IPC Healthcare, the large hospital and post-acute care staffing company, has acquired Extended Care Physicians, a post-acte staffing firm operating in the Carolinas.
MiraMed, the vendor of business outsourcing services for health care providers, has acquired Plexus, which offers an anesthesiology information system and management consulting.
CVS is paying Target $1.8 million for its pharmacies and in-store clinics, which will be rebranded as CVS. The companies will also collaborate on expansion.
According to a quarterly report from the Census Bureau health spending rose 7.3% in the first quarter, the highest gain in over five years and a substantial uptick from the first quarter of 2014's 2.2% uptick. The rise appears to be largely due to more utilization of services, with hospital spending increasing over 9%.
A Labor Department report indicates that health care costs continue to be a bigger component of overall compensation, particularly for larger employers. The bad news is that workers should expect that these higher health care costs will limit wage growth.
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.