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.

Certificate-of-need exemption fuels hospital’s outpatient imaging expansion in growing market
West Virginia carved out a CON concession for certain diagnostic imaging services in 2023, with Valley Health capitalizing on the law change.
Envision Healthcare exits imaging, with its 400 radiologists joining Rad Partners
The nation’s largest radiology practice—now with 4,000 physicians—also has inked a “transition agreement," offering Envision's 95 imaging clients the option to continue with RP.
Sen. Warren fears $10B private equity buyout of Walgreens will create ‘pharmacy deserts’
The Massachusetts senator is asking buyer Sycamore Partners for certain assurances, including that it won’t saddle the struggling pharmacy chain with even more debt and indiscriminately close retail locations.
Supreme Court sides with HHS in hospital payment dispute
In a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court affirmed the formula used by the federal government to calculate Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments is legal and consistent with the law passed by Congress.
GE HealthCare signs $30M MRI deal with Pennsylvania hospital network
Bethlehem-based St. Luke’s University Health Network is the purchaser, seeking to expand access to advanced imaging while reducing scan times.

DOJ makes 36 arrests in $1.2B telemedicine fraud scheme

Defendants in the case allegedly defrauded CMS for millions of dollars that were spent on luxury vehicles, real estate and more.

Seeds of solidarity? UK radiologists face probable pay cuts too

Two weeks ago CMS proposed a 2023 physician fee schedule (PFS) that stands to slash pay to U.S. diagnostic radiologists by 3% and interventionalists by 4%. This week the U.K.’s National Health Service put that country’s radiologists in a similar bind.

Inflation eating away hospital margins

Hospitals and health systems have been facing tight margins over the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with historic inflation, things aren’t likely to get better anytime soon.

Amazon to acquire One Medical for $3.9B

Amazon is taking another big step into the healthcare space, announcing its plans to acquire technology-forward primary care organization One Medical for a whopping $3.9 billion.

An increased need for specialists boosted radiologist salaries by 12%, according to new report

The report placed radiologists’ annual compensation 6th among the top 10 highest physician salaries.

Radiologist starting salaries up 13.5% over last year

Radiologists are receiving salary offers averaging $455,000 to start a new job in 2022, up from $401,000 in 2021.

Where money is tight, screening mammography is conditionally cost-effective compared with other proactive options

In countries with low to middling gross national incomes, screening mammography appears to be a cost-effective means of minimizing breast cancer’s economic costs and public-health burdens at the population level. However …

The highest starting salaries among U.S. physicians

Starting salaries for specialist physicians have mostly increased over the last year. Demand for those specialists is also on the rise.

Economics

Certificate-of-need exemption fuels hospital’s outpatient imaging expansion in growing market

Envision Healthcare exits imaging, with its 400 radiologists joining Rad Partners

Sen. Warren fears $10B private equity buyout of Walgreens will create ‘pharmacy deserts’

Supreme Court sides with HHS in hospital payment dispute

GE HealthCare signs $30M MRI deal with Pennsylvania hospital network