Costs & Cost Controls
Survey: Staffing woes ease slightly, but challenges remain
Takeaways • Surgical volume continues to increase for most organizations. • Staffing remains a challenge, although some parameters, such as recruiting and turnover, have improved slightly. • Filling an open RN position takes an average of 77 days, and filling a surgical technologist position takes an average of 120 days.…
Staffing solutions depend on collaborative, innovative culture
There is no shortage of advice, opinions, and proposed solutions when it comes to staff shortages, but the issue continues to plague healthcare systems nonetheless. For a couple of years now, speakers at the OR Business Management Conference and OR Manager Conference have been asking attendees, “Who still struggles to…
Pilot project takeoff proves promise of AI staff optimization
Perioperative leaders face mounting pressures to optimize resources, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes. However, one challenge stands out among the rest: OR staffing shortages. According to a November/December survey conducted by LeanTaaS in collaboration with OR Manager, staff recruitment and retention is a top priority for OR leaders this…
UnitedHealth Group explores acquisition of Surgery Partners amidst antitrust scrutiny
Editor's Note UnitedHealth Group (UHG) is in early talks to potentially acquire Surgery Partners, the third-largest operator of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) in the US, according to Bloomberg, Healthcare Finance August 26 reports. Surgery Partners has also attracted interest from private equity firms, including TPG Inc. While no deal is…
S&P report: Nonprofit hospital downgrades outpaced upgrades in 2023
Editor's Note An S&P report published on August 7 revealed that downgrades of nonprofit hospital ratings outpaced upgrades in 2023, a trend expected to persist despite a slowing pace, Becker’s Hospital CFO Report August 12 reports. The report, which analyzed nonprofit acute healthcare medians, showed a downgrade-to-upgrade ratio of 3.8…
How GLP-1 drugs impact health systems expansion, investment plans
Editor's Note A shuttered bariatric surgery center in Oklahoma last month is just one example of how the rise of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are reshaping health systems’ investments, Axios reported August 13. Rather than “massive hospital towers with cardiology clinics, dialysis beds and joint replacement centers,” the focus is…
California bill seeks stricter oversight of private equity in healthcare
Editor's Note A bill in California that aims to increase oversight of private equity healthcare investments is receiving support from consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association and opposition from hospitals worried about losing funding sources, the Los Angeles Times reported August 9. Sponsored by Attorney General Rob…
Nearly 1 in 3 US rural hospitals at risk of closure
Editor's Note More than 700 rural hospitals, representing 31% of all rural hospitals in the country, are at risk of closure, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Chief Healthcare Executive reported the news August 8. According to the article, 16% of all rural…
Medicare drug price negotiations to save $6 billion in first year
Editor's Note Medicare’s first negotiations on 10 top-selling prescription drugs for older Americans will save the US government $6 billion in the first year, according to an August 15 article in Reuters. Enabled by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, negotiations for drugs used by Medicare—which covers 66 million…
Cash flow problems plague US nonprofit hospitals, health systems
Editor's Note A new low for median days cash-on hand could spell trouble for US nonprofit hospitals and health systems, Healthcare Dive reported August 12. “Nonprofit hospitals’ cash on hand — the funds immediately available to finance daily operations — is one indicator of financial health,” the outlet reports. “Low cash…
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