What's the deal with hospital mergers?

This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.Delivered weekly from David Lim, Semafor Healthcare connects the dots between decisions in government, business, and technology to reveal how they impact the future of healthcare. Each edition will provide the analysis you need to understand and stay ahead of a rapidly changing landscape. Subscribe for free.This week, Microsoft announced a $19-billion deal to acquire Nuance Communications, a health tech firm. It's one of the many recent merger and acquisition deals in the health care space.On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Jeff Byers puts on his ex-reporter hat and joins Jessica Bylander to discuss the Nuance-Microsoft deal and review a recent Kaufman Hall report that found hospital merger deals were down in 2020, but still highly valued.Listen to Jeff and Jessica talk about hospital merger and acquisition trends and what it all means for the future of hospitals.Related Links:2020 M&A In Review: COVID-19 As Catalyst For Transformation (Kaufman Hall)Hospital Prices Grew Substantially Faster Than Physician Prices For Hospital-Based Care in 2007-14 (Health Affairs)What We Know About Provider Consolidation (Kaiser Family Foundation)2020 Market Insights Report: Chasing A New Equilibrium (Rock Health)Consolidation of Providers Into Health Systems Increased Substantially, 2016-18 (Health Affairs)Reversing Hospital Consolidation: The Promise Of Physician-Owned Hospitals (Health Affairs Blog)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast Subscribe to Semafor Healthcare for free.