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.

Health Catalyst secures $100M to expand machine learning solutions

Utah-based healthcare big data company Health Catalyst announced it has closed $100 million in Series F equity and debt funding. Financing will support the expansion of Health Catalyst’s technology and services offering for healthcare information.

AI health tech company raises $3.1 million

Medicus AI GmbH, a Dubai-based technology company that uses AI to make health data more understandable, has raised about $3.1 million in a Series A funding round, according to information available on Crunchbase.

‘An unacceptable step backward’: UnitedHealthcare prioritizes Medtronic insulin pumps

UnitedHealthcare partnered with Medtronic Feb. 1 to make the device company’s MiniMed 670G insulin pump system its preferred pump for diabetics aged 7 and up—a move the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) calls “an unacceptable step backward” and says effectively limits patients’ choices to one product.

AI-powered image analysis ranked 2019’s top digital health technology

According to a new ranking from Forbes, AI and its ability to help radiologists streamline image analysis represents the No. 1 digital health technology of 2019.

Better CVD prevention spurred spending dip for Medicare patients

Spending growth per Medicare beneficiary has slowed considerably since 2005, and 56 percent of that decline can be linked to reduced spending on cardiovascular disease and related risk factors, researchers reported Feb. 4 in Health Affairs.

How a tobacco tax in Arkansas improves breast cancer screening

In Arkansas, money from a tobacco tax is allocated to breast cancer research, but how are those funds spent?

3 ways to prepare for the AI takeover in healthcare

As healthcare continues to shift toward automation and AI, a new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program suggests a need for changes in both education and workplace culture for individuals to cope with the transition.

Funding in imaging AI companies surpasses $1.2B

Companies developing imaging solutions powered by AI raised nearly $580 million in 2018, according to a report from Signify Research.

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