News Briefs
Hospital Lobbies Join Attempt to Delay Noncompete Ban
Hospital lobbies have signed on to a multisector letter of 230 industry associations and chambers of commerce urging the Federal Trade Commission to bump the effective date of its ban on employee noncompete clauses. The letter outlines a "lack of Commission guidance on key pieces" of the final rule passed in a 3-2 April vote.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-05-28)
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U.S. Health System Mobilizing to Thwart Cyberattack Threats
Cyberattacks have increased in recent years, putting every segment of the nation's healthcare system from hospitals and physician practices to payment processing companies and biomedical facilities, under stress, disrupting patient care and costing the industry billions in losses, according to experts. The surging number of attacks has seriously impacted patient care, so industry and government leaders are both raising alarms and mobilizing resources to fight back.
(Source: U.S. News & World Report, 2024-06-03)
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Hospital Ransomware Attacks Impact Neighboring Facilities
A new review of California patient volumes is the latest warning that hospital ransomware attacks have consequences that extend to other providers in their surrounding community. Published in JAMA, the research from William Paterson University and RAND researchers show that cyberattacks lead to reduced admissions and emergency department visits at the compromised hospital while emergency departments in nearby unattacked hospitals fielded more visits during the four weeks after an incident.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-05-29)
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Hospices Manage Expectations as Telehealth Use Extended
Legislators recently proposed to extend the telehealth flexibilities temporarily granted during the pandemic. These efforts come at a time when telehealth utilization is making waves in hospice staff and patient engagement, as well as operational efficiency and care coordination.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-05-31)
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Rural Residents Used Telehealth Less Than Urban, Research Finds
Though telehealth use skyrocketed among United States adults with private health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research reveals that rural residents utilized telehealth less than their urban peers. The research, published by the AARP Public Policy Institute, examined changes in telehealth use from 2019 to 2021 among people younger than 65 enrolled in private, employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-05-29)
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Survey Finds Just 63% of Health Orgs Have a Cybersecurity Plan
With cyberattacks in healthcare on the rise, it's vital that practices have security measures in place to protect patient data. Yet, only 63 percent of organizations have a cybersecurity plan in place, according to a survey by Software Advice, which means many are vulnerable to potentially crippling attacks that can be costly and damaging to patient trust.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2024-05-31)
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Physician Compensation Increasing Due to Rising Productivity, AI
Provider compensation is still on the rise after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest data from the Medical Group Management Association. For the fourth consecutive year, MGMA recorded increases in provider compensation among primary care and nonsurgical specialty physicians in 2023.
(Source: RevCycle Intelligence, 2024-05-29)
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States Taking on Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Getting more transparency from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and manufacturers, and curbing state costs for prescription drugs, were among the areas of focus for numerous pieces of legislation proposed by states last year, speakers said during AMCP 2024, in New Orleans. AMCP is tracking 157 bills affecting PBMs.
(Source: Specialty Pharmacy Continuum, 2024-05-29)
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Another Healthcare Disruptor Giving Up Mobile Health Plans
Another healthcare disruptor is abandoning its mobile health plans. Dollar General, the nation's largest retailer by number of locations, and digital health provider DocGo, have reportedly ended their partnership, ending a two-year-old program that sought to place mobile clinics in select Dollar General stores across the country.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2024-05-30)
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Hospital Operations Returning to Normal, Report Finds
Hospitals are seeing care patterns return to normal, with average length of stay and emergency department visits stabilizing in April 2024, according to the latest "National Hospital Flash Report" from Kaufman Hall. Net operating revenue per calendar day also grew by five percent month-over-month and 13 percent year-over-year, helping to put hospitals in a better position compared to three years ago (21 percent increase in year-to-date versus 2021).
(Source: RevCycle Intelligence, 2024-06-03)
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Many Doctors Getting Paid to Endorse Drugs on X, Study Finds
A team of medical researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. has found that a high percentage of doctors posting endorsements regarding drugs on the social media site X were paid to do so by the makers of the drugs. In their study, published in JAMA, the group searched for drug endorsements by doctors on X and then used a website called Open Payments to find out if they had been paid for their endorsements.
(Source: Medical Xpress, 2024-05-31)
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