COVID-19 hospitalization costs could reach $17B this year
Editor's Note A new Avalere analysis estimates the cost of COVID-19 hospitalizations could range between $9.6 billion and nearly $17 billion this year, depending on infection and hospitalization trends, the June 23 Fierce Healthcare reports. The analysis considers the cost of hospitalizations in three scenarios: $9.6 billion, if there is…
ASC offsets some revenue loss through 'Hospital Without Walls' waiver
Far fewer cases of COVID-19 have been seen in rural areas of the US than in large urban populations. But even healthcare facilities not inundated with COVID-19 patients have sustained revenue losses and disruptions in standard procedures. One major advantage for Heartland Surgery Center in Kearney, Nebraska, was seeing the…
Proactive payment collection reduces bad debt risk
Establishing policies to collect payment before surgery has grown in importance as high-deductible health plans impose larger out-of-pocket costs on patients. To help manage patients’ expectations about costs and increase the likelihood of collecting payment, some experts believe a culture shift is in order. They say healthcare facilities should be…
Dr Gawande stepping down as Haven CEO
Editor's Note The May 8 Wall Street Journal reports that Atul Gawande, MD, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of Haven—the Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway healthcare venture. Instead Dr Gawande will be chairman of the joint venture so he can focus more on policy and advocacy work, particularly related…
CMS issues recommendations on reopening hospitals in areas with low COVID-19 incidence
Editor's Note: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 19 issued recommendations on how hospitals and healthcare systems can protect their staff and patients as they reopen for nonemergent care. The new recommendations update earlier guidance on limiting nonessential surgical and medical procedures and are specifically targeted…
Simulation to predict hospital capacity needs during COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note This study from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, finds that a susceptible, infected, removed (SIR) epidemic model can be adapted to local population characteristics to inform hospital planning for epidemic-related surges in hospital capacity. Using COVID-19 patients only, the SIR model estimated that it would be 31 to…
HHS releases final interoperability rules
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on March 9 released two interoperability rules, which will give patients direct access to their healthcare data. These rules mark the most extensive healthcare data sharing policies the federal government has implemented, requiring public and private entities to share…
Medicare may overpay for postop care
Editor's Note Medicare may be overpaying surgeons for postoperative care they provide to patients, according to a new Rand Corporation analysis in the January 23 New England Journal of Medicine. The authors of the analysis suggest that federal officials should incorporate ways to more objectively measure the amount of postoperative…
House passes year-end bill that repeals ACA taxes including medical device tax
Editor's Note The US House of Representatives on December 17 passed a year-end spending bill that repeals several Affordable Care Act (ACA) taxes, including the 40% tax on generous health insurance plans and the 2.3% tax on the sale of medical devices, the December 17 Reuters reports. The bill also…
A primer for starting a total joint replacement program
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have increasing incentives to offer total joint replacements (TJR) as Medicare expands the list of covered procedures. However, there’s a lot to consider in this particular service line. “There are many things to arrange that aren’t required with other service lines, particularly as home care of…
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