Editor's Note More than 700 rural hospitals, representing 31% of all rural hospitals in the country, are at risk of closure, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Chief Healthcare Executive reported the news August 8. According to the article, 16% of all rural…

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Editor's Note Medicare’s first negotiations on 10 top-selling prescription drugs for older Americans will save the US government $6 billion in the first year, according to an August 15 article in Reuters. Enabled by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, negotiations for drugs used by Medicare—which covers 66 million…

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Editor's Note A new low for median days cash-on hand could spell trouble for US nonprofit hospitals and health systems, Healthcare Dive reported August 12. “Nonprofit hospitals’ cash on hand — the funds immediately available to finance daily operations — is one indicator of financial health,” the outlet reports. “Low cash…

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Editor's Note Medicare and patient out-of-pocket costs are rising as vertical integration results in more procedures moving to hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) than to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), Becker’s ASC Review reported on August 8. The article summarizes a study published July 25 in Science Direct. Described as "physician vertical…

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Editor's Note The Affordable Care Act , abortion and contraception, LBGTQ health, prescription drug prices—presidential candidates Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, and Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, have vastly different positions these and other healthcare issues. KFF Health News has published a detailed comparison in the form of a side-by-side…

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Editor's Note As Governor of Minnesota, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz backed off on nurse staffing ratios as well as healthcare affordability after Mayo Clinic—which is based in the state—raised objections, Managed Healthcare Executive reported August 6. Citing earlier reports from Politico and the Star Tribune on various aspects of…

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Editor's Note Responding to and recovering from data breaches in healthcare is more expensive than any other industry, according to a report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute. Healthcare Dive reported on the results August 1. According to that article, the $9.8 million average cost for a breach this year…

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Editor's Note The Supreme Court’s recent “Chevron” ruling could offer additional financial security to hundreds of so-called "tweener" rural hospitals—those too large to be considered critical access hospitals but too small to be rural referral centers. Modern Healthcare reported the news July 29. According to the article, critical access hospitals,…

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Although I am not a healthcare professional, working for OR Manager offers a peek behind the curtain. What I have learned so far has left me feeling a bit conflicted. When I took this job back in December, I assumed the hospital ecosystem was driven entirely by the Hippocratic Oath.…

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Takeaways Transmitting health metrics directly from a surgical implant reduces the need for in-person followup and offers more objective data on recovery than patient-reported measures. This technology’s potential extends beyond knees. Whatever the nature of the treatment, postop monitoring is critical. Patient education is essential for setting up the data…

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