Costs & Cost Controls
Lessons of Pennsylvania’s $8.1 billion COVID loss apply nationwide
Editor's Note: Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems lost a total of $8.1 billion to COVID-19 between January 2020 and December 2022, HealthLeaders reported on January 18. In addition to illuminating the new data from The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the…
Rural US hospitals experiencing labor, delivery crisis
Editor's Note: Rural communities are at serious risk due to hospitals’ increasing inability to offer labor and delivery services, according to a new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Highlights include: More than half (55%) of rural hospitals in the U.S. do not offer labor and…
CMS reforms prior authorization to improve care, streamline physician process
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented a final rule reforming the prior authorization process, with the aim to reduce delays in patient care and boost electronic efficiency for physicians, the American Medical Association (AMA) News Wire reported January 23. The Department of Health and…
Supporting healthcare staff with on-demand staffing solutions
Healthcare systems worldwide, regardless of their size or market, are facing the same challenge: how to meet the growing demand for qualified staff without straining hospital budgets. According to a report by the American Hospital Association, health systems are experiencing a significant workforce turnover that began in 2016. On average,…
Coordinating surgical care means precise staff handoffs
In every OR, the complicated dance of surgical care coordination—the series of handoffs between stakeholders throughout the surgery lifecycle—is performed mainly in the background. Those stakeholders include physician offices, schedulers, preadmission testing, insurance verification, vendors, sterile processing, supply chain, anesthesia, and surgical staff. But what does it look like when…
A look back: The business manager role in a changing healthcare environment
Takeaways • Perioperative business managers can make significant contributions to a hospital’s financial health, but more than half of hospitals do not have this role. • Business managers’ earnings have increased in the past 5 years, while the number of direct reports has risen slightly. • The bachelor’s degree has…
Hospitals report modest growth as pandemic recovery continues
Editor's Note: Hospitals and health systems are reporting improved operating margins and increases in revenue as they continue their long recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a January 10 report from Chief Healthcare Executive. Citing the National Hospital Flash Report from Kaufman Hall, the article notes…
KPMG forecasts hospital closures, healthcare and life sciences mergers
Editor's Note: Investors see particular opportunity for mergers in healthcare and life sciences companies, Chief Healthcare Executive reported January 5. Citing the 2024 outlook of audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG, the report notes that 61% of investors expect deal-making to increase in these sectors, while only 9% expect to…
2024 limits set for non-monetary physician compensation
Editor's Note: Non-monetary compensation to physicians is limited to no more than $507 for calendar year 2024, according to a report on the federal Stark Law published December 27 in Lexology. The Stark Law applies to non-cash or cash-equivalent payments from hospitals, physician groups, labs and other provider entities. The…
Bipartisan congressional letter calls for end to Medicare payment cuts
Editor's Note Nearly 200 members of Congress co-signed a letter urging House and Senate leaders to act quickly in order to prevent a 3.37% cut to Medicare reimbursement payments that was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2024. The American Medical Association, which supports the effort, reported the news…
Free Daily News
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- Drug shortages higher than ever
- FDA announces class 1 recalls for premixed embolic, infusion pump software
- Academic medical centers identify performance-improvement priorities
- Propofol anesthesia for colonoscopy could help find polyps, prevent cancer
- FDA Class 1 recall renews concern about historically problematic heart pumps
- New physician compensation report reveals modest pay gains but growing discontent with the profession
- Surge in corporate ownership of medical practices raises concerns over physician autonomy, care quality
- How Minneapolis healthcare real estate remained strong amid challenges, shifts in patient care preferences: Lessons for other states
- Artificial intelligence (AI) captures uncertainty in medical scans