News Briefs: Report finds unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine drove healthcare job cuts in January
A roundup of top news for healthcare finance professionals.
For some 340B hospitals, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unanticipated and unwelcome loss of eligibility
Bringing longer stays and higher rates of deferred care, the COVID-19 pandemic is adversely affecting 340B eligibility for some hospitals.
Medicare’s much-hyped Direct Contracting model faces an uncertain future
Medicare’s Direct Contracting model, touted as representing the evolution of alternative payment models, could be shelved less than a year after getting started.
Newly released financial data show pandemic-related challenges intensifying for hospitals
Issues with expenses and unstable volumes hindered hospital finances and operations as 2021 drew to a close.
Latest healthcare spending data paint a complicated picture of industry challenges and opportunities
Healthcare spending patterns during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic reflect an industry trying to get its bearings amid a public health emergency and daunting long-term trends.
A checklist for successful hospital cost reporting in the time of COVID-19
COVID-19 will have long-term impacts on the operations of hospitals, and on their costs in particular., making it imperative that hospitals be mindful of how those impacts extend to their cost report data.
CMS proposes to restrict Medicare coverage of a high-profile new Alzheimer’s drug
Medicare will pay for use of a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease only for patients in approved clinical trials, CMS said in a proposed coverage determination.
Hospital margins increased in November, but labor expenses remained a drag on finances
A skewed labor market continued to affect hospital finances in November even as operating margins improved from October.
2 new studies illustrate the burden of healthcare costs in the pandemic era
An annual report by CMS actuaries quantified the extent to which healthcare costs accelerated during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a separate survey looked at affordability.
The COVID-19-induced surge in healthcare labor costs is testing hospitals and health systems
Struggles with the pandemic’s financial impact on the healthcare workforce leave few alternatives besides innovation, say industry experts and leaders on the front lines.