In Case You Missed It …
Hospital Mergers Are Getting Bigger by the Year
Friday, January 11
Forbes
As medical care providers attempt to scale up to compete with national health insurers, bigger hospital and health system mergers have taken place. The 2018 average seller size hit $409 million in revenue and has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 13.8% since 2008 according to Kaufman Hall’s heathcare M&A report.
CDC Warns of Another Bad Flu Season, 7.3M+ Sick So Far
Friday, January 11
CNBC
The CDC is reporting that up to 7.3 million people have been sick with the flu this season. About half of that have been to a doctor and as many as 83,500 have been hospitalized. The CDC states “Babies old than 6 months should get vaccinated with a traditional shot…and recommends that people with a flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever has gone.”
Government Shutdown Puts Food At Risk
Thursday, January 9
NYTimes
The FDA has stopped routine food safety inspections of seafood, fruits, and vegetables and many others at risk of contamination. Domestic meat and poultry are still being inspected by staff at the Agriculture Department but they are going without pay because of the government shutdown.
