News Briefs
Joint Employer Rule Withdrawn by National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board withdrew its appeal of a district court ruling that enjoined its "joint employer" final rule. Under the newer rule, an entity would have been considered a joint employer of a group of employees "if each entity has an employment relationship with the employees and they share or co-determine one or more of the employees' essential terms and conditions of employment," the NLRB said in October when it issued the final rule.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2024-07-22)
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Healthcare Systems Recover After Damage Caused by Tech Update
Many affected health systems say they're back up and running, days after a global IT outage caused by a faulty CrowdStrike update that took millions of Microsoft systems offline on July 19. The outage affected industries around the world -- not least healthcare, where it caused some providers to revert to pen and paper after losing access to electronic health records and other mission-critical systems.
(Source: Healthcare IT News, 2024-07-22)
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Senators Unveil Healthcare Cybersecurity Act to Reduce Attacks
U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Angus King (I-Me.) have introduced legislation intended to reduce the relentless amount of cyberattacks targeting the healthcare industry. The Healthcare Cybersecurity Act was conceived after a ransomware attack on the health payment platform Change Healthcare, which senators said highlighted a lack of preparation and training during the recovery process.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-07-16)
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Ransomware Attacks Continue to Relentlessly Target Hospitals
Ransomware attacks against the healthcare sector have spiked in recent years as cybercriminals launch sophisticated assaults against hospitals -- posing a serious threat to operations and patient safety. Over the past five years, the HHS tracked a 264 percent increase in large data breaches reported to the Office for Civil Rights involving ransomware.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-07-18)
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AI Can Help with Healthcare Staff Shortages, But Workers Hesitant
Staff shortages in healthcare can be alleviated by the use of artificial intelligence but workers are often reluctant and skeptical about its use. Most healthcare leaders (92 percent) agree that using technology to automate repetitive tasks or processes is critical for addressing staff shortages in healthcare.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-07-16)
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Hospital Telehealth Visits Soar, Health Info Exchange a Challenge
Telehealth visits at United States hospitals skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, rising 75 percent between 2017 and 2021; however, adoption was uneven, with hospitals citing challenges to electronic health information exchange, according to a new study. Published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the study examined US hospitals' adoption of telehealth before and during the pandemic, aiming to provide targeted policy implications.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-07-18)
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EHR Messages Drafted by AI Similar to Those From Providers
Electronic health record messages to patients drafted by generative AI were of similar quality and accuracy to those written by healthcare professionals, according to a newly published study conducted using queries from NYU Langone Health patients. The findings "suggest chatbots could reduce the workload of care providers by enabling efficient and empathetic responses to patients’ concerns," study lead William Small, M.D., of the medical school, said in a release.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-07-17)
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Global Digital Health Funding Declined 26%, But Deal Size Up 40%
Global digital health funding declined in the second quarter, and the number of deals reached its lowest level since 2014, according to a new report by CB Insights. But there are some bright spots in the sector, like larger check sizes and an increase in exits. Startups raised $2.9 billion across 235 deals worldwide, a 26 percent decline quarter over quarter, according to the market research firm.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-07-19)
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Healthcare CFOs More Concerned with Marketing, Branding
Healthcare chief finance officers have moved cost reduction, consistently among the top three priorities for the past three years, to the bottom of the list of concerns. The survey revealed marketing and branding have emerged as the foremost strategic growth priorities, with a third of health plan CFOs surveyed and nearly half (48 percent) of health system CFOs identifying these areas as critical.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-07-17)
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Committee Recommends Plan to Curb Surprise Ambulance Bills
A committee chartered to find ways to stop ambulances from sending patients exorbitant bills is set to tell Congress that patients should pay no more than $100 or 10 percent of a bill, depending on which is less. The recommendation, which still relies on the convoluted private insurance industry, comes as nearly half of all ambulance rides in the U.S. result in a "surprise bill" of often hundreds of dollars.
(Source: The Guardian, 2024-07-21)
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Researchers Say Nursing Home Rule Could Save 13,000 Lives a Year
A new federal rule could save nearly 13,000 lives a year, researchers say, despite pushback from nursing home officials who argue the updated staffing standards could lead to home closures. At the request of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., University of Pennsylvania researchers estimated the number of lives that would be saved under the Biden administration's finalized minimum staffing rule for nursing homes.
(Source: USA Today, 2024-07-20)
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