Patient Rights
Alabama immunity legislation shields IVF patients, providers
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…
Ransomware group targeting Change Healthcare receives $22m Bitcoin payment
Editor's Note BlackCat, the ransomware group responsible for the cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare received a $22 million payment in bitcoins, according to a post the group made online. Reutors reported the news March 4. Change Healthcare provides payment and revenue cycle management tools and is owned by UnitedHealth, the…
Hospital hacking threats persist amid continued chaos of Change Healthcare cyberattack
Editor's Note The ransomware group behind a recent cyberattack on one of the nation’s largest health systems has its sights set on hospitals, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warned February 27. According to a report in Chief Healthcare Executive one day later, systems were…
Editorial: Social media raises privacy, ethical concerns
After spending many years in management roles, I can testify to the truth of one old proverb: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Patient privacy is a prime example. Confusion on this topic seems just as rampant today as in the early 2000s, amid the widespread…
Cyberattack disrupts systems at health technology giant Change Healthcare
Editor's Note Nationwide pharmacy delays and disrupted internal systems are among the effects of a February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States. Systems were immediately disconnected to protect partners and patients, the organization reports, and “all other systems across UnitedHealth…
Data suggest BMI cutoffs for hernia surgery could be unnecessary
Editor's Note The impact of body mass index (BMI) on hernia recurrence is likely overstated, and symptomatic patients should not be denied abdominal wall reconstruction procedures due to an arbitrary BMI cutoff of 35 kg/m2. This is the conclusion of a study published February 1 in the journal Surgery by…
Study examines high emergency department use by transgender Medicare patients
Editor's Note A study showing greater likelihood for transgender (TGD) Medicare patients to use the emergency department highlights the need to train staff in transgender-inclusive care, the authors argue. Conducted by the Brown University School of Public Health, the study was published February 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine. As reported…
Session: How value-based care will impact surgical services
Editor's Note Understanding the impact of value-based care on the surgical suite (VBC) will be essential for hospitals to understand as payers begin to seek partners in new payment models. In a conference session yesterday, Lauren Cricchi, associate principal, financial services at Avalere Healthcare and Katie Sullivan, senior vice president,…
DOJ cracking down on AI tools for clinical decision-making
Editor's Note: The U.S. Justice Department is investigating how the healthcare industry is using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to analyze and make decisions using patients’ electronic health records (EHRs), Bloomberg Law reported January 29. So far, DOJ has served subpoenas related to EHRs to at least three major pharma companies:…
CMS announces new actions to support hospitals under EMTALA
Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced a new initiative to ensure public access to emergency healthcare and assist hospitals in fulfilling obligations under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a CMS January…
Free Daily News
- Study: Staff shortages increase hospital infection rates
- Study: Critical care bed availability affects postoperative admission decisions, but not outcomes
- FDA designates Class 1 recall for infusion pumps due to air bubble risk
- Study: AI, ML improve surgical control time estimation
- How Tampa General Hospital prepared for Hurricane Helene
- Study: Nurse manager competency indirectly impacts staff retention
- Study: Improved OR design reduces surgery time, enhances efficiency
- Hospital, health system mergers reach new heights
- Algorithm enhances decision-making on intermediate-stage liver cancer surgery, treatment
- Hispanic Heritage Month reports highlight awareness, action on organ transplant disparities