News Briefs
WHO Warns Rapid Adoption of AI in Healthcare Could Be Dangerous
The World Health Organization is warning that the "meteoric" rise of artificial intelligence tools in healthcare threatens the safety of patients if caution is not exercised. Because of the excitement that rapidly expanding platforms such as ChatGPT, Bard, Bert and others are generating over the potential to improve patient health, device developers and others are tossing aside the caution that normally would be applied toward new technologies, the organization said in a statement.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2023-05-18)
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FTC Proposes Changes to Health Breach Notification Rule
The Federal Trade Commission is tightening the reins on digital health apps sharing consumers' sensitive medical data with tech companies. The agency issued proposed changes to its Health Breach Notification Rule to underscore the rule's applicability to health apps in a bid to protect consumers' data privacy and provide more transparency about how companies collect their health information.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2023-05-18)
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31% of Physicians Have Been Sued During Their Career, Survey Says
Nearly a third of U.S. physicians reported being previously sued during their career, suggesting the need for medical liability reforms, an analysis from the American Medical Association found. According to Resneck, two-thirds of civil liability claims against physicians are dropped, dismissed, or withdrawn without finding fault.
(Source: RevCycle Intelligence, 2023-05-17)
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Hospitals Can Continue to Bill for Outpatient Therapies, CMS Says
In a Frequently Asked Questions document, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stated that hospitals could continue to bill for various outpatient therapies delivered via remote care technologies in patients' homes through the end of calendar year 2023. Released at the end of last month, the document addresses numerous FAQs regarding changes in policies and regulations following the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2023-05-18)
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AHA Offers Recommendations to Strengthen Price Transparency
The American Hospital Association told Congress ways to improve hospital price transparency initiatives and compliance. AHA provided a statement to the Committee on issues related to healthcare price transparency, particularly around the federal hospital price transparency rule.
(Source: RevCycle Intelligence, 2023-05-17)
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OIG Will Be Investigating Nursing Home Evictions This Year
A federal watchdog will be taking a magnifying glass to the process of nursing home evictions. The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it has "ongoing work" looking at whether nursing homes are meeting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' requirements for "facility-initiated discharges."
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2023-05-16)
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States Falling Short on Nursing Home Oversight, Report Says
A new congressional investigation found that most states have nursing home inspection backlogs largely because federal oversight funding has stalled, leaving them with fewer inspectors. The report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging found 31 states and the District of Columbia had inspection staff vacancy rates above 20 percent on average; nine were short-staffed by half or more.
(Source: USA Today, 2023-05-18)
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Lawmakers Take Notice as Drug Shortages Worsen
Thousands of patients are facing delays in getting treatments for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, with drug shortages in the United States approaching record levels. Hundreds of drugs are on the list of medications in short supply in the United States, as officials grapple with an opaque and sometimes interrupted supply chain, quality, and financial issues that are leading to manufacturing shutdowns.
(Source: The New York Times, 2023-05-17)
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House Subcommittee to Investigate PBM Role in Rising Health Costs
The full House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is scheduled to take up the role of pharmacy benefit managers after a subcommittee advanced a proposal for new transparency rules. The House subcommittee examined the role of PBMs in increasing healthcare costs and in the drug supply chain and determined more transparency is needed.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2023-05-18)
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FTC Continues Investigating Pharmacy Benefit Managers
The Federal Trade Commission is expanding its probe into pharmacy benefit managers by issuing compulsory orders to two group purchasing organizations that negotiate rebates on behalf of PBMs. The FTC said that the orders will require Zinc Health Services and Ascent Health Services to provide key details and information on their business practices.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2023-05-17)
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Ensuring Seniors' Access to Quality Care Act Introduced in Senate
A bill that would allow more nursing homes to train their own nurse aides has been introduced in the Senate, a move sought by providers after House introduction earlier this month. Ensuring Seniors' Access to Quality Care Act, brought to the Senate by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Scott (R-SC), would remove a blanket lockout that has stopped many facilities from providing training when they've been cited for too many deficiencies.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2023-05-22)
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