• Hospital prices must now be transparent. For many consumers, they’re still anyone’s guess (Fierce Health)

• Rural Ambulance Services Are in Jeopardy as Volunteers Age and Expenses Mount (US News/Kaiser)

• How hospital volumes changed during the pandemic (Advisory Board)

• Hospitals respond to CMS' proposed inpatient payment rule: 5 key takeaways (Beckers)

• The Health 202: Congress is throwing a lifeline to struggling rural hospitals (MSN)

• Report on nursing homes, long-term care facilities paints bleak picture of economic crisis they face (NKY Tribune)

• Lifespan, Care New England merger will 'significantly alter' healthcare market, regulator warns (Healthcare Dive)

• Opinion: The nursing home crucible (KevinMD)

• What The Closing Of Another Hospital Pediatric Unit Could Mean For Chicago Parents (WBEZ Chicago)

• Better hospital nurse staffing could save lives, prevent readmissions and reduce costs (Medical.Net)

• At HCA-owned Chippenham Hospital – and others – patients pay thousands more at for-profit trauma centers (Richmond Times)

• UnitedHealthcare delays controversial ER policy following backlash (HealthcareDive)

• Biggest health insurer plans to deny ER bills if it doubts you had an emergency (ArsTechnica)

• Superior Court judge dismisses latest legal challenge against CON (Carolina Coast)

• Many surgery patients get opioid prescriptions, but many don't need to, study suggests (MedicalExpress)

• Health costs to likely go up 6.5% in 2022 as systems invest in supply chain, digital health (HealthPayer)

• Lawmakers are feeling pressure': States push ahead on public health insurance to lower costs, improve access (MSN/USA)

• Montana Med School Clash Revives For-Profit Vs. Nonprofit Flap (KHN)

• For-Profit Medical Schools, Once Banished, Are Sneaking Back (Century Foundation)

• Late-night Car Crashes Drop As Partygoers Uber Home (International Business Times)

• Study: Association of Rideshare Use With Alcohol-Associated Motor Vehicle Crash Trauma (JAMA Network)

• Judge tosses Houston Methodist vaccine mandate lawsuit (Houston Chronicle)

• Why some COVID-19 patients suffer from low oxygen levels: 4 new study findings (Beckers)

• Some fear new Michigan no-fault auto insurance rule will force victims into nursing homes (Detroit FreePress)

• Bill on lower-cost health plans passes Nevada Assembly, returns to Senate to concur (LasVegas Review-Journal)

• Tennessee governor signs off on unemployment, certificate-of-need reform (CenterSquare)

• U.S. Consumers Often Lack Literacy In Healthcare Finances (Forbes)

• In California, Nursing Home Owners Can Operate After They're Denied A License (NPR)

• COVID pounded nursing homes in a series of deadly outbreaks, says new GAO report (NJ.com)

• Covid-19: in Nursing Homes Most Homes Had Multiple Outbreaks and Weeks of Sustained Transmission from May 2020 through January 2021 (GAO)

• Hospital at Home: Delivering hospital-level care without the hospital (Hospitalist)

• Kaiser Permanente, Mayo team up on investment in acute care at home (HealthCareDive)

• At a Glance - Regulatory Advisory: Hospital Inpatient PPS Proposed Rule for FY 2022 (AHA)

• CMS inpatient prospective payment system (PPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) PPS proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2022

• Study:Medicare-Covered Older Adults Are Satisfied with Their Coverage, Have Similar Access to Care as Privately-Insured Adults Ages 50 to 64, And Fewer Report Cost-Related Problems (KFF)

• CON law elimination sets off inpatient rehab rush in Florida (Modern Health Care - Subscription required)

• Nearly a dozen medical groups have asked HHS Secretary Becerra to walk back changes to ACO quality reporting in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (RevCycle)

• Medicaid premiums can result in enrollee dropouts and increased costs (McKnights)

• National Bureau of Economic Research: Adverse Selection in Medicaid

• Early detection of ovarian cancer does not translate into saving lives (NewsMedicalNet)     

• Certificate-of-need reform passes Tennessee General Assembly (MSN)

• An artificial intelligence system for predicting the deterioration of COVID-19 patients in the emergency department (Nature)

• Two publicly available data analytics resources can help policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders develop improved population health strategies (HealthIT)

• Study:Changing the “Family Glitch” Would Make Health Coverage More Affordable for Many Families (Urban Institute)

In the News

Blogs We Follow

Popular Site Destinations

Job Bank

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Federal Agency Blogs

COVID-19 Information

Starting Points:

• U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• CASES, DATA & SURVEILLANCE

• State Health Departments
• NACCHO Directory Local Health Departments
• CMS Nursing Home Covid Data (1st report 5/24/2020)

• Related GAO Report: Infection Control Deficiencies Were Widespread and Persistent in Nursing Homes Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic

Guides & Resources for Reopening Workspaces:

• Kaiser Permanente Releases COVID-19 Playbook: Planning For The Next Normal At Work
• CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

• CDC Workplace Decision Tree
• Summary of CDC guidelines on reopening businesses after the pandemic (Tech Republic)

Additional Resources:

• Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR) Report Summary on Pandemic and Rural Hospital Closure Risk
• Four COVID Vaccines Compared (Medscape)
• CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations
• The Costs of Coronavirus (JAMA Network)
• Largest COVID-19 contact tracing study to date finds children key to spread, evidence of superspreaders (Princeton)
• Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (National Acadamies 2020)
• National Insitutes of Health
• John Hopkins ABX Guide: Coronavirus COVID-19
• The Covid Tracking Project:
• Oxford Martin School’s Our World Data -Covid 19
• University Of Minnesotta CIDRAP Covid Resources
• JAMA Sponsored Live Stream Q & A with CDC
• Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 News and Reports
• NEJM : A collection of articles and other resources on the Coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): COVID-19 Resources
• Xtelligent Healthcare: Ongoing Updates on Latest Coronavirus for the Healthcare Community
• Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens Webinars (You Tube Channel)

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