• Ballad Health, the only hospital system across a swath of Tennessee and Virginia, has fallen short of quality-of-care and charity care obligations (USA Today/KFF)

• AHA urges lawmakers to roll back online tracking tech restrictions (HealthCareDive)

• These Employers Took On Healthcare Costs, and the Fight Got Nasty (WSJ)

• Hospitals are dropping Medicare Advantage (Beckers)

• Cigna to pay $172M to settle claims it overcharged Medicare Advantage program (Fierce Health)

• The latest Medicaid unwinding dilemma (WP)

• Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding :Tracking State Medicaid Disenrollment (KFF)

• Researchers find a cause of Parkinson’s disease (EurekaAlert)

• Brief (PDF): Hospital Concentration Decreases Care for Medicaid Beneficiaries (NIHCM)

• Private Equity-Owned Healthcare Companies to Join in $3 Billion Merger (WSJ)

• CBO: Center tasked with saving Medicare money falls short (Politico)

• New recommendations to improve outcomes at US congenital heart surgery centers (NewsMedical)

• Kaiser Permanente workers say deal unlikely to avert strike (Reuters)

• Private equity firms and publicly traded companies shift their operational strategies to maximize profits, according to a study (HealthCareDive)

• Study: Changes in Diagnoses and Site of Care for Patients Receiving Hospice Care From Agencies Acquired by Private Equity Firms and Publicly Traded Companies (JAMA Network)

• Brief: Ensuring Continuous Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP: Coverage and Cost Impacts for Adults (Commonwealth Fund)

• The Cost Shift, The Health Care Ecosystem, And Commercial Prices (Health Affairs)

• Study: Skilled Nursing Facility Changes in Ownership and Short-Stay Medicare Patient Outcomes (JAMA Network)

• Nursing home sales a ‘symptom’ of poor quality: researchers (McKnights)

• Virginia hospitals are rewriting their security plan (Free Lance Star)

• Hospitals say New Mexico's rising malpractice payout cap puts insurance out of reach (SantaFe News)

• Albany-area hospitals continue to see longest ER wait times in state (Times Union)

• Cannabis related hospital visits are on the rise in Virginia, specifically among kids and teens (WVEC on MSN)

• Maximizing Nonprofit Hospitals’ Role In Community Health Improvement (Health Affairs)

• American Heart Association Releases Guidance for Patient Data Sharing (HealthITAnalytics)

• Critics: Nonprofit hospitals' charity care falling short (St Louis Post-Dispatch)

• Half of Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Left Plan After 5 Years (Health Payer)

• As hospitals, insurers fight, patients lose (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

• Nursing Homes Must Boost Staffing Under First-Ever National Standards (WSJ on MSN)

• Humana sues feds over Medicare Advantage risk adjustment change (Fierce Healthcare)

• Patients in public hospitals experience more discharge delays: Study (Beckers)

• MOVEit breach hits Johns Hopkins, other health systems (Modern Healthcare)

• As pharmaceutical companies bemoan Medicare’s drug negotiations, hospitals and doctors stay mum (STAT)

• HHS Scores Win in Low-Income Medicare Payment Row With Hospitals (BloombergLaw)

• Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs Saved $1.8B in 2022, CMS Reports (RevCycle)

• Cigna Accused of Using AI, Not Doctors, to Deny Claims: Lawsuit (Medscape)

• Medicare slashes safety net hospital payments on estimate that more people have insurance (STAT)

• Health insurers don’t want you to know where your money is going (Crains)

• Why going critical access was 'not a hard decision' for a Maine hospital (Beckers)

• Uninsured rate hits record low, just as millions start losing Medicaid coverage (The Hill)

• Private Equity Ownership Leads to Lower Quality, Higher Costs (Health Leaders)

• What Happens When Private Equity Buys Your Doctor's Office? (Time)
• Who Employs Your Doctor? Increasingly, a Private Equity Firm. A new study finds that private equity firms own more than half of all specialists in certain U.S. Markets.(NYT)

• Be Aware: Someone Could Steal Your Medical Records and Bill You for Their Care (KFF)

• HCA's Sam Hazen states that an internal investigation finds the private information of approximately 11 million patients was compromised (Health Care Finance)
• Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of 612K Medicare Recipients (Kiplinger/MSN)
• The biggest health care data breaches you should know about in Virginia (Stacker)

• Bon Secours drops Anthem-managed Medicare plans (Virginia Pilot)

• AHA, BCBSA urge CMS to ditch conflicting requirements in prior authorization reform proposal (Fierce Health)

• State (Connecticut) creates nursing home ownership transparency rules ahead of federal action (McKnights)

• Docs shift to larger, hospital-owned practices to have more negotiation power with payers, AMA analysis finds (Fierce Health)

• FTC withdraws ‘outdated’ antitrust policy statements. Hospitals cry foul (HealthCareDive)

