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 emergency care in the United States can lead to ... READ MORE >
health care
Health care jobs market remains tight, government data shows
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey released by the government last week underscored continued tightness in the health care labor market through June. Health care organizations added 60,000 employees, after accounting for employee departures. Total job openings across the ecosystem increased by 10,000. Since 2014, total job openings in health care ... READ MORE >
When addressing nursing shortage, look to your own ranks first
The market for skilled workers, administrators and support staff remains tight in U.S. health care as providers struggle to fill jobs, particularly critical roles such as nurses. The numbers have not appreciably improved since the last time I wrote about this topic: Total health care job openings have remained around 1.1 million to 1.2 million since December ... 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 premium the insurer spends on claims and expenses ... 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 must consider that their consumers (patients) are now ... 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 high deductible plan, or HDP. Of those individuals, ... 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 April, another large health system, non-profit Atrium ... READ MORE >
Apple Heart Study should not dampen industry view of health tech
On March 16, Stanford researchers released results from the Apple Heart Study; this significant research project relied on data gleaned from some 420,000 adult Americans who agreed to wear an Apple Watch that monitored their cardiac rhythms to identify irregularities. The study, which used an iPhone app to enroll participants, left observers questioning ... READ MORE >
As telemedicine grows, a ‘digital front door’ lowers health-care costs
Telemedicine—like other industries where digitization of service has transformed an entire ecosystem—is dramatically changing health-care delivery. Many large integrated health systems view telemedicine as an opportunity to more affordably provide primary care. The technology allows patients to be examined virtually using two-way video conferencing for a ... READ MORE >