Healthcare reform, especially the advent of accountable care organizations has been a challenge for small hospitals amid predictions that some hospitals will close and others will no longer remain independent.One healthcare consultant believes that the ACO model doesn’t necessarily mean doom for smaller hospital operators, provided they can adapt and learn.Who can they learn from?Small [...]

Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare announced Tuesday that it is buying two senior-focused health plans in Florida to expand its coverage in that southern state.The two plans are Preferred Care Partners and Medica HealthCare Plans. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Through separate transactions, UnitedHealthcare will acquire Preferred Care’s six primary-care centers in Miami-Dade and Broward [...]