Billing for patient messages to clinicians is increasing, study finds
An upturn in the number of providers charging for messages suggests organizations now see e-visits as a long-term source of potential revenue, researchers said.
ACA enrollment for 2024 reaches record high
A record 20.4 million Americans have signed up for Affordable Care Act plans since open enrollment began in November. Sign-ups are expected to continue to grow.
Kentucky-based Baptist Health drops UnitedHealthcare, Centene MA plans
Kentucky-based Baptist Health has gone out of network with UnitedHealthcare and Centene’s WellCare Medicare Advantage plans after failing to agree to contract terms.
Sutter Health taps new CFO
Raju Iyer will be responsible for the California-based health system’s financial planning. He replaces Dominic Nakis, who served as interim CFO.
HHS publishes updated provider conscience rule, rolls back Trump-era policy
The department framed the rule as a “balance” that safeguards providers’ rights to religious freedom and patients’ access to care.
FTC bars data broker from selling sensitive location information, like clinic visits
The Federal Trade Commission reached a first-of-its-kind settlement with a data broker that the regulator alleged sold data that could be used to track visits to medical or reproductive health clinics.
Key hospital and provider trends in 2024
As slim operating margins continue to challenge hospitals, experts predict providers will trim unnecessary expenses and focus on strategic labor investments.
Mortality rates low for hospital-at-home patients, study finds
The study could support extending acute hospital care at home, researchers said. Currently, a pandemic-era waiver for the programs is set to expire at the end of the year.
Most nonprofit hospitals and health systems had at least 150 days of cash on hand in 2022, KFF finds
An analysis of cash on hand suggests some nonprofit health systems had a financial cushion to weather tough operating conditions in 2022 — even while operating margins decreased.
Walgreens to pay Humana $360M to settle drug pricing dispute
The settlement is a little over half of what Walgreens was originally ordered to pay, after an arbiter said the retail pharmacy chain overcharged Humana for prescription drugs for more than a decade.