Capital Finance
With an increasing demand for home care services, home care businesses have been springing up in communities across the country. And with the rapid expansion of these largely unregulated businesses questions about the industry's hiring practices have begun to surface.
Medicare- and Medicaid-focused health insurers continue to be the darlings of the acquisition ball, as evidenced by yesterday's announcement that Aetna would purchase Coventry Health Care in a cash and stock deal valued at $5.7 billion.
For-profit healthcare chain, Steward Health Care System, is continuing to expand its reach, this time northward into Maine. On Monday, Mercy Health System of Maine, a nonprofit, Catholic system associated with the Sisters of Mercy and Catholic Health East, announced that it had signed a non-binding letter of intent with Steward, the first step in a possible acquisition.
Just over a decade ago, members of Arkansas Children's Hospital's management decided to go to Disney World. It wasn't a fun-and-games trip, although fun was had. They went to learn about developing a culture that would support everyone working at the hospital and everyone using hospital services. Arkansas Children's was ahead of a trend recently taking hold in the healthcare industry: valuing customer service.
On the U.S. Department of Treasury's Go Direct campaign website is a countdown clock. It isn't counting down to the end of the Mayan calendar. And although some older adults may view the clock as ticking down to the end of the world as they know it, the Treasury Department and leaders of the long-term care industry say the deadline it's counting down to will begin a new era of increased efficiency and cost savings.
Those self-service kiosks that are often seen in supermarket pharmacies are becoming comprehensive health and wellness screening stations, thanks to SoloHealth.
Tenet Healthcare Corp. earlier this week reported second quarter net income of $42 million or 10 cents per diluted share for the quarter ending June 30, compared to $40 million or 8 cents per diluted share for the second quarter of 2011.
Thomas R. Green, CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based investment firm Lancaster Pollard recently discussed financing capital projects with Healthcare Finance News Editor René Letourneau.
Even as some governors vow to bow out of expanding their Medicaid programs in the wake of the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act, WellPoint Inc. announced July 9 it will acquire managed care company Amerigroup for $92 per share or roughly $4.9 billion.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Aug. 7 released an interim final rule for making healthcare claim payments electronically and describing adjustments to claim payments. The department expects this next step in the adoption of operating rules to save up to $9 billion over the next 10 years.