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 Treasury. … READ MORE >
health care
Shadow IT risk is growing as health care industry consolidates
As health care systems continue to consolidate, they must be aware of the information technology risks lurking in the shadows. … READ MORE >
Private equity’s role in health care gains interest in Congress
A bill is working its way through Congress that could have an impact on health care providers, particularly those owned by private equity firms. … READ MORE >
Private equity looks for recession-proof deals
These are flush times for American private equity funds. Through November, they have raised more capital than any other fiscal year. But a good portion of that cash has not been put to use – yet. One reason is that many takeover targets have simply become too expensive, a dynamic … … 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. … READ MORE >
Health care jobs market remains tight, government data shows
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey released by the government last Tuesday underscored continued tightness in the health care jobs 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 to 1.217 million. … 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 of 2017. … READ MORE >
Medical cost ratio is a growing concern among health insurers
Among the worrisome trends discussed on health insurers’ recent earnings calls is a growing medical cost ratio, or MCR, the percent of premium the insurer spends on claims and expenses that improves health care quality. It is sometimes referred to as a medical-loss ratio. … READ MORE >
Health care faces demand for pricing transparency
On June 24, the president 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. … 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. … READ MORE >