successfully navigate the rising headwinds. As they plan and execute initiatives, their leaders and boards should remain informed about eight key trends that will have a growing impact on the industry and the future success of their organizations. 1 Continued big technology M&A…

Daniel J. Marino March 23, 2024

Hospitals warrant an extra boost in their Medicare payment rate next year, MedPAC says

Hospitals will get a more favorable Medicare payment increase in FY25 if Congress follows the recommendations of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). In its semiannual report to Congress, MedPAC recommended a 1.5% bump on top of what otherwise would be provided according to statute. That would mean an estimated increase of about 4.5% for…

Nick Hut March 22, 2024
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