Editor's Note A shuttered bariatric surgery center in Oklahoma last month is just one example of how the rise of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are reshaping health systems’ investments, Axios reported August 13. Rather than “massive hospital towers with cardiology clinics, dialysis beds and joint replacement centers,” the focus is…

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Editor's Note A bill in California that aims to increase oversight of private equity healthcare investments is receiving support from consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association and opposition from hospitals worried about losing funding sources, the Los Angeles Times reported August 9. Sponsored by Attorney General Rob…

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Editor's Note More than 700 rural hospitals, representing 31% of all rural hospitals in the country, are at risk of closure, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Chief Healthcare Executive reported the news August 8. According to the article, 16% of all rural…

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Editor's Note Medicare’s first negotiations on 10 top-selling prescription drugs for older Americans will save the US government $6 billion in the first year, according to an August 15 article in Reuters. Enabled by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, negotiations for drugs used by Medicare—which covers 66 million…

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Editor's Note A new low for median days cash-on hand could spell trouble for US nonprofit hospitals and health systems, Healthcare Dive reported August 12. “Nonprofit hospitals’ cash on hand — the funds immediately available to finance daily operations — is one indicator of financial health,” the outlet reports. “Low cash…

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Editor's Note Medicare and patient out-of-pocket costs are rising as vertical integration results in more procedures moving to hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) than to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), Becker’s ASC Review reported on August 8. The article summarizes a study published July 25 in Science Direct. Described as "physician vertical…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) criticized new inpatient prospective payment system rates issued August 1 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), citing the potential of financial struggles for hospitals and reduced access for patients, particularly in rural or underserved areas. Under the new rule, most…

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Editor's Note Responding to and recovering from data breaches in healthcare is more expensive than any other industry, according to a report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute. Healthcare Dive reported on the results August 1. According to that article, the $9.8 million average cost for a breach this year…

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Editor's Note Acquisition by private equity firms leaves healthcare facilities less equipped to care for patients, according to a recent study published in JAMA. NBC reported the news July 31. Conducted by researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, Harvard Medical School, and Hunter College, this nationwide study…

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Editor's Note The Supreme Court’s recent “Chevron” ruling could offer additional financial security to hundreds of so-called "tweener" rural hospitals—those too large to be considered critical access hospitals but too small to be rural referral centers. Modern Healthcare reported the news July 29. According to the article, critical access hospitals,…

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