The Hospital of the Future Part I: Can healthcare leaders deliver a healthier future?
With support from: It’s a scene “The Jetsons” might have portrayed: A patient scheduled for surgery checks into the hospital by scanning a QR code with her smartphone, then is digitally led to her room. There, a smart TV welcomes her and orients her to the room. Soon, a robot arrives, delivering the gown she’ll change into…
GLP-1 coverage costs pressure employers and Medicare plans in 2026
Even as evidence accumulates about the efficacy of GLP-1 drugs, concerns surrounding insurance coverage of the products remain unresolved. Both employers and insurers are trying to navigate the dichotomy between clinical benefits and potentially burdensome costs. “Against the backdrop of anticipated double-digit healthcare cost increases, fueled to a large degree by GLP-1s and overall prescription…
Hospital workplace violence escalates financial and workforce pressures
Incidents of violence in U.S. workplaces are disproportionately common in healthcare settings, especially in hospital emergency departments (EDs), and new data helps quantify the toll. It’s long been known that healthcare and social service workers are significantly more likely than workers overall to suffer a workplace violence injury. Bureau of Labor Statistics data suggest the…
ACA marketplace constraints reduce hospital revenue, shift payer mix
Coverage changes in government healthcare programs are starting to show up in hospital financials, based on Q1 reporting from the for-profit hospital sector. Most notably, 2026 cutbacks in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage are manifesting in lower revenues, while hospitals are getting a taste of what’s to come next year in Medicaid coverage. In…
The Revenue Cycle of the Future: AI boom and workflow redesigns accelerate rev cycle transformation
Hospitals of all sizes are leveraging AI advancements and workflow redesigns to modernize revenue cycle management, aiming to lower costs, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the patient experience. While technology such as predictive analytics and automation shows promise in streamlining tasks, challenges remain in workforce adaptation, skill shifts, and the need for strategic collaboration, as leaders work to balance innovation with employee training and retention in an increasingly tech-driven environment.
GAO examines No Surprises Act payment and network trends
Recent trends seen as a consequence of the No Surprises Act (NSA) include a moderate increase in the share of providers going in-network for some services, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Such a development was a secondary goal of the 2020 year-end legislation and could belie concerns that the large…
Rising healthcare costs strain health system margins
Systemic challenges are showing few signs of easing in healthcare financial operations. As identified by federal actuaries, increases in the use and intensity of hospital services drove a big recent jump in national healthcare spending. Those volume-based metrics represent a boost for hospital revenues but a roadblock to cost reduction. That dichotomy had a net…
Hospital use and service intensity helped fuel healthcare spending growth in 2024
Increasing use and intensity of hospital care, physician and clinical services, and retail prescription drugs led a continued surge in U.S. healthcare spending in 2024, according to newly released data. National health expenditures (NHE) reached $5.3 trillion, a 7.2% increase year-over-year and comparable with the 7.4% jump recorded in 2023. Except for the pandemic year…
Hospital-insurer contract disputes could intensify as cost pressures persist
Relationships between hospitals and health insurers are expected to undergo further strain this year, according to analysts with a leading credit ratings agency. “Providers are still dealing with rising operating costs, labor supplies and infrastructure that outpace what insurers have been willing to pay in recent years,” said Bradley Ellis, senior director for the U.S.…
MedPAC finds the hospital industry is on a more stable financial footing now
Hospitals do not need a Medicare payment boost for 2027 beyond the update to be provided in the statutory formula, says the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Whereas the commission had recommended that Congress increase hospital payments by an additional 1% or 1.5% ahead of each year from 2024 through 2026, the recommendation for 2027…