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.

MGMA warns of government overreach in the proposed 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The Medical Group Management Association shares concerns about the draft fee schedule published in July. A major concern is the government possibly changing how RVUs are set, rather than allowing the medical specialty representatives to have a say.
Median medical school debt among radiology-bound graduates is $200,000
This figure fell by 19.4% in 2024, from a peak indebtedness of $237,600 as of 2015, researchers wrote Thursday.
3 key questions about private equity’s impact on radiology
“Some radiologists harbor deepening concerns about these trends, including moral distress," two members of the specialty write in JACR.
House lawmakers criticize Medicare pay model targeting ‘wasteful’ interventional radiology services
CMS is seeking to cut unnecessary use of certain IR services in Medicare, such as image-guided decompression of the spine, epidural steroid injections and percutaneous vertebral augmentation.
Cook Medical hopes new iMRI division could be ‘game changer’ for interventional radiology
The Bloomington, Indiana-based vendor is betting big on MRI's use in image-guided care, touting its ability to cut radiation exposure while bolstering precision.

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Feds seeking public comment on private equity healthcare spending sprees

A joint announcement from the DOJ, FTC and HHS asks for providers, patients or other industry experts to share their experiences with private equity transactions, including those not typically subject to antitrust review by law.

Feds launch inquiry to assess private equity’s impact on healthcare

The Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, and Health and Human Services want to learn more about corporations’ “increasing control” of the field.

S&P expects Radiology Partners to generate positive free cash flow for 1st time in years

The country's largest imaging group spent more than it was collecting in both 2022 and 2023, but the ratings agency believes it may be turning a corner.

HHS responds to physician concerns raised after Change Healthcare cyberattack

The department is urging managed care plans to relax prior authorization requirements during the outage and instructing MACs to accept paper claims.

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Private equity ownership in radiology rises, with investors holding dominant position in some markets

Across the specialty, 15 private equity firms held market shares greater than 30% in their service area, researchers detailed in Health Affairs.

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Southwestern state to forgive $2B in medical debt for 1M residents

A February analysis showed more than 11 million Americans owe healthcare providers between $1,001 and $10,000. Another 3 million owe more than $10K.

The secret of Medicare Advantage’s success with outcomes: Consistent care coordination

Medicare Advantage covers a disproportionate share of disadvantaged senior citizens compared with traditional fee-for-service Medicare, yet the former bests the latter on some key outcomes metrics.

Permanent pacemaker implantation after TAVR increases healthcare costs by $24,000 per patient

Researchers say their new analysis, based on five years of U.S. data, highlights just how important it is to keep post-TAVR PPMI rates to a minimum.

Economics

MGMA warns of government overreach in the proposed 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Median medical school debt among radiology-bound graduates is $200,000

3 key questions about private equity’s impact on radiology

House lawmakers criticize Medicare pay model targeting ‘wasteful’ interventional radiology services

Cook Medical hopes new iMRI division could be ‘game changer’ for interventional radiology