Author's posts
Top Stories: Contributors to burnout start to ease for providers; Amazon launches virtual healthcare service
Provider burnout has been an issue in healthcare for years, but is the picture starting to improve? We’ll examine that and other timely topics in this week’s Top Stories, including Amazon’s launch of a new virtual healthcare service, and the extension …
Legislation looks to reduce Part D costs for Medicare beneficiaries
This week, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) introduced The PACE Part D Choice Act, which seeks to eliminate a significant financial disincentive for Medicare-only beneficiaries to enroll in Programs of All-Inclusive Care for …
Senators call for more Medicare Advantage consumer protections
Eleven Democratic senators have sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, asking the federal government to enact stronger consumer protections for Medicare Advantage in light of their concern over marketing practices for the prog…
Hospitals improve never events, HAIs in Leapfrog’s Safety Grades
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog organization that advocates for patient safety in hospitals, has released the fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade results, showing an overall reduction in never events and progress on stemming heal…
HHS Office for Civil Rights resolves disability case with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs
The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has entered into a Voluntary Resolution Agreement with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs after the latter was accused of not providing hearing aids to a patient, OCR has said.
CMS aims to improve health equity data to reduce disparities
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is looking to improve its data in ways that contribute to a fairer healthcare system, including continuing the development of equity scores and refining the Health Equity Summary Score, as well as addressi…
Hospital acquired infections were on the rise in 2021, says CDC
Several healthcare acquired infections (HAIs), such as central line-associated bloodstream infections and ventilator events, showed increased prevalence in 2021, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Four of …
DSH payments disproportionately disadvantage Black patients
The Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program, run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is meant to subsidize care for low-income patients, but is falling short when it comes to supporting hospitals in traditionally disadvantaged Blac…
Type 2 diabetes patients struggling with expenses, stress
Those living with Type 2 diabetes say they deal with fear and stress when it comes to their condition, with expenses and mental hardships becoming almost as burdensome as the disease itself – which is fostering distrust in the healthcare system, accord…
FTC refocusing on anticompetitive practices
The Federal Trade Commission is refocusing and strengthening its policy of enforcing the federal ban on unfair methods of competition, the agency said by statement Thursday, and this could have ramifications on the healthcare industry.
