Hospital merger tally increases as organizations come to grips with the policy environment
Hospital merger-and-acquisition (M&A) activity accelerated in Q3 2025, indicating that executive teams are getting a handle on the prospective impact of major healthcare policies. “Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill has passed, hospitals and health systems have more policy clarity to inform their growth strategies,” Anu Singh, managing director at Kaufman Hall, which published…
Senate committee examines ways to strengthen the supply chain for hospital drugs
Vulnerabilities in the supply chain for pharmaceuticals are putting patients at risk and hampering healthcare providers, according to testimony at a recent Senate hearing. The flaws manifest in shortages of vital drugs and in issues of quality and transparency, experts said during the Oct. 8 hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. In Q1…
OIG report could lead to additional inspection of hospitals’ Provider Relief Fund usage
Some hospitals that received funding support from HHS during the COVID-19 pandemic may need to prepare for additional auditing based on findings of a report by the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report examined a small sampling of Provider Relief Fund (PRF) recipients and found that 17 of 25 hospitals did not comply…
No Surprises Act arbitration has been a bonanza for a few provider groups
In a span of 2.5 years through 2024, providers reaped more than $2.2 billion from the No Surprises Act’s arbitration process, relative to the applicable in-network payment rates for the disputed care episodes. The awards received through the NSA’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) process largely arise from “disputes that are primarily initiated and won by…
Hospitals still face a heavy lift getting ready for the TEAM bundled payments model
For the quarter of U.S. hospitals that will participate in the mandatory Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) starting Jan. 1, 2026, the preparation curve has been steep. In early August, among more than 90 client hospitals of the solutions company Rainfall Health, none was where participants soon need to be, said Eddie Qureshi, founder and…
Government shutdown watch: Various hospital funding sources to be curtailed (updated 11/07/25)
Nov. 13 update: The shutdown ends The longest federal government shutdown on record ended on its 43rd day, Nov. 12, when the House narrowly passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) and President Donald Trump signed it into law. The bill funds government operations through Jan. 30. With Medicare telehealth waivers restored in the CR, healthcare…
Hospitals brace for looming federal cuts in Medicaid and elsewhere
The historic healthcare policy changes — and associated Medicaid cuts — in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have left it to the states to figure out how to keep their residents insured and healthy with $1 trillion less in federal funding. With impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA, including a…
Nathan Kaufman: How silos undermine U.S. healthcare
Healthcare systems are plagued by fragmented silos that result in suboptimal outcomes and increased costs, but by assigning a directly responsible individual and using real-time dashboards, health systems can optimize overall performance and improve quality of care.
Hospital financial metrics remain steady even as costs rise and reimbursement challenges await
The latest data on financials for the not-for-profit (NFP) hospital sector hints at the challenges in store. While margins have not taken a significant hit for health systems, other metrics reflect rising costs, according to the latest monthly report from Strata Decision Technology. Beyond that immediate concern is the prospect of reduced reimbursement not only…
Proposed 340B rebate model generates an array of concerns among providers
Hospital advocates are pushing back on a fast-approaching rebate model for the 340B Drug Pricing Program, while a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report illustrates the accelerating spending in the program. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which administers 340B, previously announced that a pilot program to test the application of a rebate model…