While the health care ecosystem is broadly returning to work, nursing care facilities remain an exception. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and state-wide prohibitions on non-emergent, or elective, procedures the health care ecosystem shed 2.27 million jobs in August, the first broad job loss in health care in decades. Since then, we have seen ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Health care costs rise while tax revenue stagnates
As health care continues to represent a larger portion of U.S. gross domestic product, the federal government's ability to finance that expenditure through tax revenues has relatively declined. Corporate taxes as a percent of GDP peaked at 2.6% in 2007. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis that proportion fell to 1% in 2009 and recovered to 1.9% ... READ MORE >
As coronavirus spreads across the nation, aid to hospitals lags
As Congress debates a new round of stimulus measures to blunt the human and economic toll of the coronavirus, it has an opportunity to rethink the way it supports those who are working on the front lines of the pandemic: health care providers. In recent weeks, the scope and severity of the pandemic have changed dramatically, spreading beyond ... READ MORE >
Businesses already strained by COVID-19 should prepare for hurricane season
The Atlantic hurricane season is already off to a busy start, with six named storms having formed as of early July. And it is likely to get worse. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a 70% chance that this hurricane season will be worse than normal, with just a 10% chance of being less damaging than normal. Anywhere from 13 to ... READ MORE >
Amid resurgence of coronavirus, health care providers feel mounting pressure
Nearly six months have passed since Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared the coronavirus a public health emergency. Yet we still face the some of the most difficult economic headwinds in generations. Expanded federal unemployment benefits will expire in 18 days, and soon after that so will the federal Paycheck Protection Program. ... READ MORE >
Amid disruption in health care, private equity is poised to put its cash to work
As the human and economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic has mounted, companies across industries have fallen into distress, including in the health care sector. As they look for a lifeline, private equity firms are in position to put some of their significant cash on hand to work. Many of these deals will be found in private capital markets. But the ... READ MORE >
Coronavirus and the rise of virtual health visits
The human toll of the coronavirus only continues to mount: Confirmed cases have topped 118,000, deaths have surpassed 4,000 and Italy has quarantined 16 million people. It has led employers around the globe to encourage employees to work from home or take unpaid leaves of absence. In Seattle, the epicenter of Covid-19 cases and fatalities in the ... READ MORE >
Coronavirus spurs service disruption for health care providers, extending human toll
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has dominated the news since the outbreak began in China early this year. As the situation evolves, health care companies and organizations should monitor four important risk areas: supply chain, patient demand, workforce supply and their t function. Supply chain According to Premier Inc., a large group purchasing ... READ MORE >
As the coronavirus spreads, bond markets take notice
For a while last year, it seemed that yields on U.S. Treasuries were on an upward path as trade tensions with China eased and recession fears calmed. But all that has changed as fears over the outbreak of the coronavirus in China have combined with moderated corporate earnings and continued delays over the Boeing 737 Max to suppress those yields. On ... READ MORE >
As coronavirus spreads, American hospitals need to be prepared
Even though the mysterious respiratory virus that has hit China is in its early stages, it is leaving a mounting human and economic toll. Already, six people have died and 291 have been infected by the coronavirus in China, many of them health workers caring for the sick. And on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first case ... READ MORE >