Everything was big in 2015. Mega mergers, historic contracts and record losses dominated the attention of Modern Healthcare readers.
Here is a list of 2015's top 10 stories by page views.
Top 10 Modern Healthcare stories for 2015
No. 1 : Cerner, Leidos and Accenture win massive Defense contract for EHR system
Topping off this year's list, Cerner Corp., Leidos and Accenture Federal Services landed a multibillion dollar contract for a Defense Department EHR system in July. See the story
No. 2: Community Health Systems to spin off 38 hospitals, shift focus to larger markets
In August, Community Health Systems announced plans to shed 38 hospitals, most of them in small markets, and shift its focus to large markets and regional networks. CHS also said the hospitals and a consulting subsidiary would be spun off into a new publicly traded company. See the story
No. 3: $2.7 billion MedAssets sale shakes up healthcare group-purchasing market
In November, it was announced that a private equity firm would acquire MedAssets and split the company in two, absorbing its revenue-cycle management business and selling its group purchasing and consulting business to the VHA-UHC Alliance. See the story
No. 4: Only 251 U.S. hospitals receive 5-star rating on patient satisfaction
In April, a Modern Healthcare review of CMS data found that only 251 U.S. hospitals out of more than 3,500 earned the highest score on a new five-star rating system from the CMS. See the story
No. 5: Faulkner funds foundation to keep Epic private
In March, Epic Systems Corp. founder and CEO Judith Faulkner announced that she would leave much of her holdings in her privately held company to a specially created charitable foundation that will operate and fund not-for-profit organizations in healthcare and other areas. See the story
No. 6: Adventist Health System to pay $118.7 million settlement over Stark, False Claims allegations
In September, Adventist Health System agreed to pay the government $118.7 million to settle allegations it offered doctors excessive compensation for referrals—a settlement amount that nearly doubles a record set just last week. See the story
No. 7: Medicare test would make hospitals bear risk for hip and knee surgeries
The CMS announced in July that it planned to require hospitals in 75 geographic areas, including Los Angeles and New York City, to participate in a test of bundled payments for hip and knee replacements. See the story
No. 8: How Humana hitched with Aetna (and drove Cigna to Anthem)
The back story behind Aetna's acquisition of Humana read like a soap opera in which each of the “big five” health insurance companies were involved and multiple deals were hanging in the air at the same time. And it's not over yet. See the story
No. 9: UnitedHealth considers ditching ACA's exchanges due to giant losses
UnitedHealth Group, which lost $425 million from health plans sold on the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, sent shockwaves through the industry in November when it suggested it may exit the exchanges altogether by 2017. See the story
No. 10: CMS will modify—not scrap—'two-midnight' rule
In a proposed payment rule posted in July, the Obama administration said it plans to allow physicians to exercise judgment to admit patients for short hospital stays on a case-by-case basis and that it would remove oversight of those decisions from its administrative contractors and instead ask quality improvement organizations to enforce the policy. See the story
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