Michael Sandler
Modern Healthcare
Chicago, IL, United States
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Past articles by Michael:
The new basic training for next gen physicians
A growing number of medical schools in the U.S. are immersing students in the nitty-gritty of direct patient contact and care from the start of their training. The schools' aim is to produce physicians who are more in tune with team-based and patient-centered care. → Read More
Aurora Health Care hit with higher expenses as patient volume rises
Aurora Health Care saw its expenses rise during the third quarter as higher patient volumes required more full-time employees. Salaries and wages increased 3.4% over the prior-year period, which the Milwaukee-based system said was due to the annual salary adjustment of 2.8% that became effective in July. Aurora's full-time staffing grew 5.4% to serve the additional patients. → Read More
Rehabilitation providers prepare for payment changes
Medicare payment changes are likely to affect how rehabilitation providers serve patients. → Read More
Oklahoma ranked worst in U.S. for healthcare access
Oklahoma has the worst access to healthcare of all of the 50 states in the U.S. Massachusetts residents have the easiest time getting an appointment. Those two findings come from a new system designed by Merritt Hawkins to rank the states' access to healthcare. → Read More
- Modern Healthcare Modern Healthcare business news, research, data and events
Major healthcare staffing companies increasingly are serving as general contractors for hospitals scrambling to staff up with contingent physicians and nurses. Some hospitals say that working with staffing firms under the so-called managed-service provider model has helped them cope with severe shortages, and that MSPs have served them better than having to deal directly with individual staffing… → Read More
Amedisys reports revenue growth on higher patient volume
Home health and hospice provider Amedisys posted revenue growth for the third quarter as admissions spiked for the Baton Rouge, La.-based company. → Read More
A different Epic stays acquisitive in skilled-nursing space
Pediatric skilled-nursing company Epic Health Services continued its recent acquisition binge with the announcement Tuesday that the Dallas-based firm will buy Medco, an enteral therapy services provider. Enteral therapy provides nutrition for patients through tube feeding. → Read More
Soaring drug prices erode Fairview's margins
Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis, recorded a 28.8% decline in operating income in the second quarter compared to the year-ago quarter due to higher costs for hepatitis C drugs and the continuing shift in demand from inpatient to outpatient settings, the system said in a filing. → Read More
BREAKING: Harvard Pilgrim forms population health venture with New Hampshire health systems
Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Elliot Health System and Frisbie Memorial Hospital will jointly own a new company with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care that will share clinical information and financial risk for 80,000 New Hampshire patients. → Read More
Hospital jobs carrying majority of healthcare sector growth
The healthcare sector added 34,400 jobs in September, making up almost a quarter of new jobs in the U.S. for the month. Hospital hires led the healthcare sector, adding 15,500 for the month. → Read More
Patients say they were charged thousands of dollars for EHRs
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and George Washington University Hospital are being sued by patients who said they were charged thousands of dollars to obtain medical records. A lawsuit claims the hospitals violated District of Columbia consumer protection laws. → Read More
Christus margin shrinks as premium revenue tumbles
After a downturn in its premium revenue, Irving, Texas-based Christus Health reported an operating margin of 1.5% for fiscal 2015, a slide from 1.8% last year. → Read More
NIMH Director Dr. Thomas Insel leaves to run Google mental health initiative
Dr. Thomas Insel, director for the National Institute of Mental Health, will step down effective Nov. 1, after serving in that capacity for 13 years. Insel will spearhead a new Google Life Sciences effort focusing on mental health. → Read More
Hospital discharges down in 2014
Healthcare delivery system changes continue to push patients away from inpatient care. That's suggested by a Modern Healthcare review of American Hospital Directory data, which found that the number of patient discharges fell 8.4% from 2013 to 2014. → Read More
Rules regarding human research subjects undergoing overhaul
HHS and 15 other agencies issued proposed updates to what's known as the Common Rule, which aims to protect human research subjects. The changes, coming ahead of a major White House precision-medicine initiative, include clearer consent rules for the reuse of stored blood or tissue. → Read More
Ventas spinoff acquires skilled-nursing facilities for $210 million
Seeking to tighten its grip on a splintered skilled-nursing facilities market, Care Capital Properties announced Wednesday that it has acquired several properties in Louisiana. → Read More
For-profit hospitals continue to grow
As hospitals around the country continue to consolidate and streamline operations, a leaner healthcare industry is also becoming a more profitable one. Moody's Investors Service Monday said there's a stable outlook for the future of the U.S. for-profit hospital sector. → Read More
Mount Sinai's operating surplus booms
Riding a wave of discharges and investment income, New York-based Mount Sinai Hospital reported a 58.5% rise in operating surplus for the six months ended June 30, 2015. → Read More
CMS boosts funding for initiative to improve care at nursing homes
The CMS announced today that it is combating the skyrocketing cost of nursing home hospitalizations by injecting funds into the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents. → Read More
Pace of post-acute care M&A deals slows
Companies in the post-acute care and senior housing sectors continue to be opportunistic when it comes to mergers and acquisitions, but the difficult task of combining organizations is forcing some to take a breather. → Read More