Author Archive

Entries by Deborah Fournier

How States Use Cost-Growth Benchmark Programs to Contain Health Care Costs

August 6, 2020 in Policy Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington Charts, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, Health System Costs, Hospital/Health System Oversight, Making the Case for Action, Total Cost of Care Benchmark /by Deborah Fournier and Adney Rakotoniaina

Governor Takes First Step to Ensure Accountability in How Hospitals Use Federal Relief Funds

April 14, 2020 in COVID-19 Blogs, Featured News Home COVID-19, Health System Costs, Hospital/Health System Oversight COVID-19 /by Deborah Fournier and Trish Riley

Billions of federal dollars have begun to flow to the nation’s hospitals to help them treat COVID-19 patients and withstand revenue losses due to delayed elective surgeries and other procedures. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act): Increases Medicare payments to hospitals for COVID-19 admissions by 20 percent; Permits the Centers for […]

Anticipating Hospital Bed Shortages, States Suspend Certificate of Need Programs to Allow Quick Expansions

April 6, 2020 in COVID-19 Blogs, Featured News Home Community Benefit, COVID-19, Health System Costs, Hospital/Health System Oversight, Population Health /by Deborah Fournier, Adney Rakotoniaina and Johanna Butler

As coronavirus (COVID-19) hospitalizations and ICU bed demand surge across the country, 13 states have quickly acted to implement temporary, targeted suspensions of their certificate of need (CON) requirements for construction or expansion of new health-care facilities to remove regulatory barriers to address this critical health care need. CON laws are state regulatory mechanisms to […]