Topics
Reimbursement
More than half of rural hospitals could close under a public health option
Half of rural hospitals could close under public health option
Revenue Cycle Management
Healthcare revenue cycle management market projected to be worth $104 billion by 2025
Rev cycle market worth $104B by 2025
Strategic Planning
Close to one-third of healthcare employees have never received cybersecurity training, report shows
One-third of healthcare employees lack cybersecurity training
Capital Finance
U.S. spends more on healthcare, but not on social services spending, study finds
Higher social spending linked to higher healthcare spending
Supply Chain
Optimizing the total performance of a healthcare supply chain means data and clinical integration
Optimizing the total performance of the supply chain
Accounting & Financial Management
Charity care spending among California hospitals is plunging
CA hospitals: Charity care plunging
Budgeting
Health systems allocate just 5-10% of total spending on primary care, despite benefits
Public and private payers underinvest in primary care
Quality and Safety
Hospitals are demanding secure medical devices before they buy
Hospitals are demanding secure medical devices
Billing and Collections
Surprise medical bills in ER and inpatient settings are soaring, JAMA finds
Surprise medical bills are soaring
Claims Processing
BCBS Institute and Solera partner, pay SDoH organizations through outcomes-based medical claims
BCBS Institute, Solera, to pay organizations through outcomes-based claims
Workforce
Up to 14% of internal medical residents have been bullied during training, Johns Hopkins found
14% of internal medicine residents have been bullied
Operations
Physicians looking to become small practice owners have many factors to consider before making the leap
What would-be physician practice owners should consider
Medical Devices
Apple is developing custom health information tracking chips
Apple is developing custom health chips
Hospital/physician relations
Wording in medical student evaluations differ by gender, minority status, revealing potential bias
Gender, minority bias revealed in med student evals
Construction & Facilities Management
Cape Cod Healthcare building $180M patient tower, investing in EHR
CCHC building $180M patient tower
Compliance & Legal
Majority of providers fall short of compliance with HIPAA access requirements
HIPAA access: Most providers fall short
Policy and Legislation
HHS and FDA propose plan for importation of prescription drugs from other countries
HHS releases plan for importation of drugs from other countries
Community Benefit
Kaiser Permanente commits $1.65 million to California wildfire relief efforts
Kaiser Permanente commits $1.65 million to California wildfire relief efforts
Accountable Care
Rural hospitals not using bundled payment models, data shows
Rural hospitals not using bundled payment models
Acute Care
Diverting avoidable emergency department visits could save healthcare $32 billion annually
Diverting avoidable ED visits could save $32B
Ambulatory Care
Medical schools, teaching hospitals account for 3% of US GDP, report shows
Med schools, teaching hospitals are 3% of GDP
Analytics
Healthcare cloud computing growth due in part to curbing infrastructure costs
Curbing infrastructure costs fuels cloud growth
Business Intelligence
While the price of healthcare is growing, utilization is dropping and price variations persist, report says
HCCI: Price of healthcare is growing, utilization is dropping, price variations persist
ICD-10 & Coding
Physician practices examine risk adjustment coding in wake of federal lawsuits
Practices keeping close watch on risk adjustment coding
Meaningful Use
CMS overhauls meaningful use EHR program, renames it 'Promoting Interoperability'
CMS overhauls meaningful use as 'Promoting Interoperability'
Medicare & Medicaid
CMS will delay updates to hospital star ratings until 2021
CMS delays hospital star ratings update until 2021
Patient Engagement
Bar is rising for consumerism in healthcare, but providers are still playing catch-up
Consumerism is rising; providers are playing catch-up
Pharmacy
Drug price forecast projects 4.5 percent increase in hospital drug spending for 2020
4.5% increase predicted for hospital drug spending
Population Health
IPA, insurer launch innovative new partnership to manage social determinants of health
IPA, insurer launch innovative new partnership to manage social determinants of health
Risk Management
Hospital employees are clicking on phishing emails, and that's a problem, JAMA study shows
JAMA: Hospital employees are clicking on phishing emails
Telehealth
Use of non-hospital-based provider-to-patient telehealth grew nearly 1,400%
Non-hospital-based telehealth grew 1,400%
Mergers & Acquisitions
Tufts and Harvard Pilgrim to merge, creating large nonprofit insurer
Tufts and Harvard Pilgrim to merge
View more

