News Briefs
Congress Taking on Healthcare Policies Set to Expire
Congress has begun discussions on important healthcare policies set to expire on December 31. Republicans submitted a preliminary proposal to Democrats, which includes a three-year extension of Medicare's telehealth and hospital-at-home programs. They also suggested funding for community health centers and extensions for public health programs in Medicare and Medicaid.
(Source: Home Health Care News, 2024-12-06)
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Study Finds One in Three Retail Pharmacies Shuttered Since 2010
A recent study by researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of California, Berkeley revealed that roughly one in three U.S. retail pharmacies have closed since 2010, with most states seeing an overall decline in drugstores in recent years. The new study found that the unprecedented decline began in 2018 during an active period for industry consolidation, which included the merging of large pharmacy chains with pharmacy benefit managers.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2024-12-04)
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Nontraditional Providers to Make Up 30% of Primary Care Market
Two years ago, Bain & Company forecast major shifts in the primary care market as nontraditional players gain traction and grab more market share. Nontraditional providers, including retailers, payers, and advanced primary care providers, are expected to capture 30 percent of the U.S. primary care market by 2030, according to Bain & Company's new study.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-12-05)
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HealthLeaders Highlights Four Healthcare Cybersecurity Trends
Shoring up cybersecurity became a necessity for healthcare organizations this year as several attacks highlighted vulnerabilities. Here are four cybersecurity trends HealthLeaders highlighted this year that grabbed the attention of CEOs.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2024-12-06)
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AI Health Technologies Highest Risk in ECRI Rankings
Risks from artificial intelligence-backed products are the most significant technology hazards in the healthcare sector, according to a report by research nonprofit ECRI. Though AI has the potential to improve care, things like biases, inaccurate or misleading responses, and performance degradation over time could cause patient harm, the analysis said.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-12-09)
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FDA Updates AI-Enabled Medical Devices Regulation Changes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the availability of its final guidance on AI medical devices. The document -- Marketing Submission Recommendations for a Predetermined Change Control Plan for Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Device Software Functions -- aims to provide a "forward-thinking approach to promote the development of safe and effective AI-enabled devices," the agency said in a statement.
(Source: Healthcare IT News, 2024-12-04)
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Hospitals Creating Measures to Prevent Workplace Violence
Healthcare workers were five times more likely than those in other industries to be physically attacked while at work in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seeking answers, physician and hospital organizations have created guidelines for preventing and managing violent interactions.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-12-09)
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Report Says Rural Hospitals Could Benefit from Mergers
One tried-and-tested approach to keeping rural hospitals open and preserving access to care in those communities is integration with health systems. While it may not be the right choice for all rural hospitals, facilities that are vulnerable can greatly improve their financial viability and sustainability by affiliating with, merging with, or being acquired by a larger hospital operator, according to a new report.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2024-12-05)
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Hospital Stays Shorter for Patients Getting At-Home Virtual Care
New research shows that patients with acute illnesses who received virtual and at-home care with remote patient monitoring and as-needed in-person urgent care visits had shorter hospital stays than patients who received standard inpatient hospital care. For the study, researchers assessed the Safer@Home care model launched at the Los Angeles General Medical Center in September 2022.
(Source: Tech Target, 2024-12-06)
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62% of Americans Say Government Responsible for Health Coverage
Sixty-two percent of Americans say it's the federal government's responsibility to ensure everyone has healthcare coverage, a survey from Gallup found. The figure is the highest it's been in more than a decade.
(Source: The Hill, 2024-12-09)
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