Editor's Note Erin Fox, senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health who has been monitoring drug shortages for over 20 years, spoke to AP News in June of her concerns. Currently, the situation is worse than ever, with total active shortages hitting an all-time high of 323 (with 48…

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Editor's Note Hospital groups are criticizing CMS' proposed 2.6% pay increase for 2025, deeming it insufficient for nonprofit hospitals with operating margins near or below zero, according to a July 11 article in Becker’s Hospital CFO Report. The American Hospital Association and America's Essential Hospitals argue the rise won't cover…

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Editor's Note Federal regulation of hospital mergers is inadequate, according to an April antitrust enforcement study scheduled to be published by the American Economic Association. According to a June 14 report in Modern Healthcare, researchers at universities including Harvard and Yale analyzed insurance claims data from Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare,…

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Rural hospitals in the US have been facing a prolonged, multifaceted crisis. The literature presents several reasons for why healthcare facilities in rural areas struggle, including shrinking budgets, rising chronic illness and public health issues like addiction and obesity, poor telehealth and broadband access, aging populations, deteriorating mental health, and…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced assistance for providers affected by the Change Healthcare cyberattack ends next month. According to the June 17 announcement, payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program for the Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD) will end July 12,…

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Editor's Note The median hospital margin of 3.8% for April is an improvement over the previous month and year-over-year, according to the latest National Hospital Flash Report from Kaufman Hall. Compiled by Kaufman and Syntellis Performance Solutions (now part of Strata), the monthly report analyzes 3 years’ worth of both…

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Is working with a healthcare vendor a necessary evil? For leaders in the perioperative space, where vendors abound, it may be tempting to answer “yes.” The relationship between vendors and nurse leaders is a delicate balance between give and take, but sometimes the take seems to outweigh the give. Nonetheless,…

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Editor's Note Solid operating margins and an improved payer mix contributed to robust financial outcomes for HCA Healthcare in the first quarter of 2024, including “significant growth” in inpatient admissions, surgeries and emergency room visits, according to an April 29 article on Investing.com. According to the report, outpatient surgery revenue…

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Editor's Note Fallout from the February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare continues to threaten physician practices and their patients nationwide, with respondents to a recent American Medical Association (AMA) survey indicating difficulties with insurance claims and eligibility verification. AMA published the results of the informal survey April 10. Conducted March…

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Editor's Note Shortages of active drugs in the US have reached a new record, according to an April 12 CNN report on data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service. The two organizations have been tracking this data since 2001, the CNN report says.…

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