Scientists have been working at a blistering pace to shorten the vaccine development cycle from years to months in order to take a coronavirus vaccine to market. With more than 190 such vaccines in development, there are several leading the pack. Two trials, by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, ... READ MORE >
Health care
CHART OF THE DAY: Technology investments in health care poised to surge
After years of pouring money into disruptive technologies in the financial services industry, venture capital firms are turning their attention to the health care ecosystem as the pandemic upends traditional ways of delivering health care. On Sept. 29, SCP Co. registered as a special purpose acquisition ... READ MORE >
Managed care organizations weather the coronavirus storm
It’s no mystery that major parts of the health care sector took a significant hit to the bottom line this year as hospitals and other providers postponed elective procedures to make way for the influx of coronavirus patients. But one area of the health care sector -- managed care organizations -- has ... READ MORE >
While other health care subsectors see job gains, nursing and residential care continues to lag
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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... READ MORE >
How hospitals can prepare for new price transparency rules
A recent court ruling has given the Trump administration a major victory in its push for transparency in health care pricing, and has left many health care providers scrambling to meet new requirements. While the burdens of meeting the requirements are high, in the end they represent an opportunity for ... READ MORE >
After suffering losses, health care providers could face a reckoning on debt covenants
Few industries have felt as big an impact from the coronavirus pandemic as health care providers – not only from the risks taken on by front-line medical workers but also because of the significant disruption of their operations. On June 30, there will be a reckoning of sorts. That’s when the ... READ MORE >