by Tony Chen

Wow, the recent news/commentary related to hospital strategy has been rich. Here are some of the highlights for me...

Dimitriy over at the TMBN offered up some great commentary on my previous post on unusual competition for hospitals. Even though I made it sound bleak for hospitals, he provides some core areas for hospitals to continue to focus on. And speaking of competition, Anne over at FierceHealthcare wondered about the Wal-Martization of healthcare. Isn't this just the next logical step after retail clinics - the true retailization of healthcare. WalMart has the werewithal to do so. They treat their inventory better than some medical practices treat their patients.

Goldman Sachs & friends held a conference about how consumerism and tech will reshape healthcare. Think about this: they think CDHP will reach 50 million in 4 years. Not surprising at all - as we speak, people are building the technology to link banks, payors, providers, and consumers --> a "smart" debit card is underway.

Speaking of banks and all that, new documents have been revealed surrounding the HCA buyout. Looks like the move was more one out of desperation rather than strength. They were about to miss all their targets - profit, revenue, growth. LBO was the only good option to maintain value. Analysts think another LBO or big equity deal is possible - maybe rural guru Community Health Systems as the most likely target? For every day hospitals, all this means is more potential $$ pouring into your big chain competitors.

Here's a new niche segment - create an entire service line just for obese patients. Yes, we treat 'em, and yes we buy special beds and wheelchairs for them, but dignity still escapes them when it comes to their overall hospital experience.

For now, don't worry about major U.S. employers sending their employees over to India for healthcare. You laugh? Actually that almost happened at Blue Ridge Paper Products, but this steelworker union stopped it.

Finally, stay tuned for more on the UPMC-Mercy for merger. FTC will be going after them, though this one is a very different argument than others. The merger may stand on the grounds that Mercy's only other alternative would be to exit the market - i.e. the "failing firm defense." All the typical community benefit, pricing, reduction of duplicative services stuff will also be considered.