PWeR Blog

Sign up today for the latest PWeR development announcement!

18Nov, 2022
0

Breaking News: FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange Implodes In Less Than 1O Days

By: | Tags:

Breaking News: FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange implodes in less than 1O days, wiping out 100s of billions of dollars for an estimated 1 million stakeholders. We have just witnessed the collapse of FTX[1], an international Cryptocurrency exchange, that until recently, was run by Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) from a base in the Bahama’s. We have seen the headlines everywhere[2] reminiscent of the implosion of Theranos. “FTX” and the news is overwhelming. In short, regulators and governments from all over the world are investigating over 100 companies affiliated with FTX for criminal violations. This […]
READ MORE

9Nov, 2022
0

Breaking News: CMS Published Its Annual Payment Updates for Physicians for 2023

By: | Tags:

Breaking News: CMS has published its annual payment updates for physicians for 2023, and once again, reimbursements are cut by 4.5%. On November 1, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that includes updates and policy changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), and other Medicare Part B and Part D issues, in particular relating to drug cost, effective on or after January 1, 2023[1]. As we have noted in previous blogs, the days of Fee-For-Service (FFS) are going to be […]
READ MORE

26Oct, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 12 

By: | Tags:

We are finally seeing some ‘Big Players’ entering the healthcare delivery of care. A few years back, when Haven Health was created by Jaime Dimon (JP Morgan), Jeff Bezos (then CEO of Amazon) and Warren Buffett (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway), we predicted it would not work. Well, three (3) years later they dissolved the company. The reason we predicted it would not work was primarily two (2) reasons. First, the healthcare industry did not need another Group Purchasing Organization or GPO. Second, their mission of “changing healthcare” was impossible, unless […]
READ MORE

18Oct, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 11

By: | Tags:

In Part 10 of our blog series, The Economics of Healthcare, we left off at discussing the problems most hospitals are having post-COVID. These problems are labor and material/supply costs, items basic to their operation. Then, there is the overall billing/revenue cycle that fails to accommodate any but the most minor pricing elasticity. The changes needed to these areas will likely take years to play out. Increasing costs have been materially fueled by the overall inflation, supply chain shortages creating additional demand-push inflation with attending supply cost adjustments, reduction or […]
READ MORE

8Sep, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 10

By: | Tags:

Though we have presented on a historical basis that healthcare has been recession proof, it does not mean that there are not issues in healthcare that create major problems in good times and in bad times. I have told many students and investment bankers that with healthcare comprising over 20% of the U.S. economy, there is always a part of the industry that is on fire and one that is melting down. Today, insurance companies are on fire as companies continue expanding into healthcare. As we mentioned previously, we are […]
READ MORE

25Aug, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 9

By: | Tags:

On August 4, 2022, the President of United States Joseph R. Biden Jr., signed in to law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA)[1]. This comprehensive law covered many areas, including healthcare (our sole focus), clean energy and taxes according to The White House release[2]. Without getting political, let’s look at what is promoted by those sponsoring the new law. The following is a section The White House noted : HEALTH CARE Cutting Prescription Drug Cost Today, Americans pay two to three times what citizens of other countries pay for prescription drugs. […]
READ MORE

18Aug, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 8

By: | Tags:

We’ve received some excellent feedback from our readers, and we are encouraged to hear that this series of blogs has been of value. When we re-titled the blog, The United States of Healthcare (SM), it was to point out how the number one industry in the U.S., for consistently recuring expenditures regardless of the market and Gross Domestic Products (GDP), was healthcare. Frankly, it appears that this will remain so for surely at least the next decade. The basic driver is plain and simple demographics. We have also noted in […]
READ MORE

10Aug, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 7

By: | Tags:

With the U.S. facing yet another recession of unspecified depth and duration, widespread economic issues, some exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, we have an abundance of economic news. These reports are showing a precarious situation for the U.S. economy.  For the very first time in decades, the healthcare sector accounts for a solid 20% of the U.S. economy, and it may be showing some signs of lagging in healthcare cost relative to inflation. We have a few points to discuss.  First, let’s start with one that is so historic it […]
READ MORE

2Aug, 2022
0

The Economics of Healthcare – Part 6

By: | Tags:

Last week, we all witnessed a great deal of economic data and actions by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided that the U.S. inflation rate was too high, and that warranted an increase in the U.S. Federal Funds interest rates. They increased rates by 75 basis points or 0.75%, what is considered an extra ordinary increase. As we have noted, major U.S. banks are very concerned that extremely high inflation will force the FOMC to cause a U.S. recession. We have noted before […]
READ MORE

26Jul, 2022
0

Breaking News: Amazon To Acquire One Medical

By: | Tags:

Breaking News: Amazon To Acquire One Medical We have been publishing a series on The Economics of Healthcare; however, this news is too big to delay our reaction. This morning, July 21st around 9 am, an incredible alert popped up my computer screen from the Wall Street Journal – “Amazon to buy One Medical for $3.9 Billion.” Within the hour, One Medical (ONEM) stock was up 66%, as was Amazon’s stock (AMZN) increasing over 3%. This news is a big deal and I decided to take the opportunity today to explain why. I […]
READ MORE