Jeff Lagasse

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Hospitals pay high turnover costs due to RNs leaving the profession

Due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, registered nurses are leaving healthcare, with many retiring early or simply leaving the profession for other pursuits, burdening hospitals with exorbitant turnover costs, a new report finds.

Most Medicare beneficiaries don’t compare coverage options during open enrollment

With the Medicare open enrollment period set to begin October 15, a

Medicare, Medicare Advantage enrollees have comparable healthcare experiences

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans is increasing rapidly, and many insurers are expanding their MA offerings in a bid to grab larger portions of the market share. Medicare Advantage touts itself as having certain advantages over traditional Medicar…

Large majorities want Medicare to negotiate drug prices, poll finds

Large majorities of American voters across all political stripes favor letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, and most don’t buy into the argument that high drug prices are needed for drug companies to invest in new research, according to a new poll f…

Northwell Health selects Northwell Direct’s provider network for employee benefit plan

Northwell Health has selected Northwell Direct to supply the provider network for the health system’s 2022 healthcare benefits for about 75,000 employees and dependents, eschewing the traditional approach of teaming with a private insurer.

Hospitals have spent more than $3B securing personal protective equipment during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the U.S. have spent more than $3 billion to procure personal protective equipment for worker and patient safety, although PPE costs have steadily declined since the second quarter of 2020, according to dat…

OSF Healthcare buys majority stake in Illinois Kindred hospital

Kentucky-based Kindred Healthcare and OSF Healthcare have received approval from state regulators in Illinois to jointly own the Greater Peoria Specialty Hospital, which will now be known as the OSF HealthCare Transitional Care Hospital, located in Peo…

Healthcare spending for working Americans reaches all-time high

Average annual healthcare spending for people with employer-sponsored insurance rose 2.9% to $6,001 per person in 2019, according to the Health Care Cost Institute’s annual Health Care Cost and Utilization Report. 

Hospitals paying $24 billion more for labor during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the delta variant pushes COVID-19 caseloads to all-time highs, hospitals and health systems across the country are paying $24 billion more per year for qualified clinical labor than they did pre-pandemic, according to a new PINC AI analysis from Pre…

See the rankings: More than 70 health plans earned 5 stars in Medicare Advantage star ratings

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings for 2022.