News Briefs
DOL Independent Contractor Rule Likely to Be Burden for SNFs
Many skilled nursing operators will need to reclassify their existing relationships with independent contractors and rethink future ones in the wake of a final rule issued by the Department of Labor. The DOL's new rule revises guidance on how to determine who is an employee and who is an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
(Source: Skilled Nursing News, 2024-01-09)
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FCC Updates Rural Health Care Program to Boost Telehealth
The Federal Communications Commission released the final rule updating the Rural Health Care Program to support virtual care access in rural America through funding efforts. Established in 1997, the Rural Health Care Program funds telecommunications and broadband services for healthcare delivery.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-01-12)
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31% of States Updated Assisted Living Regulations in 2023
Assisted living regulations, statutes, and policies in 20 states (31 percent) were updated between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, according to a new report from the National Center for Assisted Living. The report noted that 44 states (86 percent) have infection control requirements in place, 45 states (90 percent) and Washington, DC, have emergency preparedness requirements established, and 24 states (47 percent) have quality measurement, data collection, or quality management requirements.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2024-01-11)
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Digital Health Startups Raised $10.7B in 2023, Lowest Since 2019
U.S. digital health startups raised $10.7 billion across 492 deals last year, marking the lowest funding level in the sector since 2019, according to a report by Rock Health, but M&A activity and company shutdowns didn't spike, even as startups seemed strapped for cash. Many companies were quietly raising funds from existing investors as well as seeking extension rounds and unlabeled raises, the venture capital firm and consultancy said.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-01-09)
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New Rules Will Require Hospitals to Meet Cybersecurity Standards
U.S. hospitals will be required to meet basic cybersecurity standards before receiving federal funding, according to rules the White House is expected to propose in the next few weeks. This comes as hospitals and health clinics nationwide continue to be menaced by ransomware, and cybercrimes resort to diabolical tactics to make victims pay up.
(Source: The Register, 2024-01-10)
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Rural Hospitals Struggle to Fund Aging Infrastructure Projects
An increase in costs amid lower payments from insurance plans makes it harder for small hospitals to fund large capital improvement projects. And high inflation and rising interest rates coming out of the pandemic are making it tougher for aging facilities to qualify for loans or other types of financing to upgrade their facilities to meet the ever-changing standards of medical care.
(Source: KFF Health News, 2024-01-12)
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Acute Hospital-at-Home Programs Have Low Mortality Levels
New research from Mass General Brigham affirms the clinical benefits of hospital-at-home programs, showing that they are associated with low mortality, skilled nursing facility use, and readmission rates at one month following discharge. The researchers published a letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine detailing the clinical outcomes associated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver, launched in November 2020.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-01-10)
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More Providers Charging for Clinician-Patient Messaging
Charges for electronic, asynchronous clinician-patient messaging -- or e-visits -- have persisted in the wake of an early-2020 spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. As providers continue to bill patients for messaging their doctors, it suggests that "health system interest in e-visit billing has evolved from a short-term pandemic necessity to a potential long-term source of revenue," researchers wrote in a new JAMA research letter.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-01-11)
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Doctors Taking Fewer Vacation Days Have Higher Burnout Rates
Looking to avoid physician burnout? A new study suggests taking vacation time and avoiding work while on vacation could be a good place to start.
(Source: HCP Live, 2024-01-12)
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New Nursing Home Survey Process Has Operators Optimistic
Potential changes to the nursing home survey process being mulled over by federal authorities -- and aimed at standardization across states -- have many operators feeling optimistic for the years ahead, especially given that regional differences in implementation can lead to extra administrative burdens and survey backlogs. Toward the end of 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it would test new survey processes to facilitate timely completion of surveys at high-risk nursing homes.
(Source: Skilled Nursing News, 2024-01-12)
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