Editor's Note Fallout from the February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare continues to threaten physician practices and their patients nationwide, with respondents to a recent American Medical Association (AMA) survey indicating difficulties with insurance claims and eligibility verification. AMA published the results of the informal survey April 10. Conducted March…

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Editor's Note Shortages of active drugs in the US have reached a new record, according to an April 12 CNN report on data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service. The two organizations have been tracking this data since 2001, the CNN report says.…

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Editor's Note Amid a decline in the financial performance of academic medical centers (AMCs), McKinsey surveyed 100 of these institutions about what actions they are taking to improve, according to an April 12 report in Becker’s Hospital Review. According to the Becker’s article, the top 10 “operational levers” indicated by…

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Editor's Note An April 2024 Physician Compensation Report from Medscape shows that 2023 was “another year of steady pay gains for US physicians,” Medscape April 12 reports. However, physicians are not content with their “take-home pay,” still seeing their profession as being underpaid. Some takeaways from the report include: On…

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Editor's Note Corporate entities are overtaking hospitals in terms of medical practice ownership, with corporate ownership at 30.1%, surpassing hospital ownership at 28.4% for the first time, Fierce Healthcare April 12 reports. This is alongside a “decadelong decline of independent physicians,” which saw a new high of 77.6% doctors employed…

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Editor's Note In recent years, the healthcare real estate sector, particularly in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, area, has seen a series of challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff shortages, rising costs, and increasing interest rates, RE Journals April 15 reports. And yet, the demand for healthcare spaces such as…

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Editor's Note: Ransomware group RansomHub is threatening to sell information stolen in the Change Healthcare cyberattack after leaking some of the material to the dark web, according to an April 16 report in Becker’s Health IT. Comprising contracts, records, and other personal patient data, the posted material is part of…

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Editor's Note Addressing social determinants of health (SDOHs), strengthening emergency preparedness, and improving maternal heath are among the top priorities of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) rules released April 10. These and other efforts aim to…

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Editor's Note The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule to reduce chloroprene and ethylene oxide emissions that will impact over 200 chemical plants across the nation, including medical sterilization plants, according to an April 10 report from USA Today. Under the new rule, the EPA will cut more…

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Editor's Note A new survey finds that hospital patients receive more needlesticks than necessary, negatively impacting their experience and contributing to workflow issues. The survey was published March 27 by medical technology company BD and conducted by the Harris Poll. More than 1 in 10 (11%) of 2,006 surveyed adults, including…

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