News Briefs
Physician Productivity Rising, But Reimbursement Isn't
Physicians are working more than ever, but reimbursement isn't rising in tandem. It's a worrying mismatch that could translate into access problems for patients down the line, according to a new report.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2025-08-12)
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350 Organizations Urge Congress to Extend Telehealth Flexibilities
A group of 350 organizations urged Congress to make COVID-19 Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent. If Congress can't make these flexibilities --which are set to expire in September -- permanent, then they hope to see at least a two-year extension.
(Source: MedCity News, 2025-08-14)
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Trump Tariffs Could Dramatically Drive Up Pharmaceutical Costs
President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, saying they would start small but could increase by up to 250 percent, a move critics say would be a major blow, especially for cancer patients. Brand-name drugs already cost three to four times more in the U.S. than in other developed countries, and even generic drugs, which are more likely to be imported from Europe, could see price increases if the tariffs are enacted.
(Source: MSN, 2025-08-14)
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Trump EO Aims to Ensure 'Resilient' Drug Supply Chain
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at ensuring a "resilient" supply chain for essential medicines in the U.S. by filling the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve (SAPIR) with critical drug components, the White House said.
(Source: Reuters, 2025-08-13)
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ACP Reports Shortage of Prescription Meds Causing Health Crisis
The American College of Physicians issued a report indicating that a shortage of prescription medication is causing a "public health crisis." The report states that this ongoing shortage is leading to poor health outcomes and placing significant strain on physicians and hospitals.
(Source: Scripps Howard News Service, 2025-08-12)
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CMS Freezes Nursing Home Care Compare Information
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it is freezing its chief nursing home information source for consumers to ensure data accuracy after behind-the-scenes technical changes. The broad freeze of all information on Nursing Home Care Compare, including star ratings, is expected to last through September.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2025-08-17)
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CCRCs Reported Strong Occupancy Growth in Second Quarter
Strong occupancy growth continued across not-for-profit continuing care retirement / life plan communities in the second quarter, painting an "encouraging" picture, according to specialty investment bank Ziegler. Independent living had the highest occupancy, whereas memory care saw the strongest annual gains.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2025-08-15)
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Second Quarter Hospice Acquisitions Continued to Slow
Hospice acquisitions slowed slightly between the first and second quarters of the year. Five hospice transactions took place in Q2, down from the seven deals reported in Q1, according to a recent report from the M&A advisory firm Mertz Taggart, continuing a years-long slump in the hospice M&A market, following record years in 2021 and 2022.
(Source: Hospice News, 2025-08-14)
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More Health Systems Implementing AI, But Governance Elusive
Artificial intelligence is being deployed among most surveyed health systems, though less than a fifth reported having fleshed out internal governance and a strategy around the technology, according to a recent report from the Healthcare Financial Management Association. The 18 percent of health systems that reported having mature AI programs tended to be large, and three-quarters reported annual net patient revenue of more than $1 billion. But only half said they had sufficient resources in place for implementing AI tools at their organizations.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2025-08-13)
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Embargo Ransomware Extorts $34M from Hospitals, Health Facilities
A ransomware group going by the name Embargo has extorted roughly $34 million from companies in the United States, with hospitals and healthcare facilities among the top targets, according to research from blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs. Based on technical and behavioral similarities, TRM analysts determined that Embargo is likely a successor, or a rebranded version, of the BlackCat ransomware group.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2025-08-12)
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Patients Trust Physicians in White Coats, But Gender Bias Abounds
Patients continue to associate the physician's white coat with professionalism and trust, but new research finds that gender bias and clinical context significantly influence perceptions. A research paper in BMJ Open examined 32 studies from 2015 to 2024 across multiple countries, including the United States, Japan, China, and Pakistan and found that physician attire strongly shapes patient impressions of competence, communication, and empathy. But expectations vary by setting, specialty, and physician gender.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2025-08-13)
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