Capital Finance
Attitudes toward healthcare financing have been fairly conservative ever since the general economy collapsed with the stock market in 2008, but opportunities are opening up.
Early-stage investment in private companies used to be reserved for wealthy industry players, but in recent years it has become more common for mainstream healthcare investors to find early-stage investment opportunities. But while easier to find, the underlying risks of private investments has not changed.
Radiology reimbursement continues to drop, but healthcare providers often can achieve significant savings off the quoted vendor price for CT systems. Keys to finding savings include creating a strong, united team approach and determining what service coverage is best for a particular CT scanner.
Although there are some indications of a possible lull, hospital systems are still buying up private physician practices at a high rate. With that come concerns about maintaining the revenue cycle during transition, but there are steps hospitals can take to smooth the process.
Tenet Healthcare is seeing its situation improve, with growth in key metrics, more favorable payer contracts and a burgeoning services business unit.
As integrated healthcare becomes a central goal, the time may be ripe for mergers and acquisitions to get more interesting.
Analysts who fear health spending is accelerating got plenty of evidence in Wall Street's second-quarter results to support their thesis. But so did folks who hope spending is still under control.
The San Francisco Bay area is getting a new accountable care organization courtesy of the formation of a new company by two healthcare powerhouses in the region.
Portable chest X-rays are the most common diagnostic exam in intensive care units. But pricing for portable X-ray systems varies, and can range from $40,000 to over $235,000, depending on a variety of factors.
Health system acquisitions and affiliations are being driven more by strategy than by financial need, according to survey research released Sunday at the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s 2014 National Institute in Las Vegas.