Kaiser
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Buy and bust: When private equity comes for rural hospitals
Private equity investors, with their focus on buying cheap and reaping quick returns, are moving voraciously into the U.S. health care system; investments increased twentyfold from 2000 to 2018, and have only accelerated since. Financially distressed rural hospitals are targets, putting vulnerable communities at the mercy of firms whose North Star is profit, rather than patient health.
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Even when IVF is covered by insurance, high bills and hassles abound
About 1 in 5 women have trouble getting pregnant, and IVF has become a common path to parenthood for many. But even as demand grows, insurance coverage remains limited.
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Payer’s Place: Dawn Maroney
Dawn Maroney, President, Markets of Alignment Health and CEO of Alignment Health Plan, to discuss how they are using technology to provide better service and care to consumers.
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Money flows into addiction tech, but will it curb soaring opioid overdose deaths?
Startup experts and clinicians working on the front lines of the drug and overdose epidemic doubt the flashy Silicon Valley technology will ever reach people in the throes of addiction who are unstably housed, financially challenged, and on the wrong side of the digital divide.
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Pfizer CEO pushes annual Covid shot, but experts disagree
When Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said March 13 that all Americans would need a second […]
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A rural Georgia community reels after its hospital closes
The Cuthbert hospital in Georgia was one of 19 rural hospitals in the U.S. that closed in 2020. That’s the largest number of such facilities to shut down in a single year since 2005.
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A title fight pits physician assistants against doctors
Seeking greater respect for their profession, physician assistants are pushing to rebrand themselves as “physician associates.” Meanwhile rechristening the P.A. name has spiked the blood pressures of physicians.
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California joins other states trying to reduce wait times for mental healthcare
California’s Senate Bill 221, which passed the state legislature with a nearly unanimous vote, requires health insurers across the state to reduce wait times for mental health care to no more than 10 business days.
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A new California law aims to strengthen access to mental health services
A California law signed Oct. 8 by Gov. Gavin Newsom requires that mental health and substance abuse patients be offered return appointments no more than 10 days after a previous session, unless their provider OKs less frequent visits.
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Devices & Diagnostics, Policy, Payers
If Congress adds dental coverage to Medicare, should all seniors get it?
William Stork needs a tooth out. That’s what the 71-year-old retired truck driver’s dentist told […]
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Applying Remote Patient Monitoring to Surgery Prep and Recovery, Oncology and Women’s Health
Join us to learn about the latest trends in remote monitoring and how to extend its benefits beyond chronic conditions to more patients – all while using fewer staff resources.
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Pharma campaign cash delivered to key lawmakers with surgical precision
Contributions covering the first half of this year show that some of its biggest donations were delivered with surgical-strike precision to sympathetic or moderate Democratic lawmakers the industry needs to remain in its corner.
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Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale
Hospitals have to pay handsomely to get that temporary help, and those higher wages are tempting some staff nurses to hit the road, too.
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Majority wants Medicare to be able to negotiate drug prices
Large majorities regardless of party identification and age found the following argument convincing: “Those in favor say negotiation is needed because Americans pay higher prices than people in other countries, many can’t afford their prescriptions, and drug company profits are too high.”
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Pharmacies face extra audit burdens that threaten their existence
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, suspended in-person audits because of covid last year, shifting to virtual audits, much as in-person doctor visits shifted to telehealth. Amid added pandemic pressure, that means pharmacists are bearing significantly more workload for the audits.
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If this self-sufficient hospital cannot stand alone, can any public hospital survive?
If Wilmington’s self-sufficient medical center cannot stand alone, can any public hospital avoid being subsumed into the large systems that economists say are helping propel the cost of American health care ever upward?
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Trump’s pardons included healthcare execs behind massive frauds
At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers.
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Discover the Next-Gen Platform for Integrated Collaborative Care
Beyond EHRs and digital front doors, reducing the gaps in patient care journeys.
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Payer’s Place: Dr. Anil Singh
Dr. Anil Singh shares his insights into the strategies employed by the organization to identify the most effective digital solutions for their members.
