Category: Healthcare Finance News

COVID-19 spurs rise in hospital mega mergers, finds Kaufman Hall

The number of hospital and health system mergers and acquisitions saw a sharp decline in the first quarter of the year, but the average transaction size soared, finds new analysis from industry consultant Kaufman Hall. This trend is a reversal from Q1 …

UnitedHealth Group posts $4.9 billion profit in the first quarter, beating expectations

UnitedHealth Group beat industry projections by earning $4.9 billion in profit during the first quarter, according to an earnings report released Thursday. That’s an increase of $3.4 billion from the same quarter in 2020.

House extends moratorium on 2% Medicare sequester cuts through 2021

In a vote of 384-38, the House on Tuesday passed a bill that eliminates the 2% cut to Medicare payments until the end of 2021. 
However, the bill proposes to offset the change by increasing the sequester cuts in 2030.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The cuts were tri…

Blockchain, telehealth promise more efficiency as healthcare looks to bounce back from COVID-19

The battle against COVID-19 continues, with the pandemic exposing flaws and cracks in global healthcare systems that speak to big inefficiencies in the sector. These inefficiencies, many of them administrative in nature, touch all aspects of healthcare…

Anti-vaccination proponents inadvertently inspire pro-vaccination social media campaign

What can vaccine proponents, clinicians and public health communicators learn from “anti-vaxxers?” A lot, according to new guidance for pro-vaccination social media events written by University of Pittsburgh health scientists.

BCBS Minnesota launches kidney disease care program with DaVita’s VillageHealth

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has become the latest insurer seeking to better manage the risk of patients afflicted with permanent kidney failure, with such patients now eligible to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans for the first time.

CDC and FDA pause Johnson & Johnson vaccine over rare blood clot concerns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced they are pausing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to concerns of several rare blood clotting cases in individuals who have received the vaccine.

Microsoft doubles healthcare market with acquisition of Nuance

Microsoft is acquiring Nuance Communications in an all-cash transaction valued at $19.7 billion, inclusive of Nuance’s net debt. 
 
The transaction is intended to close this year.
 
Nuance is a cloud and software provider of conversational AI and cloud…

onehome partnering with Devoted Health on post-acute home-based care for Medicare Advantage

Post-acute home-based care provider onehome is partnering with Medicare Advantage company Devoted Health to expand care to the latter’s members in Arizona, Ohio and San Antonio, Texas.
The goal of the partnership is to enhance care by enabling members …

CMS increases hospice payments by 2.3%

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that updates hospice base payments and the aggregate cap amount for 2022. 
As proposed, hospices would see a 2.3%, or $530 million increase in their payments for FY 2022. The pro…