News Briefs
DEA Seeks to Extend Virtual Prescribing Flexibility as PHE Ends
After receiving thousands of comments asking for an extension of pandemic-era virtual prescribing flexibilities, the Drug Enforcement Administration has acquiesced. The flexibilities allow healthcare practitioners to prescribe various controlled substances, including Adderall, via telehealth without a prior in-person medical evaluation.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2023-05-03)
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Hospitals Deal with Challenges of Adopting AI Tools
For years, healthcare systems and hospitals have grappled with inefficient and, in some cases, doomed attempts to adopt AI tools, according to a new study led by researchers at Duke University. Amid the eye-opening revelations from 89 professionals involved in the rollouts at 11 healthcare organizations -- including Duke Health, Mayo Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente -- the authors assembled a practical framework that health systems can follow as they try to roll out new AI tools.
(Source: Ars Technica, 2023-05-02)
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CMS Issues Fines as it Enforces Hospital Price Transparency Rule
CMS is once again cracking down on enforcement of the price transparency rule through monetary penalties. CMS says it conducts over 200 comprehensive reviews of hospital price transparency compliance per month, and as of April 2023, CMS has issued more than 730 warning notices and 269 CAP requests. It has also imposed civil monetary penalties on four hospitals for noncompliance.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2023-05-03)
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Doctor Shortage Could Reach 139,000 in Next 10 Years, Data Show
The doctor shortage is growing across the country and over the last 18 years, the wait time to see a doctor has increased by 24 percent. Data from the American Medical Colleges estimates that we could see a shortage of as many as 139,000 doctors in just a short decade.
(Source: CBS Austin, 2023-05-03)
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Health Systems Argue Against 'Site-Neutral' Policies
Health systems are pushing back against proposals to change reimbursement rates for hospital outpatient departments. In recent years, some advocates have said Medicare could save billions by moving to "site-neutral" policies, which would mean hospital outpatient departments and physicians' offices would be reimbursed at the same rate.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2023-05-03)
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Community Paramedicine Programs Expanding Across Country
Community paramedicine allows paramedics to use their skills outside of emergency settings. The goal is to help patients access care, maintain or improve their health, and reduce their dependence on costly ambulance rides and ER visits. Such programs are expanding across the country, including in rural areas, as healthcare providers, insurers, and state governments recognize the potential benefits to patients, ambulance services, and hospitals.
(Source: KFF Health News, 2023-05-02)
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February Telehealth Use Declined 6.8 Percent, Tracker Finds
U.S. telehealth use totaled 5.5 percent of medical claim lines in February, a drop of 6.8 percent from January, according to Fair Health's monthly telehealth tracker. In February, telehealth use declined in the four U.S. census regions: It dropped by 8.7 percent in the Midwest, 8.3 percent in the South, 6.2 percent in the West and 1.5 percent in the Northeast.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2023-05-04)
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Committee Takes on Drug Pricing Package, Limiting Middlemen
Lawmakers are ramping up their fight to lower U.S. drug costs by focusing on a handful of bills likely to secure strong, bipartisan support, including limits on fees from the entities that manage pharmaceutical coverage and legislation to encourage generic drug approvals. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will mark up a bipartisan drug pricing package, which in part focuses on limiting certain behaviors by drug manufacturers, including using the FDA citizen petition process to limit competition and taking advantage of rare disease drug exclusivity to limit the entry of additional treatments to the market.
(Source: Bloomberg Law, 2023-05-02)
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Healthcare Raised $5.7 Billion in April Global Venture Funding
Last month showed a continued and noticeable decrease in global venture funding, a new report from Crunchbase found. Healthcare stood apart from all other sectors in raising $5.7 billion in April.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2023-05-04)
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Biden Administration Warns About Risks of Medical Credit Cards
The Biden administration cautioned Americans about the growing risks of medical credit cards and other loans for medical bills, warning in a new report that high interest rates can deepen patients' debts and threaten their financial security. In its new report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that people in the U.S. paid $1 billion in deferred interest on medical credit cards and other medical financing in just three years, from 2018 to 2020.
(Source: NPR, 2023-05-04)
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