Uncategorized Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be unveiling new payment models centered on high-cost areas as part of ongoing efforts to advance value-based payment (VBP) care, and some models could be mandatory, the September 20 Healthcare Finance News reports. Healthcare providers can expect reduced regulatory…
Editor's Note Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other value-based payment (VBP) models are increasing in the US, and there is no longer any question of whether private payers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to support value-based payments, according to the August 14 Health Affairs…
Editor's Note With the announcement by Amazon, Berkshire-Hathaway, and JP Morgan to form a nonprofit consortium to manage costs and quality of healthcare for their employees, nursing leaders are looking at its implications and asking questions: Is nursing care affordable if it is not linked to improved outcomes? What price…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on September 11 released new infection prevention resources for podiatry and orthopedic and pain management settings. Free resources include: Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Podiatry Settings (available now). Guide to Infection Prevention in Orthopedic and Pain Management…
Editor's Note US hospitals added 8,200 jobs in August to a seasonally adjusted 5,189,300, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 7. That is up 94,600 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased by 301,100 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate is 3.9%.
Editor's Note Seven healthcare systems representing 500 US hospitals are forming Civica Rx, a nonprofit company that will manufacturer generic drugs, in an effort to combat shortages and skyrocketing prices, cnbc.com reported September 6. The company, which is teaming up Intermountain Healthcare, the Mayo Clinic, HCA Healthcare, and four others,…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 5 announced it has refined its scoring for high-level disinfection (HLD) and sterilization to focus on process steps that post the highest risk to patients if they fail. The new scoring revisions apply to: soiled instruments enzymatic solution transportation of instruments instruments in…
Editor's Note A deal has been signed by Olympus with FlexDex Surgical to distribute its wrist-controlled Needle Driver robotic device, the August 23 Medical Design & Outsourcing reports. The FlexDex Needle Driver, which is used to streamline suturing in areas of the abdomen that are hard to access, will complement…
Editor's Note A Navigant analysis of survey data from the Healthcare Financial Management Association finds that hospital executives are facing continued shortages of physicians, nurses, and mental health providers in the coming years, and they will be focusing on labor and supply chain productivity to reduce hospital operating expenses, the…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12 issued a proposed rule with potential changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on or after January 1, 2019. According to CMS, the changes would increase the time available for physicians and other clinicians to spend with their patients…
