The Latest
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Deep Dive
Medicare Advantage unrest, Change Healthcare fallout and more big takeaways from insurers’ Q1
All major payers saw elevated utilization but only an unprepared few struggled with the trend, the Change Healthcare cyberattack caused minimal financial fallout and a new D-SNP rule opens the door to a Medicare growth opportunity.
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Using AI to address 5 critical business challenges in healthcare
AI transforms healthcare: Tackle patient expectations, debt crisis, regulatory hurdles and staffing shortages.
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Black Basta ransomware is toying with critical infrastructure providers, authorities say
The threat group has impacted more than 500 targets worldwide, including those in healthcare.
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Ascension confirms ransomware attack as systems remain down
The major nonprofit does not yet have a timeline for restoring its computer systems, which were taken offline following the attack last week.
Updated May 13, 2024 -
CHS sues MultiPlan for allegedly colluding to lower provider reimbursement
It’s the third lawsuit filed against MultiPlan by a health system in under a year.
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AI could help assess patient acuity in emergency departments: study
When given pairs of patient histories, a large language model could identify which patient needed to be seen more urgently with 89% accuracy.
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Steward’s landlord Medical Properties Trust posts $736M loss as hospitals flounder
The real estate investment trust reported nearly $700 million in impairments related to Steward alone in the first quarter. However, executives said rental agreements are not what drove the troubled health system to bankruptcy.
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CMS proposes mandatory kidney care model with financial risk for hospitals
The model, if finalized, will test whether putting hospitals on the hook for kidney transplant access and quality might improve the nation’s shoddy system of organ procurement and transplantation.
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The Vitamin Shoppe launches telehealth service
Whole Health Rx connects users with licensed healthcare providers in real time and will initially focus on weight management solutions.
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Ascension hit by cybersecurity incident affecting clinical operations
The major nonprofit health system detected “unusual activity” on some network systems Wednesday.
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House committee advances bill that would extend telehealth flexibilities
The legislation would extend some Medicare flexibilities through 2026. Lawmakers have until year-end to take action before the pandemic-era rules expire.
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Tracking Steward's decline
Steward’s financing, hospital sales take center stage during bankruptcy hearing
During its first bankruptcy hearing, Steward's attorney lamented delays to its physician group deal and warned the timeline for hospital sales was “not feasible.”
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AstraZeneca withdraws COVID-19 vaccine, citing declining demand
The move ends a turbulent saga for AstraZeneca, which successfully developed a coronavirus shot but struggled to sell it amid competition and the emergence of rare but serious side effects.
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Private equity investing in healthcare continues to slow
Heightened antitrust scrutiny from state governments and regulators in Washington is having a chilling effect on deals, according to PitchBook analysts.
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Yale New Haven sues to get out of Prospect hospital acquisition
Yale says Prospect allowed the conditions at three Connecticut hospitals — which it agreed to acquire in 2022 — to deteriorate. Prospect argues the lawsuit is an “11th hour attempt” to back out of the deal.
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Tracking Steward's decline
Steward’s bankruptcy documents reveal sprawling debt, planned hospital fire sale
Since filing for bankruptcy Monday, Steward Health Care revealed it's carrying more than $1 billion in debt and said its entire hospital portfolio is for sale.
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MA health assessments contribute to inflated coding intensity: study
Some limits on how the assessments are used might be justified to ensure Medicare Advantage plans aren’t overpaid, researchers wrote.
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Tracking Steward's decline
Steward Health Care files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
The filing marks the largest provider bankruptcy in decades, according to experts.
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Change Healthcare cyberattack
Change Healthcare cyberattack: 5 technical takeaways from UnitedHealth CEO’s testimony
Change Healthcare was running on legacy technology, which magnified the ransomware attack’s impact and hampered recovery efforts, Andrew Witty said.
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Medicare go-broke date extended to 2036, but warning bells continue ringing
The Medicare trustees’ new projection for insolvency is five years later than previous forecasts, but budget hawks warned action is still needed to shore up the insurance program’s finances.
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Medicaid redeterminations
Medicaid redeterminations losses exceeding predicted levels in some states
As of November, eight states had blown past their projected disenrollment of adults, while 12 states exceeded their projected disenrollment of children, according to new research from the Urban Institute.
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More than a third of nurses extremely likely to change jobs in 2024: survey
The results suggest job dissatisfaction is still high among nurses, and turnover is likely to remain elevated.
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Deep Dive
Antitrust agencies are relying on consumers to report anticompetitive behavior. That trust might be misplaced.
Regulators want consumers to flag business practices harming market health in the healthcare sector, which could result in a tsunami of new tips — for good and ill, according to experts.
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Walgreens inks GLP-1 clinical trial deal with major German drugmaker
Under the deal, Walgreens will find candidates who are overweight or have obesity or diabetes and connect them with a Phase III clinical trial for Boehringer’s GLP-1 drug survodutide.
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Tracker // Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Tracking state abortion bans in the US
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed legislation Wednesday repealing the state's near-total abortion ban from 1864. After the repeal goes into effect, abortions will be prohibited after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Updated May 3, 2024 -
Change Healthcare cyberattack
Congress grills UnitedHealth CEO over Change cyberattack
Legislators slammed Andrew Witty over the company’s lack of cybersecurity practices and the impact of the breach, which may have compromised the data of a third of Americans.