The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying financial challenges were not associated with any changes in medical debt, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum.
When the pandemic hit,...
A self-insured pharmacy has filed a class action lawsuit against Advocate Aurora Health, alleging that the health system engaged in anticompetitive practices that raised healthcare prices for Wisconsin...
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that a woman is not liable for her $229,000 surprise bill from a Centura Health hospital, as the hospital did not disclose the amount to her before the...
On average, private payers paid hospitals 224 percent of what Medicare would have paid for the same inpatient and outpatient services, according to a report from the RAND Corporation.
Researchers used...
Hospitals performed more than 100,000 low-value procedures on Medicare beneficiaries in 2020, contributing to the high rate of hospital overuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the hospital price transparency rule to help individuals know the cost of a hospital item or service before receiving it.
CMS proposed the price transparency rule in the...
Contract labor utilization and cost increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and were contributing factors to rising hospital labor expenses, according to a report from Kaufman Hall.
The...
The pandemic may have brought some financial relief to consumers, as the share of adults experiencing medical debt challenges decreased in 2021, an Urban Institute report found.
Researchers used data...
Healthcare mergers and acquisitions further industry consolidation by combining two or more healthcare companies, hospitals, or physician practices. Typically, merging entities aim to lower healthcare costs and improve quality of care...
Vertical integration and joint contracting between physicians and health systems led to increases in physician prices, with the size of the increases correlating with the health system’s size,...
Private equity acquisitions of short-term acute care hospitals were generally not associated with any changes in patient outcomes or healthcare spending among Medicare beneficiaries, a study published...
Americans continued to face medical debt challenges, with consumers reporting instances of debt collectors attempting to collect medical debt that was already paid or does not belong to them, according...
Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS has released the fifth round of Phase 4 COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds, which includes $1.75 billion for healthcare providers that...
Healthcare merger and acquisition activity hit a record low during the first quarter of 2022, with the industry seeing only 12 transactions totaling $2.95 billion, according to a report from Kaufman...
Hospital prices paid by commercial health plans varied between 2012 and 2019, as hospitals with both high and low initial commercial to Medicare price ratios saw increases and decreases over the years,...
The coronavirus pandemic spawned a wave of government spending that increased health equity for uninsured or underprivileged people and encouraged access to care for all.
That wave of funding is now drying up, with billions of dollars set...
Global hospital budget models with a volume adjustment system could help limit hospital spending growth for commercial payers and patients, according to an issue brief from the Commonwealth...
Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS has announced another series of Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments totaling $413 million for healthcare providers that have been...
A federal jury has sided with Sutter Health in an antitrust class action lawsuit in which plaintiffs claimed that the health system drove up insurance premiums through anticompetitive tactics, Reuters...
Primary care physician turnover, triggered in part by clinician burnout, led to around $979 million in excess healthcare spending, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Care...
