Category Archives: Healthcare news

Healthcare news

Catholic Healthcare West Drops Church Affiliation

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Anne Zieger

In a move I wouldn’t be surprised to see imitated, big religious hospital chain Catholic Healthcare West has broken its official ties with the Roman Catholic Church, though it will continue to include both Catholic and non-Catholic facilities in its … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital M&A, hospital operations, Non-profit hospital | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Small-Hospital Mergers A Signal That Crisis Is Upon Us

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

If you’re wondering how healthy an industry is, look at how many smaller players are selling out. And if the smaller players are bailing like rats from the proverbial ship, consider that industry to be in crisis. That’s my theory, … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare news, hospital finance, hospital M&A, Hospital real estate, Non-profit hospital, Safety-net hospitals | Comments Off

Hospital Strategic Partnerships Avoid Mergers, But Create Other Pain Points

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

This is one of those periods in health biz history when M&A looks especially attractive.  What CEO wouldn’t give a second thought to getting acquired and picking up a bundle of cash when they’re struggling to survive? In fact, one … Continue reading →

Posted in accountable care organizations, health it, Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital finance, hospital M&A, hospital operations, Non-profit hospital | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Hospitals play unfair games with Medicare observation status

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

Most hospital visitors don’t care a whole lot whether they’re classed as inpatients or outpatients  – unless it affects the size of their bill. But lately, many patients are getting hit with unexpected fees after spending days in a hospital, … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital finance, hospital operations, Medicare, politics, Revenue cycle management | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Adding mini-hospital resolves clash between religious, secular facilities

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

As secular, for-profit hospital chains merge with rule-bound religious facilities, patients are facing restrictions on their care that they hadn’t faced before. While for-profit hospitals will perform virtually any legal medical procedure, hospitals owned by religious institutions often impose faith-based … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital M&A, hospital operations, Takeover | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

FTC: This Merger Looks So Good, It Has To Be Illegal

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

If you’re as cynical as I am, it’s not hard to take a certain amusement in the goings-on in Toledo over the merger between an aggressive for-profit hospital chain and a suburban not-for-profit. Over the past few months, the Federal … Continue reading →

Posted in EHRs, health it, health plans, Healthcare news, hospital finance, hospital M&A, hospital operations, hospital transformation, Non-profit hospital, Takeover | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Illinois hospitals shocked, I tell you, shocked at losing non-profit status

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

For years now, legislators have been threatening and posturing over the issue of just how much charity care a non-profit hospital needs to provide to maintain their tax-free status. In prior years, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) struck fear in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital finance, Non-profit hospital | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Takes from Twitter: Intriguing hospital tidbits

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

Here’s some hospital updates from the ever-flowing well of Twitterchat.  I’m not endorsing the tweeters in question, but I was intrigued by these tidbits: @EFS_Consultants Medical Wonder: Meet The CEO Who Rebuilt A Crumbling California Hospital http://ow.ly/1csdwz @Stanford: HP pledges … Continue reading →

Posted in fraud, Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital finance, hospital operations, social media | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Hospital merger mania on the rise across the U.S.

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

As I reported a few days ago, hospital mergers and acquisitions hit a historic high last year.  This is shaping up to be a pretty frenzied year for hospital M&A as well.  In fact, this may be the year that … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital finance, hospital M&A, hospital operations, hospital transformation, Takeover | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Google takes over hospital industry, CMS in private leveraged buyout

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Katherine Rourke

Read the headline?  Those are things that just aren’t going to happen, right? Well, I’m pretty sure the things that we can expect for the next few years will end up looking just about that strange when we read about … Continue reading →

Posted in emergency department, healthcare content, Healthcare news, hospital administration, hospital finance, hospital marketing, hospital operations, hospital transformation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off