News Briefs
Healthcare Industry Prepares for Stricter FTC Merger Guidelines
The Federal Trade Commission will continue to use stricter guidelines inked by the Biden administration in reviewing corporate mergers, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson notified staff, in a setback for healthcare M&A. The guidelines finalized in 2023 raised the bar for antitrust review, and as such have been broadly opposed by the private sector.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2025-02-19)
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Federal Judge Sides with FTC in PBM Lawsuit, Case Moves Forward
A federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission in a case against the nation's three largest pharmacy benefit managers, declining to halt the lawsuit. The FTC announced last September that it was suing the "big three" PBMs, alleging they colluded to raise the price of insulin through "discounts" that pass additional costs to patients.
(Source: HealthExec, 2025-02-20)
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Health Organizations Urge Rescinding of DEA Telehealth Rule
More than 150 organizations have appealed to Pam Bondi, the attorney general of the United States, to bring attention to telemedicine policy under the Department of Justice's jurisdiction. The letter -- organized by the Alliance for Connected Care and signed by Intermountain Health, Ascension, and other health systems, along with numerous clinical and technology associations -- urged Bondi to rescind the recently proposed Drug Enforcement Agency framework for telemedicine prescribing.
(Source: Healthcare IT News, 2025-02-24)
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Healthcare Sector Continues to Be Plagued by Cyberattacks
Healthcare cyberattacks significantly affected the healthcare sector in 2024 and remain a top concern in 2025, the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center, or Health-ISAC, shared in a report examining the healthcare cyberthreat landscape. A survey of approximately 200 healthcare cybersecurity executives and professionals identified ransomware, phishing, compromised credentials, third-party credentials, and data breaches as the top five cyberthreats facing their organizations in 2024.
(Source: Tech Target, 2025-02-19)
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P.E. Investments in Healthcare Industry Still Robust, Study Finds
Private equity firms continued to invest in healthcare at a steady pace last year, undeterred by increased regulatory scrutiny or high interest rates, according to a new study from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. However, investment was lower compared to 2023. P.E. deal volume could increase in 2025, both due to falling interest rates and the new Trump administration, according to the report. Analysts predict the Trump administration will be more friendly to P.E. investors than the outgoing Biden administration.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2025-02-24)
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As Auditing Process Becomes More Complex, Hospices Concerned
Auditors are raising new questions around two common issues in hospices' Medicare claims -- documentation supporting patient eligibility and the physician narrative. Program integrity issues and quality concerns have raised the bar of regulatory oversight in recent years, with auditing activity ramping up as more providers undergo multiple audits simultaneously each year.
(Source: Hospice News, 2025-02-20)
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Hospital Finances Impacted by Bad Debt, Volume of Charity Care
Hospital financial performance in the past year has been a mixed bag. Though a jump in revenue and manageable expense growth have helped hospital margins stabilize, a rise in bad debt and volume of charity care have kept bottom lines in check, according to Kaufman Hall's latest National Hospital Flash Report.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2025-02-20)
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93% of Doctors Feeling Burnout, Many Hopeful About AI
According to a new survey from Athenahealth, 93 percent of doctors feel burned out on a regular basis, and 56 percent said they have considered leaving the field or no longer seeing patients. On a brighter note, eight in ten physicians believe artificial intelligence could eventually reduce many of their problems.
(Source: The National News Desk, 2025-02-21)
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Study Finds 65.8% of Adults Don't Trust Health Systems' AI Use
A majority of U.S. adults have low trust in their healthcare systems to use artificial intelligence responsibly, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. Led by researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota, the study found that 65.8 percent of U.S adults expressed low levels of trust in their healthcare system's ability to use AI responsibly, and 57.7 percent had low trust that their health system would ensure AI tools do not cause harm.
(Source: Dermatology Times, 2025-02-21)
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Report Finds Fewer Clinicians Entering Into Primary Care Field
Fewer clinicians are entering into the primary care field and investments in primary care are on the downswing, finds a new report from the American Academy of Family Physicians and Milbank Memorial Fund. According to the findings, years of neglect and chronic underinvestment by the healthcare system has left U.S. primary care in a position where it's increasingly unable to meet patients' needs, particularly in rural and other underserved communities.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2025-02-23)
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84% of Patients Check Online Doctor Reviews, Report Finds
Online reviews have become a key factor in how patients choose their healthcare providers, but a significant gap remains between their influence and how often patients leave them, according to a new report by healthcare reputation management company, rater8. The study, "How Patients Choose Their Doctors," surveyed more than 1,000 patients across the United States and found that 84 percent check online reviews prior to selecting a new provider.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2025-02-18)
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