• Brief: What Share of Nursing Facilities Would Meet Possible New Staffing Requirements? (KFF)

• Few nursing homes would comply with recommended staffing standard, analysis shows (AXIOS)
• Over a year after nursing home staffing law, NY homes still fail to meet mandates (Crains)
• AHCA to White House: Nursing home staffing mandate spells ‘disaster’ (McKnights)

• Taking a Look at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Implementation One Year After Launch (KFF)

• Virginia sees 50% increase in people using 988 during crisis hotline’s first year (WSLS)
• VA lays groundwork for first major survey of moral injury in veterans (Military Times)

• Medicare has a new plan to address drug shortages — but it could backfire (STAT)

• 12 Highest-Cost States for Medicare Drug Bills (ThinkAdvisor)
• 10 Prescription Drugs Took Up 22% of Medicare Part D Spending in 2021 (MedCity)

• Analysis: A Small Number of Drugs Account for a Large Share of Medicare Part D Spending (KFF)

• New Virginia law requires hospitals to post price list online (WRIC)

• Hospitals, health systems facing lawsuits for data breaches (Beckers)

• HCA Healthcare hit with at least 4 class-action lawsuits days after disclosing massive data breach (Fierce Health)
• Johns Hopkins hit with class action suit following data breach (HealthCareDive)
• HCA reports data security incident affecting estimated 11M patients (HealthCareDive)

• CMS Proposes Payment Cuts in CY24 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (RevCycle)

• Medicare 2024 Base Pay Cut Announcement Spurs Calls for Reform (Medscape)

• Alarming’ COVID-19 treatment rates in nursing homes discovered (McKnights

• We Updated “Nursing Home Inspect.” Here’s What Changed (ProPublica on MSN)

• ProPublica Nursing Home Inspect

• Is the safety net ready for the next public health emergency? (MSN/The Hill - Opinion)

• New Virginia law requires hospitals to post price list online (WRIC)

• Health Connect America Gets Fined $4.6M for Wrongful Billing of Virginia Medicaid (MedCity)

• Nearly 3 million people cut from Medicaid coverage even though many might still be eligible (MSN/CNBC)

• Expanding Medicaid improved care without crowding out other patients (MedicalXpress)
• Medi-Cal’s Fragmented System Can Make Moving a Nightmare (KHN)

• How UnitedHealth’s acquisition of a popular Medicare Advantage algorithm sparked internal dissent over denied care (STAT)

• Richmond healthcare services company owner sentenced to 51 months in prison for fraud (Augusta Free Press)

• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis Who Cannot Undergo Surgery (Medscape)

• Researchers discover new opportunities for preventing kidney injury following cardiac surgery (MedicalXpress)
• Long-term Mortality and Pacing Outcomes of Patients with Permanent Pacemaker Implantation after Cardiac Surgery (Medscape)

• Wider access to health insurance via Medicaid expansion improved cardiac care (Eureka!)

• The top 10 nonprofit health systems by 2022 operating revenue (Fierce Health)

• Lawmakers pass on increasing nursing home staffing minimums but hike transparency requirements (McKnights)

• The 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule aims to curb any interference with electronic health information. Despite this, some hospitals still report possible instances of information blocking (EHRIntel)

• Study:Experiences with information blocking in the United States: a national survey of hospitals (JAMIA)

• What's Changed Since HCA's Takeover of Mission Health? (Medpage)

• HHS offers aid amid Medicaid redetermination coverage losses (Health Care Dive)

• Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ) raised concerns about recent Medicaid eligibility redeterminations.

• Podcast (w/Transcript): Kelsey Owsley on 340B's Effect on Oncology Services (Health Affairs)

• AHIP Urges 4 Types of Policies to Reduce Healthcare Spending (Health Payer)

• Brief: Health Care Affordability Improved Between 2019 and 2022 Under Pandemic Health Coverage Policies (RWJ)

• The hospital association said the proposed update to the market basket of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System is inadequate, citing market forces and workforce woes (RevCycle)

• Nursing homes serving Black residents found to have greater hospitalizations, emergency department visits (MedicalXpress)

• Nursing home residents reluctant to voice concerns, report abuse or neglect for fear of retaliation: survey (The Hill)

• Using COVID-19 positive donor hearts may impact post-transplant survival (MedicalXpress)

• Court Upholds ACA Preventive Care Compliance Amid Legal Proceedings (Health Payer)

• United Healthcare draws fire from docs over new prior authorization policy for colonoscopies (Fierce Health)

• Private equity-backed Envision Healthcare files for bankruptcy (Financial Times)

• No Surprises Act IDR Process Once Again Exceeds Utilization Expectations (Health Leaders)

• Independent Dispute Resolution Case Load 14X More Than Expected (RevCycle)

• Monopoly concerns push FTC to sue to block Amgen’s more than $26B deal for Horizon (The Hill)

• Complementary and Alternative Medicines in HF: Key Takeaways From the AHA Statement (Medscape)

