News Briefs
Hospitals, Physicians at Odds Over FTC Noncompete Ban
The Federal Trade Commission's final rule banning noncompetes nationwide has implications for hospitals and physician practices, with representatives from both groups submitting opposing opinions to the decision. The American Hospital Association called the FTC ruling, "bad law, bad policy and a clear sign of an agency run amok." Dr. Steven P. Furr, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said, "We are hopeful that the elimination of noncompete clauses will encourage employers to pursue more collaborative ways to retain physicians and become employers of choice, while preserving long-term, meaningful patient-physician relationships,"
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-04-24)
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FDA Launches New 'Home as a Health Care Hub' Initiative
The United States Food and Drug Administration has launched a new initiative to support the development of home healthcare models and home-based solutions that bolster health equity. Called the Home as a Health Care Hub, the initiative's primary goal is to "reimagine the home environment as an integral part of the health care system, with the goal of advancing health equity for all people in the U.S.," wrote Jeff Shuren, MD, JD, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health and Michelle Tarver, MD, PhD, deputy director for transformation at CDRH, in an online statement.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-04-24)
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FTC Finalizes Health Breach Notification Rule for Digital Apps
The Federal Trade Commission solidified data breach reporting requirements on healthcare applications in a final rule, with the goal of stopping companies from trafficking potentially sensitive medical information. The Health Breach Notification Rule requires companies holding personal health information to notify regulators, consumers, and in some cases the media when that data is breached and allows regulators to fine bad actors.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-04-29)
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Joint Commission Launches New Telehealth Accreditation Program
The Joint Commission is launching a new accreditation program for telehealth, effective July 1, 2024. The program will provide updated telehealth service standards for healthcare organizations using the care modality.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-04-24)
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Health Sector Seeing Uptick in Third-Party Tracking Tech Lawsuits
High rates of data breaches and cyberattacks mean that healthcare is no stranger to lawsuits. Upwards of 200 lawsuits have been filed against healthcare organizations over their use of third-party web technologies, 75 percent of which were filed in 2023 alone.
(Source: HealthIT Security, 2024-04-24)
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Hospice Certifying Physician Enrollment Requirements Delayed
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has delayed the implementation of hospice certifying physician Medicare enrollment requirements. CMS delayed the date to enroll in or opt out of Medicare until June 3 for physicians who certify hospice services.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-04-26)
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AI Effectively Reduces Physician Workload, But Caution Suggested
In a study published in Lancet Digital Health, researchers from Mass General Brigham showed the promising role of Large Language Models (LLMs) in reducing physician workload and enhancing patient education. However, the study underscores the necessity of vigilant oversight due to potential risks associated with LLM-generated communications.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2024-04-25)
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Flexible Visa Requirements Allow Foreign Docs to Help Underserved
Although about 20 percent of the United States population live in rural areas, only 11 percent of physicians practice in these locations. New research from the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy shows that relaxed visa requirements enable more foreign-trained doctors to practice in remote and low-income areas, without reducing employment of U.S.-trained doctors.
(Source: UC San Diego, 2024-04-25)
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Hospitals Recovering from Pandemic at Different Paces
Some health systems have recovered from the pandemic much better than others, and those with healthier margins tend to be the ones that made a stronger push into outpatient care. There's a wildly large and growing difference between the operating margins of top-performing health systems and those at the bottom, according to Kaufman Hall data shared with Axios.
(Source: Axios, 2024-04-26)
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80% of Nursing Homes Don't Meet New Staffing Requirements
More than 80 percent of nursing homes do not meet the updated requirements in the final staffing mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to new analysis from media outlet KFF. Those findings further amplify the chorus of concerns raised by providers following the news that CMS was raising its proposed requirement of 3.0 hours of care per resident per day to 3.48 in the final rule.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2024-04-24)
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Long ER Waits Affecting Older Adults
Every day, the scene plays out in hospitals across America: Older men and women lie on gurneys in emergency room corridors moaning or suffering silently as harried medical staff attend to crises. Physicians who staff emergency rooms say this problem, known as ER boarding, is as bad as it's ever been -- even worse than during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospitals filled with desperately ill patients.
(Source: CNN, 2024-04-26)
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