Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Bigger Is Better' Consolidation Mentality Sweeps Through Health Care Industry
Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Consolidation Goes Beyond Usual Players
Consolidation in the health system and health insurance industries has been a focus for years. But a new report sheds light on how the "bigger is better" mantra has taken hold in companies that make syringes, X-ray machines or other healthcare products. The report, prepared by the Open Markets Institute using data from IBISWorld, shows a small handful of companies dominate their respective markets in certain healthcare sectors that tend to get less of a spotlight than their payer and provider counterparts. The largest three pharmacy and drugstore companies represent 67% of market share and the largest two ambulance manufacturers represent 83% of market share. Just two dialysis providers dominate 76% of market share. (Bannow, 6/10)
Modern Healthcare: State AGs Investigate Breach Of Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp
Two Democratic state attorneys general have launched an investigation into a massive data breach at American Medical Collection Agency, a company that provides billing collection services to healthcare organizations. LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics last week said that the data breach affected nearly 8 million and 12 million of their patients, respectively. AMCA provides services to LabCorp and one of Quest's revenue-cycle contractors, Optum360. (Cohen, 6/10)
