Hospital expenses grew 7.5% in 2025, more than twice the rate of hospital price growth, according to this week's American Hospital Association’s Costs of Caring report, highlighting mounting cost pressures across the hospital sector.
The report found workforce expenses remain hospitals’ largest cost driver, accounting for about...
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agreed to end a pilot program for a 340B Drug Pricing Program rebate model. This week, the agency is reportedly exploring the possibility of launching another model with the same premise.
The HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the pilot program...National News
Last month, the American Hospital Association (AHA) published a report demonstrating that tax-exempt hospitals delivered nearly $150 billion in total benefits to their communities in 2022, representing a 50% increase in community benefit spending over the prior five years.
The annual study uses Schedule H tax filings and the Community...National News
Medicare Advantage insurers are having a tough time. Humana was forced to refile its lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) over inappropriate star ratings awards as it scales back its use of prior authorizations. Meanwhile, the American Hospital Association (AHA) testified in Congress about the problems...CMS Rules
This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its 2026 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule which would raise reimbursement for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) by 2.4%. The proposal also puts forward a site-neutral policy, which would allow CMS to reimburse at the same...National News
The GOP is dead set on cutting Medicaid as part of President Donald Trump's massive budget overhaul, but identifying the cuts, courting enough votes to pass the cuts and passing them within the president's preferred timeline are all shaping up to be far more difficult than Republican leadership had hoped.
The message from the public...Top of The Day
The American Hospital Association, which represents the interests of hospitals, published its annual report on the latest data and trends in the healthcare field and The Office of Inspector General takes issue with the costs of swing beds in the country's critical access hospitals.
The AHA's report, 2025 Environmental Scan, covers the...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced last month that it would investigate the use of prior authorization in denials for post-acute care by Medicare Advantage plans.
In the new audit, OIG plans to look into processes for reviewing prior authorization requests for post-acute...
MultiPlan, a data technology vendor providing discounts for out of network services, is under scrutiny and faces litigation.
Last month, a New York Times investigation found that the private-equity backed tech company promised insurers that it could drive down patients' bills while charging patients, providers and its own clients hand...
The latest report highlights ongoing financial challenges faced by American hospitals and health systems that are impacting their capacity to deliver round-the-clock care to patients and communities.
According to the American Hospital Association report, in 2023, hospitals and health systems again sustained substantial expenses due to...National News
On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced approval of a final rule which bans employers from issuing noncompete clauses, which would have serious effects in the healthcare industry and especially for hospitals.
Hospitals, physician groups, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers use noncompete agreements to keep former...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued proposed rules for the FY 2025 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) payment system. The agency proposes raising payments and the industry decried the boost as insufficient.
Hospitals will receive a 2.6% increase or $2.9 billion across...National News
The exact nature of the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident remains mysterious as concerned parties come forward to voice concerns about Change, UnitedHealth Group and the use of healthcare technologies controlled by large companies.
Last Friday, Change Healthcare announced that it would offer a temporary assistance loan program...
Last week, UnitedHealth Group's (UHG) health care technology subsidiary Change Healthcare was hit by a cyberattack that disrupted services for pharmacies and patients.
UHG said that once the attack was detected, Change was forced to disconnect some of its digital network from client access and shut down services including programs...
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) are asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize its 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D proposed rule that would provide a number of reforms for the MA program.
In a lengthy letter highlighting several key points of the...Arizona News
Representative Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) has signed on to support the "Rural Physician Workforce Production Act," which would lift Medicare reimbursement caps on rural hospitals and incentivize urban hospitals to send residents to train at rural locations.
In a press release, Rep. Gallego noted that more than 40% of rural Arizonans worry...Top of The Day
A new report by Syntellis and the American Hospital Association (AHA) could drive the fight between hospitals and Medicare Advantage providers to reach a head, as the analysis shows MA plans' claims denials are directly contributing to declines in cash reserves.
Claims denials increased 56% for the median hospital between January 2022...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY2024 Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center Prospective Payment System (OPPS), which included an increase for outpatient hospitals and ASCs of 3.1%.
The final rule's raise was larger than the 2.8% initially proposed, which the agency attributed to industry response...CMS Rules
Physicians and related stakeholder groups have rallied against the 2024 physician fee schedule proposed rule, which was issued in July. The rule is expected to be finalized shortly, but providers are saying that any cuts could jeopardize access to primary care.
The proposed rule contains a 3.36% cut to the conversion factor for...National News
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has filed suit against a subsidiary of the UnitedHealth Group alleging it denied thousands of claims without reviewing them for medical necessity.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin against UMR, a third-party administrator within the...
