News Briefs
Deadline Approaching for Hospital-at-Home Programs
Providers are once again watching a looming deadline at the end of the month when waivers that allow hospitals to deliver acute care in patients' homes could lapse, creating administrative complexity and uncertainty for providers, experts say. The program is set to expire in just a few weeks absent congressional action, and if it does, hospitals may have to physically relocate patients back to facilities, a costly process that experts say could harm both patients and providers.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2026-01-15)
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Lawmakers Urge DHS to Exempt Doctors from High H-1B Visa Fee
A group of U.S. lawmakers have urged the Department of Homeland Security to exempt healthcare professionals from a new $100,000 H-1B visa fee, warning that the policy is straining hospitals and could worsen critical workforce shortages across the country. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, members of the New Democrat Coalition and other lawmakers said the $100,000 fee threatens access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities already struggling to recruit and retain medical professionals.
(Source: India West, 2026-01-15)
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Rural Health Transformation Program Has States Scrambling
Imagine starting the new year with the promise of at least a $147 million payout from the federal government, but there are strings attached. In late December, President Donald Trump's administration announced how much all 50 states would get under its new Rural Health Transformation Program, assigning them to use the money to fix systemic problems that leave rural Americans without access to good healthcare, and now the clock is ticking.
(Source: KFF Health News, 2026-01-14)
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Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act Moves Forward
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, advanced his Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act during a markup by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The measure directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to craft a comprehensive strategy aimed at strengthening cybersecurity staffing and preparedness in rural hospitals.
(Source: KTTN, 2026-01-16)
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Hospital M&A Down Significantly in 2025, Revenue at 8-Year Low
Even if things sped up in the final quarter, 2025 was a down year for hospital merger and acquisition activity in which financial distress drove an outsized portion of the dealmaking, healthcare advisory firm Kaufman Hall wrote in a year-end report. Forty-six hospital and health system transactions were announced across the entirety of 2025, well below 2024's 72 and the lowest since Kaufman Hall began tracking such deals back in 2011. Total transacted revenue was $18.5 billion, below the $39.7 billion of 2024 and an eight-year low.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2026-01-16)
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Healthcare Data Breaches Doubled in 2025, Fewer Records Exposed
In 2025, the frequency of healthcare data breaches more than doubled. However, the number of patient records exposed has significantly decreased, indicating a shift in the data breach landscape, according to a new report from Fortified Health Security.
(Source: TechTarget, 2026-01-15)
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Study Says Rise of Medicare Telehealth Use Didn't Increase Visits
A new study of traditional Medicare patients finds that the rise of telehealth has not led to more office visits overall, even in the specialties that embraced virtual care the most. Instead, total visit volume stayed level or declined through mid-2024, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2026-01-15)
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Report Finds AI Helping to Reduce Physician Burnout
AI is becoming more embedded in the day-to-day clinical and operational workflows of ambulatory care providers, according to a new report by AdvancedMD. Ambient AI is allowing more for facetime between physicians and patients, and physicians are spending less time on paperwork after hours.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2026-01-13)
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Rising Rents Have Some Physicians Finding Makeshift Offices
Some New York physicians with independent practices are cobbling together part-time, often transient arrangements, as rents rise and renovating spaces for medical use can be prohibitively expensive. The arrangements help doctors expand their practices without huge financial commitments.
(Source: The New York Times, 2026-01-17)
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Patient Experience Top of Mind for Revenue Cycle Leaders
Revenue cycle leaders and other healthcare finance decision-makers are now prioritizing patient experience improvements just slightly over increasing revenue, according to a new survey. FinThrive surveyed 100 finance and revenue cycle leaders over the summer for its latest Transformative Trends report, and for the first time since the report's launch in 2023, improving patient experience emerged as the top organizational goal for 71 percent of respondents.
(Source: TechTarget, 2026-01-14)
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As Population Ages, Nursing Home Capacity Declined Since Pandemic
Though the U.S. population is aging, nursing home capacity has declined nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, one quarter of U.S. counties experienced declines of 15 percent or more, with the greatest declines reported in rural areas.
(Source: University of Rochester Medical Center, 2026-01-16)
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