Despite the strength of the U.S. economy headed into the New Year, a variety of conditions may be conspiring against businesses in certain segments of the health care industry. These include reduced patient census at skilled nursing and other long-term care facilities, COVID regulations that limit the ability of providers to give (or patients to receive) various forms of treatment and patients choosing to delay lucrative elective procedures, or even to forego health and dental care altogether. In addition, Congress passed and President Trump enacted into law the No Surprises Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2022. This legislation will have a profound impact on health care service providers across the country. Each of these circumstances has inflicted severe revenue losses on health and dental service providers. At the same time, inflationary pressures, a health care staffing shortage and the consequent rise in payroll-related costs have showed no signs of abating. Making matters worse, Medicare reimbursement has been cut for many health care providers, although President Biden intervened in late 2021 to soften the blow for some. Finally, health care deals are facing greater antitrust scrutiny at both the federal and state levels with some states considering bills that would require parties to provide prior notice before a transaction.
Individually, or in combination, these and other adverse market conditions have the potential to wreak financial havoc on health...
Image: Facebook/SAPS The IDAC has rubbished rumours that it has a J50 warrant of arrest for KZN provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as “false”. This comes after re...