The New York Times: How a Hospital Chain Used a Poor Neighborhood to Turn Huge Profits
By Katie Thomas and Jessica Silver-Greenberg September 24th, 2022 In late July, Norman Otey was rushed by ambulance to Richmond Community Hospital. The 63-year-old was doubled over in pain and babbling incoherently. Blood tests suggested septic shock, a grave emergency that required the resources and expertise of an intensive care unit. But Richmond Community, a […]
The New York Times: They Were Entitled to Free Care. Hospitals Hounded Them to Pay.
By Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas September 24th, 2022 In 2018, senior executives at one of the country’s largest nonprofit hospital chains, Providence, were frustrated. They were spending hundreds of millions of dollars providing free health care to patients. It was eating into their bottom line. The executives, led by Providence’s chief financial officer at […]
She Was Told Surgery Would Cost About $1,300. Then the Bill Came: $229,000.
By Michael Levenson May 21st, 2022 When Lisa Melody French needed back surgery after a car accident, she went to a hospital near her home outside Denver, which reviewed her insurance information and told her she would be personally responsible for paying about $1,337. But after the surgery, the hospital claimed that it had “misread” […]
Employers pay hospitals billions more than Medicare
By Adriel Bettelheim and Caitlin Owens May 17th, 2022 Employers and private insurance plans in 2020 paid hospitals 224% of what Medicare paid for the same services, with rates for inpatient and outpatient care varying widely from site to site, a new report from RAND finds. The intrigue: The report found that hospital prices had […]
WSJ: Hospitals Look to Raise Treatment Costs as Nurses’ Salaries Increase
By Melanie Evans May 8th, 2022 Some hospitals grappling with rising nurse salaries are seeking to raise prices by up to 15%, touching off contract fights with health insurers and businesses and threatening higher premiums. HCA Healthcare Inc. and Universal Health Services Inc. are among the hospitals asking health plans to pay them more for care to offset mounting nurse […]
NY State of Politics: New York hospitals face patient safety questions
By Nick Reisman May 13th, 2022 New York state is known for its world-class hospitals. But a survey released this week finds many receive low grades when it comes to patient safety, according to a survey released this week by the health care group Leapfrog. The data graded hospitals based on feedback from patients and their […]
Becker’s Hospital Review: 74% of physicians are hospital or corporate employees, with pandemic fueling increase
By Kelly Gooch April 19th, 2022 The percentage of U.S. physicians employed by hospitals, health systems or corporate entities grew from 62.2 percent in January 2019 to 73.9 percent as of January 2022, according to new data from Avalere in a study sponsored by the Physicians Advocacy Institute. In January 2021, 69.3 percent of physicians were employed […]
Chicago Tribune: Hospital safety grades: One Illinois hospital earns an F, Northwestern earns a C
By Lisa Schencker May 10th, 2022 Illinois ranks 27th in the country for its percentage of hospitals with high marks for safety, with a Waukegan hospital earning an F and one of Chicago’s most prestigious institutions, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, notching a C, according to new ratings. Overall, about 29% of Illinois hospitals earned A grades, about […]
Indiana local news: Ideas, research and tools to lower Indiana’s high healthcare costs
By Dirk Rowley May 5th, 2022 With the goal of lowering healthcare costs, the National Hospital Price Transparency Conference took place Thursday in Indianapolis before an in-person audience of 150 and another 300 virtual attendees from 39 states. The recurring question: does higher price mean higher quality? Keynote speaker Hunter Kellett of Arnold Ventures began […]
NY Daily News: NewYork-Presbyterian finally agrees to accept World Trade Center Health Plan for 9/11 survivors
By Micheal Mcauliff April 21st, 2022 NewYork-Presbyterian, the top hospital in New York that had refused to accept payments from a federally funded program that aids sick 9/11 survivors, finally relented after the Daily News reported the ongoing bureaucratic challenges for Ground Zero patients seeking treatment. First established in 2010, the World Trade Center Health Program provides […]