Editor's Note Kaiser Permanente union workers have agreed to a new 4-year contract that includes 21% raises along with new minimum wages and provisions to improve staffing shortages, Chief Healthcare Executive November 10 reports.  In October of this year, more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers, including nurses and technicians,…

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Editor's Note According to the 2023 survey from consulting firm SullivanCotter, published in August 2023, compensation for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) has grown at a faster rate than pay for physicians and nurses, BusinessWire November 15 reports.  The final report included data on more than 124,000 individual APPs and over…

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Editor's Note A new report by the Denver-based nonprofit Center for Improving Value in Health Care found that millions are being spent on tests and treatments that have limited value for patient health and well-being, KFF Health News November 13 reports. According to estimates, from 10% to 30% of the…

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Editor's Note Two major hospital systems–Universal Health Services (UHS) and Tenet Healthcare–saw improved third-quarter profits in 2023, but Community Health Systems (CHS) and HCA Healthcare did not see similar upward trends, HealthLeaders November 3 reports.  According to the article, rising demand in services at UHS drove third-quarter earnings up 6.8%…

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Editor's Note The high cost of healthcare is leading many Americans to skip care and forgo medications, according to the 2023 Healthcare Affordability Survey by the Commonwealth Fund published on October 26. Some highlights of the survey include: A large number of insured working-age adults surveyed admitted difficulty affording their…

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Editor's Note This new study in JAMA Health Forum is one of the first to review publicly available insurer price data and compare regional rate differences. The research was published by JAMA Network on October 27. Following are some highlights: Over half of the US population receives health insurance from…

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Editor's Note The sustainability team at Seattle Children's Hospital has reduced anesthesia-related emissions by 87%, a Becker's Hospital Review October 26 webinar reported. According to the webinar presenters, the team at Seattle Children's first gathered electronic medical record (EHR) data from their anesthesia gas machines, then implemented steps to limit…

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Editor's Note Forbes Advisor released a ranking of the best and worst states for healthcare based on 24 metrics and four key categories: healthcare access, outcomes, cost, and quality of hospital care, Forbes October 13 reports. The article also noted that as many as 70% of Americans are unsatisfied with…

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Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Pfizer have announced an agreement to extend patient access to the COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, Healthcare Purchasing News October 16 reports. According to the article, Pfizer is readying the drug for more availability in the commercial market in November…

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Editor's Note Increasing demand for nurses is driving up salaries for RN in the US, an October 4 Careers of the Future projection reports. According to this research from telecommunications company TollFreeForwarding, RNs are projected to see a pay increase of nearly $13 more per hour by 2033.  RNs made…

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