Ambient AI healthcare documentation gains traction as capabilities expand
Editor's Note Investor interest in ambient AI clinical documentation is surging, with venture funding for AI scribe companies reaching $292 million in 2024—more than triple the $87 million seen in 2023, according to a February 11 article in Modern Healthcare. Attributing the $292 million figure to a report from research…
Healthcare M&A faces tighter review as FTC retains guidelines
Editor’s Note In a setback for healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will continue enforcing strict antitrust guidelines established under the Biden administration, Healthcare Dive February 19 reports. Bucking expectations of a more lenient approach under the new administration, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson confirmed the decision,…
Texas abortion ban linked to spike in pregnancy complications, maternal death
Editor’s Note Pregnancy complications—including life-threatening sepsis—surged in Texas after the state banned abortion in 2021, according to a ProPublica analysis of seven years’ worth of state hospital data. In a February 20 report, the outlet details how sepsis rates for women hospitalized after second-trimester pregnancy loss rose by more than…
AI streamlines documentation, frees time for nurses at Cedars-Sinai surgical unit
Editor's Note An artificial intelligence (AI) tool is showing significant promise in reducing the administrative workload for nurses and clinical partners on a 48-bed surgical unit at Cedars-Sinai, according to a February 12 Cedars-Sinai Newsroom Q&A with Rachel Coren, MPH, MS, vice president and associate chief information officer, and Peachy…
Session: Riding the Wave—Considerations to Making Anesthesia Profitable in Today's Labor Market
Editor's Note The OR Business Management Conference this year for the first time offered a lineup of sessions that was fully dedicated to content relevant to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). In this session, Collin Pick, MSN, CRNA, ARNP, CMPE, chief of anesthesia, Physician Partners of America, explored the ongoing anesthesia…
Session: Surfs Up—Rolling Out the OAS CAHPS Survey
Editor's Note In this session, Gail Avigne, MSN, BA, RN, senior consultant, strategic consulting, at Press Ganey Associates LLC, spoke to OR Business Management Conference attendees about the rollout of the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS (OAS CAHPS) survey, which is a mandatory requirement for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in…
Montana legislators' prior authorization reform push mirrors national trends
Editor's Note Montana legislators are moving to restrict health insurers’ use of prior authorization as frustration over the practice mounts nationwide, KFF News reported February 13. The outlet reports that two Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced or are drafting bills for the 2025 Montana Legislature to limit these insurer-mandated…
States push to expand nurse practice authority
Editor's Note Recent legislative efforts in Florida and Mississippi aim to expand the authority of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with measures that would remove supervisory requirements and allow independent practice for certain nurse practitioners. The efforts underscore an ongoing, nationwide debate over the role of APRNs in addressing provider…
Oregon bill seeks to ban AI from using ‘nurse’ title amid patient safety concerns
Editor's Note Only humans should be called nurses, argues Oregon State Representative Travis Nelson, a Portland Democrat and practicing nurse who recently introduced new legislation aiming to prevent the title from applying to artificial intelligence (AI) or any non-human entity. As detailed in a February 4 report from Nurse.org, House…
Human trafficking in healthcare supply chains often underrecognized, expert argues
Editor's Note Although human trafficking’s infiltration into healthcare labor and supply chains is pervasive, many clinicians and other professionals remain unaware of the extent of the issue, according to a February 3 opinion piece in MedPage Today. While efforts have focused on identifying trafficking victims in clinical settings, healthcare organizations…
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