Arizona has become a national hot spot for disputes over out-of-network medical payments, raising questions about whether the federal system designed to resolve surprise billing disputes is adding to healthcare costs.
The federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) system was created under the No Surprises Act of 2022 to...
As physicians and lawmakers weigh whether private equity’s capital and promised efficiencies outweigh risks to cost, access and clinical autonomy, the closure of two investor-backed urology practices in Tucson provides a cautionary Arizona example.
The practices joined United Urology Group in 2021 as part of Arizona Urology...National News
Healthcare is business, meaning that its susceptible to all the dangers of typical market activity, especially from the aggressive merger-acquisition strategy of private equity firms. But as the infrastructure of medical care delivery constricts, the market has slowed its spread through higher interest rates as utilization rates weigh on...
Private equity’s (PE) expanding role in healthcare is drawing renewed scrutiny from policymakers, researchers and market observers, as activity accelerates across hospitals, nursing homes and behavioral health services. In the past decade, PE investors have bet $1 trillion on healthcare. Lawmakers responded this week by introducing...
While most insurers are downsizing their Medicare Advantage market presence, Humana is doubling down and acquiring healthcare services to support its expanding network.
Last week, Humana's CenterWell Senior Primary Care, a value-based care provider, completed the acquisition of MaxHealth from Arsenal Capital Partners (Arsenal), a...
Hospitals acquired by real estate investment trusts are significantly more likely to close or file for bankruptcy, according to new national research examining the long-term impact of REIT ownership on U.S. hospital, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study published in BMJ...
A study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine links lowered hospital staffing rates and patient outcomes to private equity acquisition.
The study combines research from University of Chicago, Harvard Medical School and University of Pittsburgh that analyzed Medicare Part A and Part B claims data from 2009 to 2019. It...Arizona News
Envision Healthcare will transfer operations of roughly 95 imaging centers to Radiology Partners as part of its exit from the radiology business, the companies announced Wednesday. The move could include onboarding up to 400 radiologists, though a detailed timeline has not been disclosed. The transition is expected to continue through...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
According to a recent study in Health Affairs, the pace of private equity acquisitions in physician practices has accelerated, raising concerns about workforce instability and care continuity. Researchers examined changes to physician employment and turnover after PE acquisition of 200 ophthalmology practices with 1,980...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
Private equity firms have targeted companies that care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to a new report.
Residential, home health and personal assistance care have historically been provided for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through nonprofits and paid for by Medicaid....Top of The Day
The Steward Health Care debacle has drawn public focus to the participation of private equity (PE) in health care. As PE seeks to raise value for shareholders as quickly as possible by any means, it can have calamitous effects on crucial services and the communities that rely on them.
In short, private equity firm Cerberus Capital...Arizona News
Devoted Health has grown from serving 142,124 members in December 2023 to 227,141 members as of July 2024 – up 60% in just seven months.
In Arizona, Devoted Health has about 20,000 Medicare Advantage members in 4-star plans. This year it bumped its membership rolls an impressive 55%, gaining about 7,000 lives from April 2023 to...
In response to Steward Health Care’s bankruptcy filing in a Texas bankruptcy court on May 6, 2024, and news of its planned auction of four Arizona hospitals June 28, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that she is opening an investigation into the circumstances leading up to Steward Health Care’s filing and is considering...
America's largest private for-profit health system Steward Healthcare operates 31 hospitals across eight states including four in Arizona: Florence Hospital, Mountain Vista Medical Center (Mesa) St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center (Phoenix), and Tempe St. Luke's Hospital. The Dallas-based system said it would continue serving patients...
The St. Louis-based Lumeris is privately held and has a wide portfolio including its own 5-star Medicare Advantage plan in six states, capitated fee arrangements with payers including MA giants Humana and CVS, and contracts with ACOs in both the MSSP and REACH program.
The funding round was led by Deerfield Management, a longstanding...
The independent physician is an endangered species due to rapid corporate consolidation, according to a new report.
More than three-quarters of all U.S. doctors are employed by a corporate entity, be it hospitals, health insurers, private equity or some other corporate form. Healthcare Dive explains that much of the acceleration...
The Massachussets Health Policy Commission will meet Thursday and discuss a hotly contested sale of a physician contractor to OptumCare in an arrangement that could flag antitrust laws.
Stewardship Health Inc.'s Steward Health Care Network currently employs primary care physicians for contracting in nine states. The deal could add...
Last week, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) published a study on the role of private equity (PE) in Medicare Advantage. The study found that PE investment has fallen since the increase of interest rates and the implementation of stricter regulations.
The study looked at PE activity between 2016 and 2023, and analyzed...
A new study published in JAMA has found a correlation between private equity acquisitions of hospitals and an increase in adverse events among Medicare patients.
The adverse events events rose 25% in a three year period following acquisition and included surgical infections and bedsores. The JAMA Network study analyzed 662,095...
The independent dispute resolution (IDR) process is a voluntary forum for healthcare providers and health insurance issuers to resolve disputes about how much should be paid for out-of-network care. A GAO report found six of the top 10 initiating parties submitting emergency and non-emergency disputes were owned, at least in part, by...
