As the potential for the coronavirus to become a pandemic looms, the outbreak is starting to affect the supply chains of critical industries across the globe. Since the first confirmed case in Wuhan, the virus has spread to manufacturing hubs including Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong and ... READ MORE >
Is health care recession-proof?
Health care has long been viewed as a defensive sector compared to the broader market when a potential economic downturn is looming. There were sound reasons for this -- many health care services had relatively inelastic demand and they were insulated from the effects of any global trade ... READ MORE >
Scrutiny on private equity investment in health care increases
As private equity groups continue to invest in the health care industry, their business practices are falling under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers, researchers and the news media. In 2018, for example, three Yale University researchers released a report that examined how out-of-network billing for ... READ MORE >
Medical cost ratio is a growing concern among health insurers
In recent weeks, health insurers Centene Corp., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and Anthem Inc. released earnings. Two others, Molina Healthcare Inc. and Humana Inc., will report later this month. Among the worrisome trends discussed on their earnings calls is a growing medical cost ratio, or MCR, the percent of ... READ MORE >
Health care faces demand for pricing transparency
On June 24, President Trump signed an executive order designed to improve transparency in the pricing of health care. It’s the latest move in an environment where consumers are exercising power over the cost of treatment, an area that historically offered them little wiggle room. Health care executives ... READ MORE >
As consumers gain leverage, lower health care deductibles are forthcoming
Over the past decade, higher deductibles have become standard for the majority of health care plans in the United States. That standard could change, however, as consumers gain a louder voice in the health care value equation. Nearly half of individuals covered by employer-sponsored health plans have a ... READ MORE >
Treatment of some leases under new FASB standard can result in balance sheet surprise
So-called embedded leases may not be the first thing you think of when considering the effects of ASU 2016-02 under the new FASB standard for lease accounting. But this much-anticipated new rule can provide a forcing mechanism for how your business treats leases tied to service contracts. When I ... READ MORE >
Investors eye hospital revenue bonds in search of yield
Investors are eyeing higher-yield hospital revenue bonds amid bargain prices underscored by the 10-year US Treasury, which is priced at its lowest level since 2017. But health systems have not yet stepped up to issue more debt to meet demand. Several bond deals issued in the first few months of 2019 ... READ MORE >
Health care deal outlook for 2019 good, despite slow start to year–panel
Health care deals are down to start 2019, but the outlook is good, largely due to of the amount of dry powder on the sidelines, a recent panel of private equity professionals noted earlier this month. The panel discussion, entitled “Financing the Deal,” was hosted by The Nashville Health Care Council, ... READ MORE >
Why health systems are buying into schools to offset their labor shortage
Some health care systems are using acquisitions to install their own talent pipelines in response to a shortage of skilled labor. In March, HCA Healthcare Inc., the large, publicly traded national hospital system, acquired a majority stake in Galen College of Nursing, a for-profit nursing school. In ... READ MORE >