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January 03, 2015 12:00 AM

Outlook 2015: Financial pressures, reform uncertainties

Melanie Evans
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    2015 will see the healthcare industry pinned between two powerful forces—pressure to hold down health spending and continued growth in the number of insured Americans as the result of Obamacare coverage expansions.

    It also will be a year of uncertainty as the healthcare reform law faces major legal and political tests, and everyone watches to see whether alternative payment and delivery models yield hoped-for cost savings and quality improvements.

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    Slide Show: Who to watch in 2015

    Meanwhile, providers will continue to search for ways to cope with declining inpatient admissions, reduced Medicare and private insurance payment rates, dampened consumer demand related to the growth of high-deductible health plans and increasingly price-sensitive purchasers and consumers. Those factors have squeezed margins, and in turn, reduced hospital spending on labor, supplies and construction.

    But whether exchange customers in states using the federal exchange can continue to receive premium subsidies that make coverage affordable will be decided by the Supreme Court by June. A ruling to strike down the subsidies likely would lead to millions of people dropping coverage, rattling the markets and the industry. And the new Republican-controlled Congress is likely to try to chip away at other features of the law, such as risk-adjustment payments to insurers that enroll sicker pools of members.

    2015 also will bring new incentives for better coordination of care and improved quality and safety. There will be a growing push to treat patients in the least costly settings, including a greater use of telehealth.

    Quality and safety experts are expected to release new recommendations to reduce overtreatment and diagnostic errors as the push to monitor performance expands beyond acute care. Meanwhile, health systems and public health officials will be looking for gaps in infectious-disease preparedness that were exposed by the limited Ebola outbreak in the U.S. in 2014.

    Healthcare consolidation is expected to continue in 2015, as stronger hospitals and systems prepare for population health models and weaker providers seek partners for survival.

    Read on for predictions and analyses from Modern Healthcare reporters on what 2015 may bring for insurers, hospitals, physicians, dealmakers, construction companies, medical manufacturers and supply chain companies.

    Follow Melanie Evans on Twitter: @MHmevans

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    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
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