Editor's Note Corporate entities are overtaking hospitals in terms of medical practice ownership, with corporate ownership at 30.1%, surpassing hospital ownership at 28.4% for the first time, Fierce Healthcare April 12 reports. This is alongside a “decadelong decline of independent physicians,” which saw a new high of 77.6% doctors employed…

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Editor's Note In recent years, the healthcare real estate sector, particularly in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, area, has seen a series of challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff shortages, rising costs, and increasing interest rates, RE Journals April 15 reports. And yet, the demand for healthcare spaces such as…

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Editor's Note: Ransomware group RansomHub is threatening to sell information stolen in the Change Healthcare cyberattack after leaking some of the material to the dark web, according to an April 16 report in Becker’s Health IT. Comprising contracts, records, and other personal patient data, the posted material is part of…

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Editor's Note Addressing social determinants of health (SDOHs), strengthening emergency preparedness, and improving maternal heath are among the top priorities of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) rules released April 10. These and other efforts aim to…

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Editor's Note The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule to reduce chloroprene and ethylene oxide emissions that will impact over 200 chemical plants across the nation, including medical sterilization plants, according to an April 10 report from USA Today. Under the new rule, the EPA will cut more…

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Editor's Note A new survey finds that hospital patients receive more needlesticks than necessary, negatively impacting their experience and contributing to workflow issues. The survey was published March 27 by medical technology company BD and conducted by the Harris Poll. More than 1 in 10 (11%) of 2,006 surveyed adults, including…

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Editor's Note The practice of concierge physicians is expanding as thousands of doctors at large hospital systems shift to a model facilitating high fees and decreased patient load, according to an April 1 report in KFF Health News. The concierge physician model began decades ago in wealthy areas of Florida…

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Editor's Note Although OR Manager is dedicated to providing the education perioperative leaders need to succeed, we can’t do that without your input. Our annual Salary/Career survey, now open for 2024, makes it easy for you to provide that input—and in the process, get a chance to win one of…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 72,000 from March to April, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on April 5. That is compared to an overall monthly gain of 231,000 in March. In March, healthcare employment also trended up in: ambulatory…

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Editor's Note Private payers initially deny reimbursement on 15% of claims, only to later approve more than half of those initial denials, according to a national survey of healthcare institutions published March 21 by Premiere, Inc. Additionally, the denied claims on average tend to be more prevalent for higher-cost treatments…

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