Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

Cardiology needs to evolve in the face of employment trends
Cardiology has largely shifted to hospital-employed models, driven by reimbursement compression and evolving physician priorities. This has created challenges as well as opportunities.
House GOP slaps down ACA subsidies as ‘Lower Health Care Premiums Act’ moves to Senate
A Hail Mary attempt by a bipartisan group to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits failed. The new bill contains some reforms, including new reporting requirements for PBMs and support for associated health plans. It now faces the Senate.
Radiology dominates FDA-cleared AI, but reimbursement lags far behind
As of January 2026, there will only be two CPT category 1 payment codes for newer AI, despite there being hundreds of FDA-cleared medical imaging algorithms.
How to get reimbursed for renal denervation
Herbert D. Aronow, MD, reviewed the many ways the reimbursement landscape is changing thanks to new Medicare policies. “This is a really exciting time in the renal denervation space," he said.
Hospitals providing organs to wealthy international patients, leaving Americans waiting
A new report from the New York Times reveals a system of de facto quid pro quo where wealthy patients from oil-rich nations are sometimes moved to the top of organ transplant lists.

Herbert D. Aronow, MD, MPH, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM, medical director, heart and vascular service line and the Benson Ford Chair in Cardiology at Henry Ford Health, board member of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), explains the pros and cons and economic pressures involved with shifts in how cardiologists are now employment.

Cardiology needs to evolve in the face of employment trends

Cardiology has largely shifted to hospital-employed models, driven by reimbursement compression and evolving physician priorities. This has created challenges as well as opportunities.

House GOP slaps down ACA subsidies as ‘Lower Health Care Premiums Act’ moves to Senate

A Hail Mary attempt by a bipartisan group to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits failed. The new bill contains some reforms, including new reporting requirements for PBMs and support for associated health plans. It now faces the Senate.

Eric Rubin, MD, vice president of clinical operations at Virtua Health, and the American College of Radiology's CPT advisor to the American Medical Association (AMA), explains the process for creating a Category I CPT code for payments and the difference with Category III temporary tracking codes.

Radiology dominates FDA-cleared AI, but reimbursement lags far behind

As of January 2026, there will only be two CPT category 1 payment codes for newer AI, despite there being hundreds of FDA-cleared medical imaging algorithms.

How to get reimbursed for renal denervation

Herbert D. Aronow, MD, reviewed the many ways the reimbursement landscape is changing thanks to new Medicare policies. “This is a really exciting time in the renal denervation space," he said.

Hospitals providing organs to wealthy international patients, leaving Americans waiting

A new report from the New York Times reveals a system of de facto quid pro quo where wealthy patients from oil-rich nations are sometimes moved to the top of organ transplant lists.

cardiologists going through the certification process

CMS considers Medicare coverage for TAVR in asymptomatic patients

After an official request from Edwards Lifesciences, CMS is rethinking its coverage policy for the use of TAVR to treat asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis. The agency is accepting public comments on this topic until Jan. 14.

Venture capital investors have poured over $11B into radiology since 2000

The most funded categories across the specialty included medical devices ($3.2B), AI software ($2.5B), and biotechnology ($2.1B).

Lumexa Imaging no longer controlled by private equity following IPO

“We view this as meaningfully credit positive for its financial policy because private equity investors tend to favor high leverage to enhance their returns,” S&P notes.