Category: Modern Healthcare

House GOP introduces bill to delay Obamacare taxes

Republicans of a key House committee introduced a tax package to delay Obamacare taxes that don’t expire until next year or after.

Kaiser Permanente mental health workers begin five-day strike

Monday marked the first day of a five-day strike for 4,000 mental health workers at about 100 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics in California.

Health insurer, employer groups call on Congress to end surprise billing

Nine groups representing health insurers, employers and consumers called for federal legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers.

Congress to pass children’s health home legislation by year-end

Congress is considering a revised bill to establish provider-coordinated health homes for chronically ill children during its lame duck session. The U.S. House of Representatives has cut the amount of federal Medicaid money that would fund the homes.

Data show link between childhood trauma, adult health

While only 10% of adults with no adverse experiences during childhood reported being in fair or poor health, that percentage was 17% for those with at least one such experience, according to new data.

Commentary: Hurting the healers—the tragedy of hospital shootings

It’s been suggested that doctors and hospitals have no business weighing in on solutions to gun violence. And yet, hospitals across America rescue gunshot victims every day. And all too often, that violence comes into the hospital.

Allscripts is selling its stake in Netsmart

The electronic health record vendor first acquired a stake in behavioral health technology vendor Netsmart in 2016. It’s now selling its portion to GI Partners, which also acquired a stake at the same time in 2016.

Justices won’t hear states’ appeal over Planned Parenthood

The Supreme Court avoided a high-profile case by rejecting appeals from Kansas and Louisiana in their effort to strip Medicaid money from Planned Parenthood, over the dissenting votes of three justices.

Orthopedic group blazes trail as hip, knee replacements move out of hospitals

A newly formed surgeon group in Michigan is aggressively moving to prove outpatient orthopedic surgery can be just as effective as traditional inpatient surgery for much lower costs.

Healthcare providers are teaming with chatbots to assist patients

Chatbots are gaining traction in healthcare, helping connect patients to providers and payers on an efficient, cost-effective medium: mobile devices and computers.