Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

Sorry, what was that? Improving patient satisfaction by listening

Communication between patients and providers is key, but listening can be overlooked amid a hectic work week. In a recent post by Harvard Business Review, researchers outlined the benefits to listening in cases of high-need patients.

Burnout, dissatisfaction with EHRs increase physician turnover

According to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, physician burnout, dissatisfaction with electronic health records (EHRs) and work-life imbalance are main reasons why physicians leave current positions.

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Humana announces layoffs, long-term care sale, lawsuit against HHS

Humana has announced it will be cutting 1,300 jobs, offering early retirement for 1,150 employees and selling its long-term care insurance business, KMG America Corporation, at a $400 million loss.

Bonuses to be smaller in Medicare’s value-based purchasing program for 2018

A larger percentage of hospitals will receive bonuses and fewer will be penalized under CMS’s Hospital Value-based Purchasing (VBP) program for fiscal year 2018, though the maximum positive payment adjustment will be smaller.

Interactive web platform increases rates of vaccinations

Pregnant women who received vaccine information through an interactive website were more likely to vaccinate their children, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

UPMC spending $2B to build 3 specialty hospitals

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) announced major expansion plans on Nov. 3, proposing to build three hospitals in its home city while not increasing the number of inpatient beds available.

CHS completes 30-hospital selling spree

Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems (CHS) has completed transactions to divest 30 hospitals this year, though the 127 hospitals it still operates aren’t performing well either, according to industry analysts.

Tax proposal may hurt medical school students

The tax cuts and code changes proposed by Republicans in the U.S. House include eliminating the student loan interest deduction, which is widely used by recent medical school graduates and other healthcare workers.

Around the web

Updated compensation data includes good news for multiple subspecialties. The new report also examines private equity's impact on employment models and how much male cardiologists earn compared to females.

When drugs are on the FDA’s shortage list, outsourcing facilities can produce their own compounded versions. When the FDA removed tirzepatide from that list with no warning, it created a considerable amount of chaos both behind the scenes and in pharmacies all over the country. 

If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation. 

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