Editor's Note In an opinion piece published by STAT on October 30, authors Judy Stone, MD, retired infectious disease physician, medical journalist, and author, and Judith Feinberg, MD, professor of medicine/infectious disease and professor of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, argue that new…

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Editor's Note UnitedHealthcare’s 15% cut to certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) reimbursements has ignited strong opposition from anesthesia leaders who warn the policy could endanger patient access to safe, affordable care in rural and underserved areas, Nurse.org October 14 reports. On October 1, UnitedHealthcare implemented the new policy, reducing payments…

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Editor's Note Telehealth providers are divided over whether to continue serving Medicare patients after reimbursement expired alongside the federal government shutdown, Modern Healthcare October 9 reports. The impasse has forced organizations to weigh patient access against financial risk, with many issuing advance beneficiary notices warning patients they may be responsible…

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Editor's Note States are sharpening their focus on outpatient facility fees, using new data and reporting mandates to expose how these charges inflate commercial healthcare spending, HealthAffairs October 6 reports. Specifically, Colorado, Maine, Connecticut, and Washington have launched varied but increasingly sophisticated efforts to monitor when and where hospitals bill…

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Editor's Note The US continues to outspend every other wealthy nation on healthcare, not because Americans use more services but because the prices of those services are far higher, Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker September 4 reports. The analysis compares US healthcare prices and utilization with 11 similarly wealthy countries and…

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Editor's Note The nursing shortage in California is deepening, with RN vacancies projected to grow from 3.7% in 2024 to 16.7% by 2033, HealthLeaders and KFF Health News October 8 report. The researchers cite inadequate training and retention pipelines, while nurses on the front lines say mismanagement, understaffing, and profit…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its immunization schedules to emphasize individual-based decision-making for COVID-19 vaccination and to recommend that toddlers receive a standalone varicella (chickenpox) vaccine rather than the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) shot, a CDC October 6 release reports.…

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Editor's Note According to a Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) analysis, the US healthcare system is in “serious condition,” with affordability collapsing and provider financial risk escalating, HealthLeaders September 19 reports. The group’s new Healthcare Vitals Tracker scored the industry just 35.9 out of 100, compared to a peak of…

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Editor's Note Artificial disc replacement (ADR) no longer requires a hospital stay. In one of the largest analyses to date, a California surgical team reviewed 1,043 outpatient ADR cases over 6 years and found zero immediate hospital transfers, zero transfusions, and every patient discharged home in under 24 hours, LA…

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Editor's Note Although the newly enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act is best known for major Medicaid cuts and a temporary Medicare Physician Fee Schedule increase, it also carries significant policy changes that could affect providers, patients, and the physician workforce, MedPage Today reported July 11. The article lists five…

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