News Briefs
Senate Committee Advances Bill on 'Ghost Providers,' PBMs
In a unanimous 26-0 vote, the Senate Finance Committee passed a comprehensive draft package that puts pharmacy benefit manager reform and mental health in the spotlight. The Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act would introduce more transparency and regulation to PBMs, and pharmacies would be required to report costs for medications.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2023-11-09)
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Healthcare Sector Warned Against BlackSuit Ransomware Threat
The Department of Health and Human Services' Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center alerted the sector to a new ransomware threat known as BlackSuit. It may be responsible for an October attack against an organization that provides medical scans and radiology services for almost 1,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems and caused the victim to shut down computer systems and turn away patients.
(Source: AHA News, 2023-11-09)
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Health Industry Awaits Impact from Order Creating AI Standards
President Joe Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence gives marching orders to federal agencies to take concrete actions in the coming year. The order aims to create new safety, security, and equity standards for AI, including its use within the healthcare industry.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2023-11-10)
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Hospitals Using Gig Networks to Find Nursing Staff
The availability of gig work comes as U.S. hospitals try new ways to alleviate a staffing crunch, drawing comparisons to convenience associated with apps like Uber. But critics warn this could impact patient care or fuel tensions within the workforce.
(Source: Barron's, 2023-11-07)
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FTC Challenges 110 Drug Patents After Threat to Boost Enforcement
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it sent letters to medical device companies and drugmakers, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, and Teva, disputing the accuracy or relevance of 110 patents that could lead to delays in generic competition. The FTC says companies sometimes improperly list patents in the Orange Book that can delay market entry of lower priced generics.
(Source: Reuters, 2023-11-07)
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FDA Recognizes New Standards of Medical Device Software Security
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized three new standards related to software security on medical devices. The standards address taking a total product lifecycle approach to medical device cybersecurity, data logging software use, and reasonable software testing.
(Source: Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, 2023-11-07)
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Hospitals Continue to Face Challenges Impacting Slow Recovery
Many hospitals and health systems find themselves in a better place financially than a year ago, but most say their recovery remains slow. For many hospitals, 2022 proved to be the most difficult year financially in recent memory, with half of hospitals having negative volumes. They continue to wrestle with higher costs, particularly for labor, and also continue to deal with staffing shortages.
(Source: Chief Healthcare Executive, 2023-11-13)
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Patient Engagement with Online Portals Rose 46% During Pandemic
Patient engagement with electronic health information through online medical records or patient portals spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, but racial and ethnic disparities persisted, according to a new study published in JAMA Health Forum. The research found a 46 percent increase in the share of people who recently accessed their patient portals between 2020 and 2022, compared with only a five percent bump in 2019 through 2020.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2023-11-13)
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Virtual Care Adding to EHR Documentation Burnout, Study Says
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network compared patient messaging among ambulatory physicians before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and found the physicians were mostly documenting visits and not messaging patients. The study proposed that if telemedicine expansion indicates physicians spending more overall time in EHRs, health systems and policymakers may need to alter productivity expectations and their reimbursement policies.
(Source: Healthcare IT News, 2023-11-08)
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Study Finds Federal Program Yet to Attract Doctors to Rural Areas
A federal program created to attract physicians to medically underserved areas of the United States has not achieved this intended effect or reduced mortality rates in these regions, a new Yale study finds. The researchers say new approaches may be needed to address healthcare disparities across the country.
(Source: YaleNews, 2023-11-09)
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Lawmakers Urge Increasing Nursing Home Staff Hour Requirement
A group of 103 House members have not only added voices of support to the proposed nursing home staffing rule, they also want the mandated number of nurse hours per patient day inflated to 4.2 -- a 40 percent increase over the proposal. The lawmakers -- led by Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), the ranking member of the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), of the House Energy & Commerce Committee -- sent a letter to President Joe Biden outlining their wishes.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2023-11-10)
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