News Briefs
Study Says Telemedicine Improved Quality of Doctors' Patient Care
Telemedicine helped improve the quality of doctors' patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic and has the potential for improving physician satisfaction and reducing clinician burnout in the future, a new study finds. New research from the Binghamton University School of Management in New York highlights the increased use of telemedicine since the start of the COVID pandemic, and despite some initial reluctance over its use, the study found that telemedicine has not only increased the quality of patient care, it also has increased physician satisfaction.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2024-09-26)
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OIG Urges Regulators to Boost Remote Patient Monitoring Oversight
Amid the steep rise in remote patient monitoring in recent years, a new federal report highlights concerns about the appropriate use of the services and the potential for fraud. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General developed the report to better understand how RPM is used and identify vulnerabilities that may limit oversight.
(Source: Tech Target, 2024-09-26)
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More Doctors Using AI to Reply to Patient Messages
Every day, patients send hundreds of thousands of messages to their doctors through MyChart, a communications platform that is nearly ubiquitous in U.S. hospitals, but increasingly the responses to those messages are not written by the doctor -- at least, not entirely. About 15,000 doctors and assistants at more than 150 health systems are using a new artificial intelligence feature in MyChart to draft replies to such messages.
(Source: The New York Times, 2024-09-24)
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Healthcare Data Breaches Hit 14 Million Patients So Far in 2024
At least 14 million patients in the U.S. have been affected by healthcare data breaches in 2024 so far, a threat brief by cybersecurity company SonicWall revealed. What's more, 91 percent of the healthcare data breaches that SonicWall researchers analyzed involved ransomware, highlighting the continued targeting of the U.S. healthcare sector.
(Source: Tech Target, 2024-09-27)
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Senators Introduce New Healthcare Cybersecurity Legislation
Cybersecurity violations could come with a $250,000 penalty if healthcare organizations leave "willful neglect uncorrected" in their computer network defenses, according to new legislation. The new Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia).
(Source: Medical Economics, 2024-09-26)
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HHS Grants $74.5 Million to Support Rural Healthcare
In a move designed to strengthen healthcare access and infrastructure in underserved areas, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced a $75 million investment in rural healthcare. This initiative aims to expand healthcare services and improve the quality of care for Americans living in rural communities.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-09-26)
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Report Says Providers, Payers Investing More in IT Infrastructure
Providers and payers are investing more in IT infrastructure in response to the Change Healthcare cyberattack earlier this year, and organizations seem willing to experiment with AI and natural language processing, according to a new report. Healthcare technology research firm KLAS Research's new report, done in collaboration with global management consulting firm Bain & Company, found that three-fourths of the 150 providers and payers surveyed said their organization increased IT investments over the last year.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-09-26)
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Hospitals' Labor Challenges Might Be Easing, Report Finds
Labor woes plaguing hospitals and health systems across the country could be subsiding for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an exodus of healthcare workers. A new report by Fitch Ratings says the "worst of the labor downturn" could be nearing an end for not-for-profit hospitals in the U.S.
(Source: Forbes, 2024-09-24)
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Independent Hospitals Benefit from Acquisitions for Short Time
When independent hospitals are acquired by multi-hospital health systems, they experience boosts to profitability and efficiency, according to a new study published in the Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics. Acquired hospitals saw profitability increase by about $14 million per year, on increased consumer prices and cuts to nonclinical staff. But when corporate-owned hospitals are acquired by other health systems, they do not experience similar efficiency gains, the study found, suggesting there is likely a limit to how much consolidation can benefit hospital performance.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-09-27)
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Lawmaker Introduces Hospice CARE Act in House
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) has introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which, if enacted, could revolutionize the Medicare Hospice Benefit. The bill includes an overhaul of the per-diem payment system, along with a slew of other regulatory updates and changes to the benefit.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-09-26)
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Hospitals Take Steps to Become More Environmentally Friendly
According to the National Academy of Medicine, the healthcare industry accounts for nearly 20 percent of the GDP, and is responsible for about 8.5 percent of all carbon emissions in the U.S. With that in mind, a growing number of hospitals are taking a closer look at how they impact the environment, and they're taking steps to become more environmentally friendly, with strategies that affect everyone from the CEO and CFO down to the cafeteria worker.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2024-09-25)
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