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.

Medical marketing in US approached $30B in 2016

Medical marketing in the United States reached $29.9 billion in 2016, up from $17.7 billion in 1997, according to a new analysis published in JAMA.

January 9, 2019

PCI episode payments vary due to readmissions, postacute care

Readmissions and postacute care were the primary drivers of differences in payments to hospitals for 90-day episodes of percutaneous coronary intervention, suggests a study of more than 40,000 PCI procedures from 33 Michigan hospitals.

January 7, 2019

Income instability nearly doubles risk of CVD, death in young adults

Unpredictable drops in income in a person’s early 20s through mid-30s have been associated with a nearly twofold increased risk of all-cause death or CVD events, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

January 7, 2019

PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab not cost-effective despite price cut

The recent price cuts of the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab (Praluent) aren’t enough to make the cholesterol-lowering drug cost-effective compared to ezetimibe, according to an analysis published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

January 7, 2019

WSJ: Insurers pocketed $9.1B from Medicare by overestimating drug spending

A Wall Street Journal investigation detailed how private health insurers have regularly overestimated the cost of covering prescription drug benefits for Medicare enrollees, allowing the insurers to keep $9.1 billion more from 2006 to 2015 than if their projections had been accurate.

January 4, 2019
hospital corridor

Study links HRRP to mortality increases for heart failure, pneumonia

Another study has linked the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) to increased mortality among patients hospitalized for heart failure, prompting at least one cardiologist to urge policymakers to revise the policy.

January 2, 2019
Airplane

Stroke patient billed $474K for medical flight

A 34-year-old stroke patient was stuck with a bill for nearly a half-million dollars after taking a flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Boston to see a neurosurgeon.

January 2, 2019

Reports: GE files for IPO of healthcare unit

General Electric (GE) has filed the paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO) for its healthcare unit, GE Healthcare, according to numerous sources familiar with the ongoing situation. The offering is expected to take place by the middle of 2019.

December 19, 2018

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."

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup