Editor's Note The American Medical Association (AMA) annual, nationwide prior authorization survey reveals that over 90% of physicians believe prior authorization negatively impacts patient clinical outcomes. “More telling,” AMA reported July 17, is the fact that 78% of physicians report that this process “sometimes or often” leads to patients abandoning…

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Editor's Note The latest "Best Hospitals" rankings from U.S. News & World Report have been released with significant updates to methodology in response to recent controversies. MedPage Today reported the news July 16. Among the chief changes this year is the inclusion of Medicare Advantage data in the rankings, a…

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Editor's Note A Massachusetts man, Marty Kedian, regained his voice after a pioneering larynx transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, The Associated Press (AP) reported July 9. According to the article, Kedian is only the third person in the U.S. to receive a total larynx transplant and the first…

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Editor's Note As the Republican National Convention meets in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump, the party is not expected to unveil a detailed healthcare platform. However, a July 15 report in Modern Healthcare covers what plans and past records reveal about the potential direction of health policy under a GOP…

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Editor's Note Female patients undergoing heart surgery are less likely than male patients to have concomitant procedures—that is, having additional ailments addressed during cardiac procedures—despite guidelines recommending such treatments, according to two studies led by Michigan Medicine. News-Medical.Net reported the news June 28. The first study, involving over 5,000 patients…

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Editor's Note New research highlights sharp, nationwide increases in both male and female sterilization procedures since the Supreme Court overturned landmark decision Roe vs. Wade in 2022. Published in JAMA Health Forum, the research on how many 18- to 30-year-olds were getting sterilized before and after the ruling was the…

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Editor's Note Using a device they call a “space hairdryer,” researchers in Austria applied gentle shockwaves to regenerate heart tissue after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in a study with potential implications for millions of patients, BBC News reported June 20. Researchers are now seeking larger trials, European regulatory…

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Editor's Note Nearly half of hospital executives report that their hospitals are not fully prepared to cope with patient volumes, Becker’s Hospital Review reported June 13. Citing the June 12 Hospital Operations Outlook Survey from FTI Consulting, Becker’s reports that nursing and mental and behavior health specialists represent the greatest…

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Editor's Note CMS hospital star ratings may not be a reliable tool for assessing surgical quality, according to a study published June 18 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers acknowledge that higher ratings are generally associated with improved postoperative outcomes, including fewer complications and lower 30-day mortality rates. However, as reported by…

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Editor's Note Qilin, a ransomware group based in Russia, claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against pathology services provider Synnovis that paralyzed London Hospitals and is now requesting $50 million, Becker’s Health IT reported June 20. Citing a report from Bloomberg, the article notes that the attack disrupted services at London-based hospitals…

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