News Briefs
Study Raises Concerns Around Doctors Becoming Too Reliant on AI
Artificial intelligence is beginning to help doctors screen patients for several routine diseases. But a new study raises concerns about whether doctors might become too reliant on AI.
(Source: NPR, 2025-08-19)
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Federal E-Health Data Rule Aims to Boost Patient Safety
New federal rules governing electronic health data will enhance patient safety, reduce administrative burdens, and streamline physician workflows, according to the American Medical Association. The U.S. Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has published its latest directive, formally titled "Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Electronic Prescribing, Real-Time Prescription Benefit and Electronic Prior Authorization."
(Source: Medical Economics, 2025-08-21)
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HHS Announces Outside Healthcare Advisory Committee
The Department of Health and Human Services will seek external experts for a new committee tasked with providing strategic guidance on the care provided by government insurance programs. The HHS announced that the Healthcare Advisory Committee will offer recommendations to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., seeking to "improve how care is financed and delivered" across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act's exchanges.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2025-08-21)
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AI Note-Taking Reduced Physician Burnout, Boosted Well-Being
Passive documentation of clinic visits using artificial intelligence-drafted notes was linked to reduced burnout and improved well-being, a survey study from two academic medical centers suggested. Clinicians using this system, dubbed ambient documentation technology, had a 21.2 percent absolute reduction in burnout, researchers led by Jacqueline You, M.D., of Mass General Brigham Hospital in Boston, reported about her institution in JAMA Network Open.
(Source: MedPage Today, 2025-08-21)
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Spending Bill Likely to Speed Up Rural Hospital Closures
Rural hospitals were already struggling financially before President Donald Trump took office in January. But the GOP tax and spending bill signed into law July 4 has made their problems far worse, hospital executives and healthcare experts say, and will likely speed up closures nationwide. Trump has said he's only cutting "waste, fraud and abuse" from Medicaid, the government insurance program for older people and those with disabilities, but those cuts will force states to make up the funding gap at a time when they are already strapped for cash or allow their rural hospitals to close.
(Source: USA Today, 2025-08-24)
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Telemedicine Can Serve as Lifeline for Smaller Hospitals
Often thought of primarily as a platform to connect patients with doctors for a virtual visit, telemedicine also has the potential to bring needed specialists to smaller hospitals and health systems for consults and even treatment, enabling those smaller providers to keep their patients and reduce costly and risky transports. The strategy also gives large health systems an opportunity to become a telemedicine hub, offering their specialists to other hospitals who sign on as spokes.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2025-08-22)
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CCRC Occupancy Continues to Grow, Analysis Finds
Occupancy continues to grow in continuing care retirement communities, with entrance fee communities continuing to outpace rental communities across all care segments, according to an analysis of occupancy trends in the setting by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. Second-quarter highest occupancy in entrance-fee CCRCS was in independent living (93.5 percent), while memory care (91.4 percent) had the highest occupancy rate in rental CCRCs, according to a blog post by NIC Data Analyst Yitao Luo.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2025-08-19)
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Demand for Hospice Care Continues to Grow with Awareness
As awareness of hospice care grows, demand continues to rise, as does length of stay. Hospice admissions have steadily increased since a COVID-related slump in 2020.
(Source: Hospice News, 2025-08-20)
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Healthcare Jobs Down Eight Percent Over Year, Report Finds
Healthcare job postings slowed in the second quarter of 2025, with notable declines in nursing and technician roles, according to the latest Hiring Lab report from Indeed. Overall, U.S. job postings are down eight percent year-over-year but remain four percent higher than before the pandemic, and healthcare is following that pattern as some occupations experience growth while others face steep drop-offs.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2025-08-19)
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Study Says Physicians Wearing Smartwatches May Reduce Burnout
Burnout remains a persistent challenge for physicians, with national survey showing rates that outpace the general workforce. Now, a randomized clinical trial, led by researchers at Mayo Clinic and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, suggests that simply wearing a smartwatch may have measurable benefits.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2025-08-19)
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