Much of the September issue of Health Affairs deals with the increasing consolidation of healthcare organizations. To maintain competition, regulators need to do more than rely on antitrust enforcement.

In markets where both insurers and providers have become highly concentrated, insurers had enough bargaining power to reduce prices on hospitalization and certain specialty care. Those savings were not, however, passed onto consumers in the form of lower premiums.

Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare System, already the largest health system in North Carolina, has announced plans to grow even bigger by creating a joint venture with University of North Carolina (UNC) Health Care.

Reducing the amount of avoidable emergency department (ED) visits could save healthcare organizations money while also improving patient health. A study in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care examined the types of avoidable ED visits to provide policymakers with data to help limit unnecessary ED visits.

Preventative medicine has been proven to improve overall health of patients while also reducing the cost of care, but many factors avert the possibilities of prevention. In a study published in Academic Emergency Medicine, researchers evaluated the correlation between health literacy and preventable emergency department (ED) visits that resulted in admission.

Second quarter financials for Downers Grove, Illinois-based Advocate Health Care showed a 41.8 percent year-over-year drop in operating income, which fell to $47.4 million.

The opioid epidemic continues to impact millions of Americans, but researchers have developed a new method to genetically identify patients more at risk of developing an opioid addiction. Findings are published in Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science.

Two companies who weren’t chosen in bids for $2 billion in Medicaid managed care business in Mississippi have protested the decision, claiming the state scored them unfairly and chose a bidder with a connection with to the state Medicaid director.