Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Revenue Growth Beats Out Cost Controls For Hospital CEOs
Modern Healthcare: Revenue Overtakes Cost-Cutting As Hospitals' Top Priority
Hospital and health system CEOs are prioritizing revenue growth in 2019, according to a new survey. Revenue growth overtook cost control as executives' top priority, Advisory Board Co.'s survey of 90 C-level executives found. While administrators still aim to develop nuanced strategies to cut costs, their focus is now on improving ambulatory access, minimizing clinical variation, boosting primary-care alignment and adapting to population health. (Kacik, 6/12)
In other news on hospitals —
Modern Healthcare: Overriding Hospital Contracts With Out-Of-Network Docs Is One Senate Option
The Senate's health committee has proposed three options to ban surprise medical bills. But one of them—the technically named "in-network matching guarantee" policy—has raised especial rancor from specialty physician groups and some hospitals for how it could shake up industry practices that have taken root over years. The intensity of the criticism shows how high the stakes have gotten. Under the in-network matching guarantee—as outlined in the 165-page draft legislation from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.)—any doctor or clinician who treats a patient in an in-network hospital would have to accept the patient's in-network rate. (Luthi, 6/12)
