Editor's Note Rural hospitals throughout the country are struggling to maintain labor and delivery units amid dwindling numbers of births, KFF Health News reported July 15, noting that more than half lack these services entirely. Nationwide, annual births have fallen from 4.3 million in 1957 to below 3.7 million by…

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Editor's Note A needle-based technique that blocks sensory and motor function below the chest without intubation or general anesthesia makes surgery safer for pediatric patients, according to a July 15 report in Michigan Medicine. The University of Michigan's pediatric spinal anesthesia program, also implemented at University of Michigan-Sparrow Health Center,…

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Editor's Note The American Medical Association (AMA) annual, nationwide prior authorization survey reveals that over 90% of physicians believe prior authorization negatively impacts patient clinical outcomes. “More telling,” AMA reported July 17, is the fact that 78% of physicians report that this process “sometimes or often” leads to patients abandoning…

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Editor's Note A July 19 story from Politico offers a raw, unfiltered view of the realities of the Israel-Hamas war through the eyes of two American surgeons. Authors Mark Pearlmutter, an orthopedic and hand surgeon who practices in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and Feroze Sidwha, a trauma and critical care…

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Editor's Note HCA Healthcare reported nearly $1.5 billion in net income for the second quarter (Q2), exceeding expectations, Modern Healthcare July 23 reports. The Nashville-based system attributed part of this success to a significant reduction in contract labor costs, which dropped by more than 25% compared to Q2 2023. This…

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Editor's Note Erin Fox, senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health who has been monitoring drug shortages for over 20 years, spoke to AP News in June of her concerns. Currently, the situation is worse than ever, with total active shortages hitting an all-time high of 323 (with 48…

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Editor's Note As outpatient surgery continues to gain popularity and the need to cut costs persists, Becker’s ASC Review sat down with Jim Freund, managing partner for Physician Transaction Advisors, to discuss the below three key trends in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry, per Becker’s July 18 article. Number…

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Editor's Note Although fewer Michigan nurses planned to leave the profession in 2023 compared to 2022, the profession still faces unsafe conditions, understaffing, and high rates of abuse, according to a two-year, statewide survey published July 18 in JAMA Network Open. Conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan School…

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Editor's Note Healthcare costs are expected to rise between 7% and 8% in 2025, according to a report from PwC's Health Research Institute. As detailed in a July 17 article from Fierce Healthcare, PwC projections for an 8% increase in the group market and 7.5% in the individual market would…

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Editor's Note New findings show that compared to standard anesthetic methods, a new high-flow oxygen technique is just as safe as during tubeless upper airway surgery in children.  Published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, the University of Queensland research-- the High-Flow Oxygen for Children's Airway Surgery (HAMSTER) trial—was the focus of…

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