Physician union drive picks up steam
Physician unionization efforts have expanded this year from a previous focus on those in training to established clinicians. The latest physician unionization actions included: “The worrisome aspect of this developing trend is that it seems to be accelerating,” Chris Cimino, CEO at Chessboard Consulting Inc. and a hospital labor advisor, said about physician unionization. A…
340B policies in OPPS rule draw hospital concerns
A proposed cut in Medicare payments for 340B drugs and an acceleration in repayments related to a previous 340B cut are leading concerns for some hospitals and health systems. The two 340B policies in the proposed rule for the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) were among a range of provisions in the 299-page rule issued…
12 hospital M&A trends to know
An increasing number of hospitals targeted by mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is one of several consolidation trends recently identified by a tracking firm. The LevinPro HC U.S. Hospital M&A: Quarterly Activity report, issued July 30, identified a range of healthcare deal trends. Here are the top 12 findings:
FastFinance: Health system OBBBA effects, DSH court ruling
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. A seven-state health system has garnered federal rural funding under the 2025 federal healthcare overhaul, even as it prepares for adverse impacts next year. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $1.8 trillion.…
Health system sees early OBBBA benefits, coming challenges
A seven-state health system has garnered federal rural funding under the 2025 federal healthcare overhaul, even as it prepares for adverse impacts next year. Nick Olson, executive vice president, CFO and treasurer of Sanford Health, said the health system has garnered $36 million in Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding to use as startup capital…
$3 billion annual hospital VBP cost: study
Just four mandatory value-based payment (VBP) programs cost hospitals $3 billion in higher administrative costs every year, according to new research. The administrative cost findings of research published in August in JAMA Health Forum could help project hospital costs as mandatory VBP programs continue to propagate. The researchers identified changes in administrative costs when Inpatient…
Businesses increase support for hospital price caps
Business groups increasingly support various approaches to cap hospital prices. Although many business groups continue their traditional opposition to any government price controls, an increasing number of business professionals see ones focused on hospitals and health systems as an effective option. That support was shown in a new National Alliance for Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (NAHPC)…
FastFinance: Capex trends; new 340B bill
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospital and health system capital expenditures in fiscal 2025 reached their highest since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, according to Fitch Ratings Also, this week’s Weird Number: $137…
Capex surges to highest since 2008
Hospital and health system capital expenditures in fiscal 2025 reached their highest since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, according to Fitch Ratings Capital expenditure (capex) as a percentage of depreciation expense surged to 142.7% in fiscal 2025, the highest since it was 154.4% in fiscal 2008, among the hospitals and health systems…
Fitch medians: 10 things to know
Improving hospital and health system operating margins in 2025 were among the findings in the latest Fitch Ratings medians. Here are 10 insights from the Fitch Ratings’ 2026 medians (subscription required), based on audited 2025 data of its 222 rated organizations: