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.

Drawing blood can now be done through a patch

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Switzerland have developed a small patch capable of measuring drug levels without drawing any blood.

Health expert says industry is heading toward ‘oligopoly of hospitals’

Dimensions Health Systems President and CEO Neil Moore told the Washington Post that a “sprinkling of little hospitals” isn’t what the future of healthcare will look like.

Humana pulling out of ACA markets after antitrust lawsuit

Hours after the federal government filed an antitrust lawsuit against Humana’s proposed sale to Aetna, Humana announced it wouldn’t offer plans on Affordable Care Act exchanges in several states 2017.

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$1B Medicare fraud scheme brings charges for 3 in Florida

In what the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) calls its largest single criminal healthcare fraud case, three people have been arrested and charged with running a $1 billion Medicare fraud and money laundering scheme involving multiple providers based in and around Miami.

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Major players react to Aetna-Humana, Anthem-Cigna lawsuits

The antitrust lawsuits against Aetna’s acquisition of Humana and Anthem’s takeover of Cigna drew support from the American Medical Association (AMA) and American Hospital Association (AHA), while the largest health insurer trade group argued the deals would be beneficial to consumers. 

Brigham and Women’s nurses ratify contract, avoid strike

Unionized nurses at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital have ratified a new three-year labor contract, avoiding what would have been the largest nurses strike in Massachusetts history.

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DOJ suing to block Anthem-Cigna, Aetna-Humana mergers

Antitrust lawsuits have been filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in an effort to block Anthem’s $48 billion acquisition of Cigna and Aetna’s $37 takeover of Humana.

Study: Most insurers lost money in exchanges’ first year—but were also losing money pre-ACA

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund found that while most insurers didn’t turn a profit in the first year of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges, most of those reporting losses had been unprofitable the year prior to open enrollment.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.