Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

NY cardiologist charged in national opioid prescription scandal

A cardiologist at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., is one of 60 that’s been charged in an illegal prescription opioid scandal that spans the U.S.

April 22, 2019
Referral

Proposed bill sparks debate over physician self-referrals

Several professional medical societies have now weighed in on a bill introduced to Congress on April 9 which seeks to prevent physicians from self-referring Medicare patients to in-office “ancillary services” including advanced imaging, anatomic pathology, radiation therapy and physical therapy.

April 16, 2019
Sen. Chunk Schumer has asked the U.S. Food and Drunk Administration (FDA) to investigate the high amount of caffeine found in energy drinks sold by Prime, a beverage brand founded by YouTube personalities Logan Paul and KSI. According to Schumer, the “eye-popping 200 mg of caffeine” found in a single Prime energy drink is troubling, especially for a product marketed primarily to children.

Added sugar labeling on foods, drinks could save US $31B in healthcare costs

The FDA’s decision to mandate labeling of added sugar content on packaged foods and beverages is estimated to prevent nearly 1 million cases of diabetes and cardiovascular disease over the next 20 years and save the U.S. $31 billion in net healthcare costs over that timeframe.

April 16, 2019

Coverage gap for anti-rejection drugs puts transplant patients at risk

An April 2 story in the New York Times highlighted a potentially dangerous insurance coverage gap faced by heart transplant patients and recipients of other organs—the immunosuppressive drugs they need to prevent organ rejection sometimes aren’t covered by Medicare if they received the transplants before enrolling in the program.

April 12, 2019

Sanofi unveils insulin discount program amid pricing scrutiny

French drugmaker Sanofi announced on April 10 a plan to lower its insulin prices to $99 per month for some U.S. patients, beginning in June. The announcement came amid a series of congressional hearings about drug costs and was met with questions about why this move and other recent cost-cutting measures took so long.

April 11, 2019

Dietary factors linked to 11M worldwide deaths in 2017

Dietary risk factors—such as consuming too much sodium or not enough whole grains and fruits—were responsible for 11 million deaths globally in 2017, according to a new analysis in The Lancet.

April 8, 2019

‘Mild’ heart attacks, strokes sap $15K in productivity even when patients resume work

The actual cost of a heart attack or stroke to society is about double the direct medical costs when lost productivity for patients and caregivers is considered, according to a study published April 6 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

April 8, 2019
united states map

Medicaid expansion through ACA tied to fewer heart disease deaths

Counties in states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) had fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease than those in states that didn’t expand Medicaid, according to an abstract presented April 5 at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research scientific sessions.

April 5, 2019

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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