News Briefs
More Nonprofit Hospitals Adding Concierge Physician Practices
Nonprofit hospitals created largely to serve the poor are adding concierge physician practices, charging patients annual membership fees of $2,000 or more for easier access to their doctors. It's a trend that began decades ago with physician practices.
(Source: KFF Health News, 2024-04-01)
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Home Health Expected to Command More M&A Than Hospices
Though many expect a hospice M&A rebound in 2024, the scales are tipping in favor of home health companies among buyers. Generally, signs point to heightened buyer activity this year, particularly among private equity as interest rates start to come down.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-03-26)
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Health Players Continue to Suffer From Increasing Cyberattacks
The recent cyberattack on the billing and payment colossus Change Healthcare revealed just how serious the vulnerabilities are throughout the U.S. healthcare system, and alerted industry leaders and policymakers to the urgent need for better digital security. Hospitals, health insurers, physician clinics, and others in the industry have increasingly been the targets of significant hacks, culminating in the assault on Change, a unit of the giant UnitedHealth Group.
(Source: The New York Times, 2024-03-29)
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Despite Risks, Healthcare Cybersecurity Not Strong Enough Yet
As the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sector continues to face a high volume of cyberattacks, maintaining a strong security culture remains a crucial element to preserving a strong security posture. KnowBe4's 2024 Security Culture Report, which assesses security culture on a global scale, found healthcare to be in the "low-moderate" range of security culture maturity, despite the heightened risks the sector faces.
(Source: HealthIT Security, 2024-03-28)
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ACS Says Telehealth Has Role in Surgical Care, Outlines Standards
The American College of Surgeons, which includes more than 90,000 members worldwide, released a statement highlighting the critical role telehealth can play in surgical care and outlining standards for using it. Prepared by the ACS Board of Governors Telehealth & Informatics Workgroup, the statement noted various benefits of adopting telehealth in surgical practice.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-04-01)
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CBO Report Says AI Usefulness in Healthcare Still a Mixed Bag
Answering a series of questions from lawmakers, the Congressional Budget Office addressed artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, determining that the evidence on the usefulness of the technology is mixed, particularly when it comes to costs, according to the report. AI and ML tools might affect healthcare costs in the future in many ways, CBO said, including by detecting illness earlier or identifying patients who might benefit from preventive interventions. But while some uses of those tools might reduce costs by preventing the need for costlier care or eliminating unnecessary care, others might increase costs by spurring the development of expensive new technologies with meaningful health benefits, or by identifying additional patients who might benefit from certain medical services.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-03-27)
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Average Assisted Living Community Rates Rose 0.6 to 3.8%
Average assisted living community rates increased between 0.6 and 3.8 percent in 2023 nationally, depending on room type, according to illumifin, an administration and claims solution provider for long-term care insurance. The action marked a reversal from rate trends seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which assisted living community rates had been trending downward, according to illumfin, which released its 2023 Cost of Care study for use by insurers, providers, and financial services firms.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2024-03-29)
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CMS Proposes 4.1% Payment Increase for SNFs in 2025
Skilled nursing facilities get a 4.1 percent payment increase for 2025, according to a proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System. The update represents a market basket of 2.8 percent, plus a 1.7 percent market basket forecast error adjustment, and a negative 0.4 percent productivity adjustment.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-03-29)
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CMS Proposes 2.6% Increase in Hospice Per Diems for 2025
In a proposed rule, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a 2.6 percent increase in hospice per diems for 2025, while also proposing two new quality measures and 2025 implementation of the Hospice Outcome and Patient Evaluation assessment tool to replace the Hospice Item Set. However, stakeholders in the hospice space contend that the increase is insufficient in light of continued inflation, interest rates, staffing shortages, and wage hikes.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-03-29)
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Health Employers Offering Perks to Lure, Retain Workers
Healthcare and nursing employers are offering perks ranging from signing bonuses to fertility benefits in an attempt to lure workers onto payroll, according to an analysis from job search engine Adzuna. Tuition reimbursement, signing bonuses, and expanded maternity and paternity leave were the most common perks offered in healthcare job ads posted in February.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-03-27)
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TEAMS Act Aims to Attract Medical Students to Rural Areas
U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Children & Families, and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Students (TEAMS) Act to increase training opportunities for medical students in rural, underserved communities. The Community TEAMS Act would create a nationwide grant program for medical schools and community-based clinics to fund training opportunities in rural, underserved communities for medical students, increasing hands-on experience with unique health challenges facing such Pennsylvania communities and encouraging medical students to serve there after graduation.
(Source: Tri-State Alert, 2024-03-28)
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