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.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech faces threat of permanent injunction after losing antitrust case
After being ordered to pay $442 million in damages—a ruling the company has said it may appeal—Johnson & Johnson MedTech is now facing the possibility of a permanent injunction that could impact certain business practices. A hearing is scheduled for July.
American College of Radiology joins legal fight against NIH cuts
ACR joined 10 medical societies filing a “friend of the court” brief in an ongoing lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health, HHS and their leaders.
Eliminating extra fee for 3D mammography bolsters utilization, though disparities persist
Experts believe this new research offers important insights as practices adopt artificial intelligence in breast imaging, often with an extra out-of-pocket fee.
AMA president warns prior authorization hurting patients, driving burnout and practice closures
American Medical Association President Bruce Scott, MD, explains the growing issues with insurance prior authorization impacting patient care and what the AMA is doing about it.
Startup seeking to simplify medical imaging referrals raises $101M
Tennr uses an “enterprise orchestration engine” and series of specialized language models, trained on the nuances of processing documentation against payer criteria.

Patients digging deeper into household budgets for imaging exams that aren’t mammography

Why are patients paying far less out of their pockets for mammography now than two decades ago—while shelling out a lot more for other common imaging exams?

Sterile barrier saves time and money for ultrasound-guided PIV insertions, new data show

Use of the barrier reduced associated insertion costs at one institution by 73% and insertion time by 50%.

Can strength and endurance training help heart failure patients live longer?

Researchers have received a five-year grant worth $30 million to study how a new-look physical rehab program impacts outcomes among older HFpEF patients.

Digital health funding stalls in third quarter

The third quarter of 2022 was the smallest funding quarter of the year so far for digital health, highlighting the changing fundamentals across the economy impacting the sector.

Example of the four types of breast tissue density. The density of fibroglandular tissue inside the breast impacts the ability to easily see cancers. Cancers are very easy to spot in fatty breasts, but are almost impossible to find in extremely dense breasts. These examples show craniocaudal mammogram findings characterized as almost entirely fatty (far left), scattered areas of fibroglandular density (second from left), heterogeneously dense (second from right), and extremely dense (far right). RSNA

Breast density notification laws blanket 90% of U.S. women, yet still no national reporting standard is at hand. Why is that?

Dense breast experts Wendie Berg, MD, and JoAnn Pushkin, executive director of DenseBreast-info Inc., explain the current status of breast density patient inform laws, reimbursement and new technologies to aid cancer detection.

Researchers awarded $37M to see if Apple Watch can lower stroke risk among AFib patients

Could wearables help AFib patients take fewer blood-thinning medications and reduce their risk of stroke? The team behind a new seven-year analysis hopes to find out.

Dhanunjaya "DJ" Lakkireddy, MD, executive medical director for the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute at HCA Midwest Health, professor of medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia, deputy editor for the the Journal of Atrial Fibrillation, and serves on the HRS Board of Trustees and section steering committee chair for the ACC, explains the potentially devastating impact of Medicare cuts on electrophysiology (EP) and patient care.

VIDEO: Medicare cuts could devastate the field of electrophysiology

"By imposing a 35%-42% cut, [CMS] has essentially created a scenario where it is going to destroy electrophysiology as a field," explained Dhanunjaya "DJ" Lakkireddy, MD.

Industry insights: 4 healthcare executives discuss the biggest challenges in cardiology today

We spoke to executives from some of healthcare's most prominent vendors to find out what challenges are on their radar in 2022 and beyond.

Economics

Johnson & Johnson MedTech faces threat of permanent injunction after losing antitrust case

American College of Radiology joins legal fight against NIH cuts

Eliminating extra fee for 3D mammography bolsters utilization, though disparities persist

AMA president warns prior authorization hurting patients, driving burnout and practice closures

Startup seeking to simplify medical imaging referrals raises $101M