Why the idea of disruption is so hard for healthcare leaders to understand
It’s time to talk about the word disruption – what it is and what it isn’t – because right now in healthcare it seems to be generating more angst than strategy. First, some good news. Disruption (shorthand for “disruptive innovation”) is just a theory. It’s an idea. That’s all. It was first introduced in the…
Financial and operational pressures continue for hospitals amid some positive signs
New financial data for the hospital industry illustrate continuing challenges even as some trends improve. Fitch Ratings released an analysis in early March that offers scant reason for optimism. Titled “Early NFP Hospital Medians Show Expected Deterioration; Will Worsen,” it draws on data from hospitals with earlier 2022 financial year-ends. Those numbers show “materially weaker…
2022 midterms aftermath: Gridlock or bipartisanship?
Studies conducted over the past several years have found the polarization is increasing in American society.a And not surprisingly, the 2022 midterm elections reflected the deep divisions. Two fiercely contested Senate seats in this past election are emblematic. Democrat John Fetterman won Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Senate race over Republican Mehmet Oz, MD, taking over the seat…
Healthcare News of Note: 7 hospitals earn a Press Ganey award for outstanding nursing quality
Seven hospitals were recognized for elevating nursing excellence and improving patient outcomes with Press Ganey’s National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality. Only 48% of Americans rank the quality of U.S. healthcare as excellent or good, according to results of a Gallup Health and Healthcare survey. Nearly half of Americans are…
DOJ withdraws guidance that bolstered antitrust safe harbors for GPOs, cost benchmarking and more
Potentially leading to stricter enforcement of antitrust policy in healthcare, the U.S. Department of Justice has withdrawn guidance that essentially promoted certain arrangements in the industry. The Feb. 3 announcement from DOJ’s Antitrust Division amounts to a cancellation of so-called “safety zones” that were established in three sets of nonbinding guidance issued between 1993 and…
Expanding its capacity to disrupt healthcare, CVS Health shells out billions to buy Oak Street Health
A month after stating it hoped to gain a presence in primary care, CVS Health accomplished that goal with a massive deal that could fortify its efforts to advance value-based payment in healthcare. The proposed $10.6 billion acquisition of Oak Street Health, a provider of senior-focused primary care, adds to a portfolio of assets that…
Various data highlight the ongoing labor challenges facing hospitals and other healthcare providers
The healthcare labor picture may be stabilizing in some respects, but hospitals and other providers continue to feel the squeeze. The industry added 58,200 jobs in January, including 10,900 at hospitals and health systems, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That jump follows an average monthly increase of…
Healthcare News of Note: Is a public health crisis looming for the generation born during the pandemic?
Infants born during the pandemic, regardless of maternal SARS-CoV-2 status, scored significantly lower on the gross motor, fine motor and personal-social subdomains of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, 3rd Edition when compared with a cohort born pre-pandemic at one hospital. Opioids were prescribed at discharge during fewer emergency department (ED) visits in 2019-20, compared with…
TruBridge Complete Business Office (CBO) solution brings financial stability to the revenue cycle
Is your healthcare organization looking for a way to reduce pressure, stress and time on administrative and financial management? Check out this company’s portfolio of solutions to stabilize revenue cycle operations and bring back time for your staff to care for patients.
Healthcare News of Note: 100 hospitals receive funding for new physician residency slots to boost healthcare access
CMS distributed 200 Medicare-funded physician residency slots to 100 hospitals, aiming to bolster healthcare access in areas with a shortage of qualified professionals. Overall cancer mortality has dropped 33% since 1991, averting an estimated 3.8 million cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society’s latest report. Patients’ ratings of specialist care were markedly higher when…