Fitch Ratings

In-depth

Struggles will continue for nonprofit hospitals in 2019, Fitch says

Struggles will continue for nonprofit hospitals in 2019, Fitch says

The downcast outlook is due largely to ongoing operational weaknesses, which have evolved…

Operating margins stunted for nonprofit hospitals, says Fitch

Operating margins stunted for nonprofit hospitals, says Fitch

Labor and wage pressures for experienced staff will likely continue, while the shift to at-risk…

Whitepapers

The Evolution of Utilization Review and Its Impact on Revenue Integrity

The Evolution of Utilization Review and Its Impact on Revenue Integrity

Existing utilization review (UR) paradigms are no longer suitable for addressing the…

Taking Value Analysis to the Next Level

Taking Value Analysis to the Next Level

In the industry's ongoing transition from fee-for-service to value-based, healthcare executives are being challenged to…

Latest News

December 6, 2018 | Jeff Lagasse

Struggles will continue for nonprofit hospitals in 2019, Fitch says

September 26, 2018 | Jeff Lagasse

Operating margins stunted for nonprofit hospitals, says Fitch

November 27, 2017 | Melissa Bailey, Kaiser Health News

Ambulance rides often result in surprise bills

August 7, 2017 | Beth Jones Sanborn

Fitch: States will take the lead on Medicaid reform despite ACA repeal and replace failure

April 14, 2017 | Susan Morse

Fitch: Outlook negative for nonprofits under political uncertainty, Medicaid expansion could help

April 3, 2017 | Kaiser Health News

Proliferation of medical device importation complicates tax reform, potential import tariff

February 14, 2017 | Jeff Lagasse

Fitch: Governors voice bipartisan concern over federal healthcare policy changes

VIEW ALL NEWS

MostPopular

Optum: UnitedHealth's secret weapon

Optum: UnitedHealth's secret weapon

Anthem accelerates start for PBM IngenioRx

Anthem accelerates start for PBM IngenioRx

See the first star ratings for home health

See the first star ratings for home health

List: 769 hospitals fined for medical errors, infections

List: 769 hospitals fined for medical errors, infections

List: CMS 2019 Star ratings show Kaiser on top

List: CMS 2019 Star ratings show Kaiser on top

Getting paid for virtual care services: Codes to know

Getting paid for virtual care services: Codes to know

See how hospitals did in star ratings

See how hospitals did in star ratings

News

Once-failing hospitals say accountability, transparency key to surviving fallout from failing patient safety grades

Once-failing hospitals say accountability, transparency key to surviving fallout from failing patient safety grades

When Leapfrog released their Spring 2016 patient safety grades recently, 15 hospitals got slapped with a very public 'F' grade casting a spotlight on them that no institution wants. But with more patients weighing public hospital grades, experts, as well as a few…

Analyze this: Health systems, health plans get to the core of big data

Analyze this: Health systems, health plans get to the core of big data

Pamela Peele knows that people who subscribe to cooking magazines have a much higher risk of going to the emergency room. But how she knows that is a whole other story.

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions in 2016: Running list

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions in 2016: Running list

While 2015 was a record-breaking year in healthcare mergers and acquisitions, 2016 saw more change as organizations across the industry adjust and adapt to the evolving financial landscape.

Whitepapers

Gaining Actionable Insight into Financial Systems and Areas Impacting the Revenue Cycle

Gaining Actionable Insight into Financial Systems and Areas Impacting the Revenue Cycle

Hospital systems across the country are looking to streamline their billing and collection processes to become more efficient and better compete in their markets. The challenge many face is how to turn the data that's already flowing through financial systems into…

Clinical Quality Measures 101

Clinical Quality Measures 101

Although quality-reporting programs such as meaningful use provide incentives to help providers implement and use electronic health records (EHRs) to collect and report on clinical data, practices often need help deciding what data to collect, which measures to…

Credible, Defensible Estimates

Credible, Defensible Estimates

In healthcare, every interaction with the patient matters. Especially in today’s environment of continuous improvement, efforts have been concentrated on coordination among providers, the patient care experience and quality outcomes – all laudable goals.