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.

Proposed HHS budget would close NINR, cut nursing programs
The American Nurses Association is warning that eliminating support for the training and research offered by the National Institute of Nursing Research could be devastating to the public, as many programs support specialties such as maternal and mental health.
Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence
The 55-year-old patient woke up experiencing chest pain one morning and an ambulance was called. He was dead just a few hours later. His family's lawsuit argued that delays in care, communication errors and other issues were directly responsible for his death.
Leaked HHS budget reveals 30% cuts, elimination of many core services
A proposal for the massive restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services ends funding to programs associated with chronic disease management, lead safety, and Head Start. However, HHS is adding a new department to focus on understanding the cause of long-term illness.
RadNet leaders discuss rationale behind blockbuster $103M iCAD AI acquisition
RadNet provides 1.9M mammograms per year in the U.S., and adding iCAD’s installed customer base would boost the number of impacted exams to 10M.
Interventional radiologists ‘markedly’ increase billing for nonprocedural work, despite drop in overall doc count
"These findings underscore IR’s accelerating transition toward comprehensive patient care, with significant implications for training, practice management, and the specialty’s role within the broader healthcare landscape," experts write.

The 7 most pressing challenges in radiology practice: A ‘perfect storm’ is brewing

Leaders from 31 different radiology societies recently met to discuss the specialty's biggest problems, offering solutions in a newly published analysis.

Bracco Imaging radiopharmaceutical firm Blue Earth Therapeutics raises nearly $77M

Leaders said the funding will help Blue Earth to further advance its development of PSMA-targeted therapies for prostate cancer.

Bill introduced in Congress would raise physician reimbursement by 1.9%

The Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act aims to change the annual Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services physician fee schedule, which cut reimbursement by 2.8% for 2025.

Lawmakers introduce radiologist-endorsed, bipartisan bill to halt Medicare cuts

Greg Murphy, MD, R-N.C., and colleagues are proposing the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, which would halt a 2.8% reduction to the conversion factor.

private equity corporatization business consolidation

Private equity owns 900 patient care centers in Philadelphia, report finds

Physical therapy practices in greater Philadelphia are of particular interest to private equity firms, with 271 locations owned by six companies. The report comes from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP).

Q&A: Medicaid evolving to meet the mental health and material needs of patients

The former Medicaid Director of Texas, Gary Jessee, tells HealthExec that state healthcare programs are raising the bar for care access and quality, even for patients covered by commercial plans.

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has helped cardiologists, radiologists, nurses and other healthcare providers embrace precision medicine in a way that ensures more heart patients are receiving personalized care.

5 of 7 Medicare Administrative Contractors approve payment for imaging AI software

Providers have the potential to earn a Medicare payment of $950 if the software is deployed in medically appropriate scenarios.

Medicare coverage expands again for AI-enabled coronary plaque assessments

Another MAC has agreed to cover the use of these advanced technologies to evaluate patients for signs of coronary artery disease.

Economics

Proposed HHS budget would close NINR, cut nursing programs

Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence

Leaked HHS budget reveals 30% cuts, elimination of many core services

RadNet leaders discuss rationale behind blockbuster $103M iCAD AI acquisition

Interventional radiologists ‘markedly’ increase billing for nonprocedural work, despite drop in overall doc count