Jarrard Inc.

The Biden Administration has made it clear that it will intensify its review of healthcare mergers and acquisitions and the expectation is that there will be longer periods for review and greater likelihood of second requests by the FTC. In addition, State Attorneys General have become much more aggressive in their review of potential combinations, resulting in increased involvement in the terms of the agreement, particularly focusing on the covenants of purchasers post-closing, including provision of indigent care, limitations on rate increases and attention to social determinants of health. That being said, although it is anticipated that Secretary Becerra may indirectly and discreetly play a role in the policies connected with healthcare merger and acquisition review, we anticipate that Becerra’s strong support of the ACA will be a counterbalancing factor, along with continued relaxation of regulations and issuance of waivers at least for the remainder of COVID-19. In addition, buyers have the burden of scoping and quantifying the potential COVID-19 liabilities and the complications to a transaction as buyers try to understand what stimulus funds were received and the restrictions regarding use of the funds and the potential requirement to repay such funds.

A couple of weeks ago, we ran a conversation between Molly Cate, founding partner and chief innovation officer at Jarrard, Dr. Mark Wenneker, a partner at The Chartis Group and primary care internist who leads Chartis’ behavioral health practice, and Dr. Danny Mendoza, a psychiatrist with the Beth Israel Lahey Health System and an expert in behavioral health integration. In that conversation, we looked at some clinical principles healthcare leaders can apply to their teams, patients, and the public to allay fear in this bizarre pandemic world we’ve been living in. But as we went through that first conversation, and as things continued moving forward in the vaccine rollout, it became clear that the principles applied to vaccine hesitancy as well. There’s a whole second discussion to be had with Wenneker and Mendoza about some of the psychology behind hesitancy and how healthcare providers can sort of guide people rather than push them.

Back in July of 2020, back when we thought for a moment the world was about to reopen and the fallout from months of lost revenue would begin to appear, we polled our extensive network to see what the future held for healthcare mergers and acquisitions. Who would be buying? Who would be selling? How would a previously active M&A landscape change in light of the pandemic? Also, there was an election that shifted power from one side of the aisle to the other

Support for Healthcare Workforce Mission Critical for Provider Organizations to Avoid Brain Drain National survey reveals 15 percent of healthcare workers unlikely to remain in the field following pandemic. The study, third in a series from healthcare strategic communications firm Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock and Public Opinion Strategies, revealed that as many as one in seven healthcare workers could exit the field following the pandemic, potentially leaving a significant staffing shortage at provider organizations. As we have seen throughout the pandemic, the public trusts healthcare workers and supports hospitals, wanting to hear from these groups on key issues,” Jarrard said. That means continuing to educate about vaccines, but also looking to longer-term partnerships and programs like telehealth, price transparency and even hospital-at-home.” With offices in Nashville, Tenn. and Chicago, Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Inc. is a U.S. top 10 strategic communications consulting firm for the nation’s leading healthcare providers experiencing significant change, challenge or opportunity.