Editor's Note A study from the Joint Commission found that more than 25 percent of hospitals have not adopted any of the four policies identified by the organization as best-practice, evidence-based discharge practices for preventing suicide in at-risk patients.   According to a March 12 report on the implementation gap…

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Editor's Note A new Alabama law provides civil and criminal immunity for providers and patients of in vitro fertilization (IVF) services, the Associated Press reported March 7. Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court effectively ruled that frozen embryos are people with a constitutional right to life, casting doubt on the…

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Editor's Note More CEOs are considering rural emergency hospital (REH) designation, according to a February 12 article in Becker’s Hospital CFO Report. In January 2023, REH was established as a new Medicare provider type to enable struggling rural hospitals to continue operating with outpatient and emergency services only, instead of…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, finds that telemedicine use is associated with lower direct medical costs. A total of 2,938 outpatient department visits and 20,204 office-based visits were included in the analysis. Of these 47.6% of outpatient department and 24.7% of office-based visits…

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