Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most Hospitals Are Defying Federal Rule Demanding Price Transparency
Axios: Most Hospitals Aren't Complying With A Federal Price Transparency Rule
Most hospitals aren't fully complying with a new federal rule requiring them to make their prices available, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine. The goal of the regulation is to allow price shopping and, thus lower costs, although it's unclear whether it'd have this effect. (Owens, 6/15)
In other health industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Cano Health Acquires University Health Care For $600 Million
Senior primary care provider Cano Health has acquired medical provider University Health Care for $600 million. The bolt-on acquisition grows Miami-based Cano's projected 2021 revenue to as much as $1.5 billion. The combined company has 143,000 members, 88 medical centers and more than 1,000 staff and affiliated providers nationwide. The news comes amid a flurry of activity in the primary care space, with insurers and providers racing to capture stakes of the growing Medicare Advantage market. The purchase was funded using $540 million in cash and $60 million in common equity issued to University's shareholders. Cano expects full-year membership could reach as high as 162,000 by year's end. Combining with University added 24,000 Medicare Advantage members, 13 facilities and more than 300 providers to Cano's platform. (Bannow, 6/14)
Modern Healthcare: Humana To Acquire Home Health Provider One Homecare Solutions
Humana on Monday announced it had signed a definitive agreement to purchase One Home Healthcare Solutions from private equity affiliate Waypoint Capital Partners, according to a news release. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the sale is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. The acquisition of the home-based service provider One Home Healthcare, which does business as onehome, will build on Humana's growing value-based home health segment, the company said. The Louisville, Ky.-based insurer recently announced its plan to fully acquire and integrate Kindred at Home. (Christ, 6/14)
Georgia Health News: Another Contract Standoff Looms Between United, Northside
Three months ago, two Northside hospitals in Gwinnett County went out of network with UnitedHealthcare, affecting thousands of the insurance company’s members. Looming now is the potential for other Northside hospitals — including the health system’s flagship facility in Atlanta — to drop off the United provider network as well, with possibly more patients affected. (Miller, 6/14)
Stat: Health Lobbyists Fund Their Own Policy Analyses, Clouding Debates
Sen. Chuck Grassley’s voice boomed through the Senate hearing room — it sounded like the voice of God, the committee chair chuckled — as he demanded an explanation for why the hospital industry was giving him information that directly contradicted the findings of academic researchers. The hospital representative testifying had offered up an analysis paid for by the American Hospital Association showing that hospital mergers lowered the amount hospitals collect per patient. A growing body of independent research proved the opposite: that consumers’ costs rise when hospitals merge. (Cohrs, 6/15)
USA Today: US News & World Report Ranks Children's Hospitals By Region, Specialty
Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, said the publication chose to include state and regional rankings this year so families could find hospitals closer to home as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact travel. “Parents are looking at a ranking of the top 50 hospitals in the country and for them, some of them are not actionable,” he said. “We wanted to give them information that would be relevant to the actions they’re trying to take.” The list also ranks the top 50 centers in 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and lung surgery, and urology. (Rodriguez, 6/15)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: UAMS' Covid-19 Research Gets Help
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a $1.4 million federal grant to study covid-19's disproportionate effects on minority-group populations and to improve efforts to reach those who have been underserved, the school announced Monday. The goal is to increase vaccinations and save lives. The research comes as the vaccination gaps for non-Hispanic whites, Blacks and Hispanics are beginning to narrow nationwide. "It's clear to me that we're making progress. We're not at equity yet, but we're definitely still making progress," said Dr. Cameron Webb, the White House's senior policy adviser for covid-19 equity. (Davis and Lockwood, 6/15)
Bangor Daily News: Northern Light Plans Overhauls At Half Of Its 10 Hospitals
Northern Light Health is planning or working on overhauls at half of its 10 hospitals across the state, with recent announcements for new or updated facilities following a year during which the Brewer-based hospital system lost tens of millions of dollars. The hospital system is in varying stages of updating Acadia Hospital in Bangor, its hospital in Blue Hill, Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth, C.A. Dean Hospital in Greenville and Mercy Hospital in Portland. (Marino Jr., 6/15)
