Category: Hospitals

Harris’ California Health Care Battles Signal Fights Ahead for Hospitals if She Wins

Kamala Harris fought health care consolidation during her tenure as California’s attorney general, and she could escalate the fight nationally if she wins in November. Still, the pace of mergers has accelerated.

Urgent Care or ER? With ‘One-Stop Shop,’ Hospitals Offer Both Under Same Roof

Hospitals in several states are partnering with a private equity-backed company to offer combined emergency and urgent care in a single building. But patients may not realize prices vary between the two services — often by a lot.

Why Many Nonprofit (Wink, Wink) Hospitals Are Rolling in Money

Legal maneuvering, industry lobbying, and lax IRS oversight leave lots of room for “operating surpluses.”

Montana Looks To Become Latest State To Boost Nonprofit Hospital Oversight

Montana’s proposal to increase oversight is part of a national trend by states to ensure nonprofit hospitals act as charitable organizations as they claim tax-exempt status. But the state has yet to set standards for how much the hospitals must do.

Medicare Advantage Enrollees Account for a Rising Share of Inpatient Hospital Days

This analysis examines the recent growth of Medicare Advantage as a share of hospital inpatient days. Medicare Advantage rose from 13% to 23% of all inpatient days from 2015 to 2022, although there was wide variation among hospitals.

An Arm and a Leg: The Woman Who Beat an $8,000 Hospital Fee

In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Georgann Boatright, a patient in Mississippi who was willing to drive to another state to avoid paying a steep fee to her local hospital.

The Concierge Catch: Better Access for a Few Patients Disrupts Care for Many

Increasingly, Americans pay for the privilege of seeing a doctor. Research shows concierge medicine can further hamper access to care for those who can’t afford the upgrade.

It’s Called an Urgent Care Emergency Center — But Which Is It?

Suffering stomach pain, a Dallas man visited his local urgent care clinic — or so he thought, until he got a bill 10 times what he’d expected.

It’s Called an Urgent Care Emergency Center — But Which Is It?

Suffering stomach pain, a Dallas man visited his local urgent care clinic — or so he thought, until he got a bill 10 times what he’d expected.

Experts: US Hospitals Prone to Cyberattacks Like One That Hurt Patient Care at Ascension

Clinicians working for Ascension hospitals in multiple states described harrowing lapses, including delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks to prevent potentially fatal mistakes.