News Briefs
House Subcommittee Considering 15 Bills to Expand Telehealth
A major House subcommittee is considering 15 bills to expand access to telehealth services as the clock ticks on a Dec. 31 deadline on pandemic-era flexibilities. The American Telemedicine Association has referred to 2024 as the "Super Bowl" of telehealth regulation as the trade group pushes Congress to make permanent the Medicare telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-04-11)
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Drug Shortages Have Increased to Highest Level on Record
As of March 31, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has added 48 new drugs to its tracker of national shortages, bringing the number of active shortages in 2024 -- so far -- to 323, according to a new ASHP report. This is the highest number it's been since the society began keeping count in 2001.
(Source: Quartz, 2024-04-11)
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Congress Investigating Private Equity's Role in Health Industry
Congress is ramping up oversight of private equity's influence in healthcare, though lawmakers don't appear ready to give government more power to halt deals. Parallel investigations by three Senate committees are focused on the industry's growing influence on hospitals, emergency care, and opioid treatment.
(Source: Axios, 2024-04-10)
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Hospital Merger and Acquisition Activity Highest Since 2020
Hospitals and health systems have kicked off the calendar year with a flurry of merger and acquisition deals reflecting several different strategic trends driving providers in 2024. Twenty transactions were unveiled in the first quarter, marking the highest volume of dealmaking Kaufman Hall has seen within the sector since 2020, according to a report from the healthcare consulting firm.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-04-11)
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CMS Proposed 2025 Hospice Rule Clarifies Physician Certifications
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed 2025 hospice rule contains clarifications on which physicians may certify patients for hospice enrollment. According to language in the proposal, designated physician members of the hospice interdisciplinary team may certify patients for hospice if the medical director is unavailable.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-04-12)
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Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act Introduced
A new U.S. House bill aims to bolster the country's nursing home workforce with $400 million over each of the next four years. The Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act, introduced by Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV), would provide workforce grants to states, U.S. territories, and tribal governments based on their population of seniors and people with disabilities -- targeting pay, benefits, education, and retention improvements for nursing home workers.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2024-04-12)
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CMS Makes Changes to 'Money Follows the Person' Quality Measure
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced changes to the quality measure set for home- and community-based services and described reporting requirements for Money Follows the Person grant recipients via two informational bulletins. The agency said, in one of the bulletins, that it had added fee-for-service versions of six managed long-term services and supports measures to the HCBS quality measure set and removed a measure related to flu vaccination for those aged 18 to 64 years.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2024-04-15)
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Cyberattack Caused Service Disruptions for 77% of Physicians
More than 77 percent of American Medical Association survey respondents reported experiencing service disruptions since the February 21 Change cyberattack and are still dealing with the effects of the attack. More than three-quarters of respondents reported losing revenue from unpaid claims, and 85 percent of respondents have had to devote additional staff and resources to completing revenue cycle tasks.
(Source: HealthIT Security, 2024-04-10)
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Report Finds 75% of Doctors Employed by Corporate Entities
More than three-fourths of all U.S. doctors are now employed by hospitals, health insurers, private equity, or other corporate entities, as rampant consolidation continues to shrink the number of independent physicians, according to new data. Between 2019 and 2024, more than 44,000 medical practices were acquired, according to the report published by Avalere Health, commissioned by the Physicians Advocacy Institute, and as a result nearly 60 percent of medical practices are now owned by corporations.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-04-12)
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Physicians in Training Boost Unionization Efforts
A new generation of doctors struggling with ever-increasing workloads and crushing student debt is helping drive unionization efforts in a profession that historically hasn't organized. Physicians in training, like their peers in other industries, increasingly see unions as a way to boost their pay and protect themselves against grueling working conditions as they launch their careers.
(Source: Axios, 2024-04-15)
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Costs for Home Healthcare Increased 14.2% Over Year
Costs for home healthcare for the elderly and bed-ridden have gone up by 14.2 percent over the past year, according to new Consumer Price Index data. That represents the largest percent increase in home healthcare costs during a 12-month period since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting data on such costs in 2005.
(Source: Yahoo News, 2024-04-10)
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