Jeff Lagasse

Author's posts

Employers, insurers paid hospitals more than double Medicare rates, finds RAND

Employers and health insurers paid hospitals about 224% above what Medicare would have paid in 2020, according to a new RAND report comparing private insurer payments to Medicare rates.

BCBS South Carolina partners with Solera on mental, musculoskeletal health

In a partnership with Solera Health, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is expanding its personalized health and wellness program to include mental and musculoskeletal health offerings. 
Solera Health is an independent company that built a customiz…

Dartmouth Health, GraniteOne Health merger nixed after New Hampshire AG objects

Dartmouth Health and GraniteOne Health, both based in New Hampshire, are ditching their plans to merge into a single entity after objections from the state’s attorney general, who said the consolidation would result in higher healthcare prices.

Intermountain names Tiffany Capeles as its first Chief Equity Officer

After an extensive national search, Intermountain Healthcare has selected Tiffany Capeles, a nationally recognized diversity leader, as the health system’s first chief equity officer, the system has announced.

Hospitals can change their models of care to meet the worsening nursing shortage

There’s been a nursing shortage in the U.S. for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation even more dire. Nurses are retiring, leaving for new roles or abandoning the profession altogether, and there aren’t enough trainees in the academic…

Pfizer set to acquire Biohaven Pharmaceuticals for $11.6 billion

Drug manufacturer Pfizer has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, a maker of migraine treatments, for $11.6 billion, the former said this week.
Pfizer will also make payments at closing to settle Biohaven’s third par…

Almost 30% of nurses considering leaving the profession

The past two years have been difficult for nurses, and research from Nurse.com highlights the extent to which this is true: In the “Nurse Salary Research Report,” 29% of nurses said they were considering leaving the profession, a steep rise from the 11…

Shareholder sues LHC Group over proposed Optum merger

A shareholder at in-home healthcare service provider LHC Group, which UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum is set to acquire, is suing the latter and its board of directors over the proposed merger, court docu

Leapfrog Group hospital safety grades highlight decline in patient experience

The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on healthcare safety, released the spring 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade today, finding an overall decline in patient safety measures the report conside…

CMS telehealth expansion benefits disadvantaged neighborhoods, Health Affairs finds

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expanded telehealth coverage to patients across the country, and new data published in H