The article below is reprinted with permission from The Capital Issue, a quarterly newsletter published by Lancaster Pollard.The Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report dated Sept. 13, 2012 asserting the U.S. healthcare…

A reimbursement rate dispute between Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System and health insurer UnitedHealthcare could affect more than 400,000 United enrollees in the Tampa Bay area, according to a Tampa Bay Times report.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Healthcare reported a net loss of $5.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal year 2012, which was a 50 percent increase from its loss in the 2011 quarter.

Fiscal year 2012 for Cigna (pdf) just got a major boost, as the health insurer reported net income of $466 million in the third quarter — a 154 percent boost from the $183 million reported last year.

The process of bundled payments — in which hospitals, physicians, post-acute care providers and other receive a lump sum to cover a specific episode of care over an allotted period of time — is still in its infancy stages. But…

When is the last time your hospital, health system or organization looked at codes and clinical documentation to ensure everything was compliant with law and best practices?

There's a strong financial outlook for the pending "mega-merger" between Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System and Royal Oak, Mich.-based Beaumont Health System, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

For the past 27 years, David Miller has been an integral part of the financial foundation of Dayton (Ohio) Children's, a 155-bed freestanding hospital that is a regional leader in pediatric care.

In 2010, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees cut back on health insurance options, as only 49 percent of workers in small firms were offered and eligible for employer-sponsored healthcare, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund.

Last week, CMS approved Washington's HealthPathWashington initiative — a project that aims to improve the care of state residents enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.