In September, the FTC sent noncompete-focused warning letters to large healthcare companies, but did not identify them. I filed a FOIA, which showed some of the biggest hospital chains — HCA, Tenet and UHS — are among 19 companies on the FTC's radar. bit.ly/3MmhRlN via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

Claim denials, inflation and an increase in the number of self-pay patients are driving up nonprofit health systems’ accounts receivable balances. bit.ly/4it9WPk via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

Hospitals are not increasing revenue fast enough to keep up with two factors entirely out of their control — inflation and the graying of America. Read my latest data dive with @timbroderick.bsky.social here: bit.ly/4o6czrr via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

Rising anesthetist costs and declining reimbursement are squeezing rural and safety-net hospitals. Health systems are training more CRNAs and streamlining operations. But those efforts may not be enough to stave off service cuts. Read more here, thanks for your time: bit.ly/43dD2Md

Health systems are deploying an often-overlooked resource to combat a potential increase in uninsured patients — community health workers: bit.ly/4oHUTEi via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

A growing number of health system CEOs are planning to retire, exposing gaps in succession planning that could dent provider finances. bit.ly/4ox3dGZ via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

Hospitals in urban areas are increasingly using a regulatory loophole to benefit from policies designed to support rural providers, a new @healthaffairs.bsky.social study found: bit.ly/3HeFkTK via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

Keep an eye out for a provider-sponsored health plan acquisition later this month. I spoke to a handful of health systems with insurance offerings to unpack the benefits and challenges of controlling both care delivery and payment: bit.ly/4lm9BOl via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

That rural health fund.. may help urban hospitals, @alex-kacik.bsky.social reports, because dually classified rural/urban hospitals increased from 3 in 2017 to 425 in 2023. "The $50 billion fund was supposed to be the savior of rural hospitals facing huge Medicaid cuts,” a Kansas hospital CEO said

Rural hospital CEOs are concerned urban providers will tap into the $50 billion rural health fund. Even so, the program will not be enough to mitigate looming Medicaid and Medicare cuts, they said. Read more here: bit.ly/3IA8jl4 via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

“It is like we are preparing for a hurricane." Rural hospitals are planning for Medicaid and Medicare cuts linked to the OBBA. But there is only so much to cut, CEOs told me, noting a significant reduction in OB services over the past decade. bit.ly/4lLT2vG via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social

Health systems are cutting costs. Administrators have taken the brunt of the layoffs, which can lead to organizational overhauls. We looked at the financial pressures prompting these changes and the risks of rushing restructurings. bit.ly/45PWkJL via @modernhealthcare.bsky.social