Healthcare Spending

Consumer Credit Scores Improve After Medical Debt is Wiped from Reports

by Victoria Bailey

After major credit bureaus stopped reporting medical debt collections less than a year old and less than $500, consumers saw improvements in their credit scores, according to data from the Urban...

Physician-Owned Hospitals Could Save Medicare Over $1B

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Physician-owned hospitals treated some of the most expensive Medicare beneficiaries at lower costs compared to traditional hospitals despite seeing similar patient populations, according to a recent...

Hospital Prices Online Are Not Aligned With Prices Offered via Telephone

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital prices posted online for vaginal childbirth and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did not match the prices offered to a secret shopper via telephone, indicating poor price...

As PCPs Integrate With Health Systems, Steering Increases Costs

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A new study out of Harvard University links vertical relationships between primary care physicians (PCPs) and health systems to “steering,” in which providers refer patients to specialists...

Hospitals, Health Systems Recognized for Price Transparency Compliance

by Victoria Bailey

Fifteen hospitals and health systems have been recognized for their compliance with the federal price transparency regulations. PatientRightsAdvocate.org created The Price Transparency Champion Award...

Independent Hospital Acquisitions Tied to Higher Healthcare Prices

by Victoria Bailey

Independent hospital acquisitions led to higher healthcare prices for consumers and poorer care quality, a report from Elevance Health revealed. Health systems are increasingly acquiring independent...

Private Equity in Healthcare Is Under A Microscope, So What’s Next?

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Private equity is gaining a foothold in healthcare despite growing evidence that its role has been detrimental to care quality and prices. But new data and even governmental concern aren't slowing private equity investments in provider...

Hospital Margins Aren’t Budging, Raising Concerns About Care

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The economic outlook for hospitals remains bleak, according to the latest data on hospital financial performance from Kaufman Hall. The median calendar year-to-date operating margin index for...

Two Years In, Hospital Price Transparency Compliance at 36%

by Sarai Rodriguez

Two and a half years in, most hospitals are still seemingly ignoring the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule, with only 36 percent of facilities fully complying, according to...

HHS Investigates Medical Credit Cards, Installment Loans

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Several federal departments, including HHS, recently announced an inquiry into medical credit cards and installment loans after research suggests that these patient payment options drive up healthcare...

Private Equity Acquisitions Led to Higher Prices at Physician Practices

by Victoria Bailey

Private equity acquisitions of physician practices are becoming more common, leading to price increases ranging from 4 percent to 16 percent, data from the American Antitrust Institute (AAI)...

Median Per Person Healthcare Spending Exceeds $6K

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Healthcare spending is still on the rise, with median costs per person increasing to over $6,000 in 2021, according to a new analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). Median per person...

Hospital Finances Stabilized as Revenues Grew, Expenses Fell

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital finances stabilized in May as operating margins remained positive, revenues increased, and expenses fell, a report from Kaufman Hall shared. The latest report reflects hospital performances...

Negotiated and Cash Prices are Lower at Physician-Owned Hospitals

by Victoria Bailey

Commercial negotiated prices and cash prices for common hospital procedures were lower at physician-owned hospitals compared to facilities not owned by physicians in the same region, a study published...

Interest Rates, Recession Fears Aren’t Stopping Healthcare Deals

by Jacqueline LaPointe

So far this year, healthcare deal volumes have remained resilient despite several headwinds, including higher interest rates, greater antitrust scrutiny, elevated valuations, and general recessionary...

About a Quarter of Residents in 18 States Have Medical Debt

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Medical debt is a problem for Americans, with as many as a quarter of residents in 18 states having medical debt in collections, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The states with the...

Healthcare Spending to Pick Up Pace, Reaching $7.2T by 2031

by Jacqueline LaPointe

National healthcare spending slowed during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) as the entire industry experienced severe disruptions to standard care. Now that the PHE has ended, healthcare...

Study: Hospital Spends $5M Per Year on Quality Reporting

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Quality reporting is now a core function in healthcare, enabling value-based payment, transparency and accountability, and provider comparisons, to name a few benefits. However, quality data...

Nonprofit Hospitals Offer Less Charity Care Despite Rising Profits

by Victoria Bailey

Nonprofit hospitals are directing profit increases toward cash reserves instead of charity care, a study published in Health Affairs found. Hospitals use cash reserves to cover capital costs, offset...

Healthcare Costs for Average Family Exceed $31K

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Healthcare costs for Americans are climbing higher once again following slower growth and even a rare decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Milliman Medical Index (MMI)...