• Hospitals create police forces to stem growing violence against staff (WPR/NPR)

• Data leak may affect patients of multiple Virginia health care providers (Daily Press)

• State Lawmakers (Oregon) Eye Forced Treatment to Address Overlap in Homelessness and Mental Illness (KFF)

• An opportunity to enhance our model': Geisinger CEO Dr. Jaewon Ryu on Risant Health (Beckers)

• Kaiser Permanente discloses timeline, financial commitments for its VBC megadeal with Geisinger Health (Fierce Health)
• Kaiser Foundation Hospitals' new nonprofit Risant Health is acquiring Geisinger Health (Health Care Finance)

• Civil trial begins for first US nursing home with COVID outbreak, deaths (McKnights)

• The Health Plan Price Transparency Data Files Are a Mess- States Can Help Make Them Better (Health Affairs)

• VA renegotiates health record modernization contract (MSN)

• Razor Thin Margins Leave Hospitals Vulnerable to a Recession (RevCycle)

• Artificial intelligence is infiltrating health care. We shouldn’t let it make all the decisions (MIT Technology Review)

• Dr. Karen Shelton appointed as next Virginia State Health Commissioner (August Free Press)

• While the benefits of hospital-at-home programs are becoming apparent, providers may face several barriers to implementation, including developing and updating clinical workflows (Health Intelligence)

• How Hawaii plans to advance pediatric emergency care (Beckers)

• Senate COVID origins report details lab leak theory (Axios/MSN)

• The federal department has released ownership data for all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies to increase healthcare transparency (RevCycle)

• Pandemic-era Medicare pay bump not enough to cover hospitals' 17.5% expense growth, AHA argues (Fierce Health)

• Lawmakers, union attack AHCA’s opposition to nursing home staffing mandate (McKnights)

• Opinion: It’s time to address the unaffordability of affordable health care (The Hill)

• The looming Medicaid purge is sending a chill through hospitals (Crains)

• Millions at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as pandemic-era program ends (PBS)

• CVS Health Keeps Getting Bigger and Bigger (Managed Healthcare)

• Heart injury biomarker may help COVID-19 patients avoid hospitalization, new study shows (MedicalXpress)

• Virginia nonprofit sues for Irvo Otieno hospital records in death probe (WP/MSN)

• How does medical inflation compare to inflation in the rest of the economy? (KFF)

• Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease See Higher Hospital Readmission Rates (Revcycle)

• Study: Readmission Rates and Episode Costs for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias Across Hospitals in a Statewide Collaborative (JAMA Network)

• Why it’s hard for the U.S. to cut, or even control, Medicare spending (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Research into directories of UnitedHealth, Elevance, Cigna, Aetna, and Humana uncovers inaccuracies that can lead to surprise billing and delays in care (Health Leaders)

• Study: Consistency of Physician Data Across Health Insurer Directories (JAMA Network)

• Kentucky governor vetoes attempt to scrap expanded Medicaid benefits (Beckers)

• Health insurers balk at price demands in Colorado governor’s signature health insurance program (Colorado Sun)

• Rising drug shortages pose national security threat, Senate panel says (The Hill)

•  HSGAC Majority Staff’ Report - Risks of Drug Shortages

• HHS plans revamp of US organ transplant network with updated IT, more competition (FierceHealth)

• New York providers beg for rate increase, while lawmakers look ready to add millions to oversight program (McKnights)

• eHealth Research Highlights Economic Factors that Drive Enrollment in Medicare Advantage vs Medicare Supplement (Market Watch)

• Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Prepare for the Unwinding of the Pandemic-Era Continuous Enrollment Provision (KFF)

• Med Center and Top Cardio Surgeon Must Pay $8.5 Million for Fraud, Concurrent Surgeries (Medscape)

• Medicare Advantage plans denying more inpatient claims (Healthcare Finance)

• Medicare Advantage, insuring 1 million patients in North Carolina, faces new challenges to costs, practices (NC Healthcare News)
• 2023 Medicare Advantage Enrollment Growth Has Shifted and Slowed (Health Payer)

• 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care (Pew)

• Office for Civil Rights brings 2 reports to Congress regarding state of HIPAA compliance and cybersecurity (Fierce Health)

• Georgia bill to replace certificate of need advances (Beckers)

• A new American Hospital Association report takes a closer look at the biggest challengers to healthcare's status quo (Health Leaders)

• AHA Report: Health Care Disruption (PDF)

• Under a new program, rural hospitals could get more money — but they have to end inpatient care (Mississippi Today)

• Medicaid enrollees largely unaware of upcoming redeterminations, survey finds (HealthCareDive)

• Pandemic-era legislation allowed Medicaid programs to keep people continuously enrolled, but new data spells trouble for people and provider revenue when that expires (RevCycle)

• Doctors Are Disappearing From Emergency Rooms as Hospitals Look to Cut Costs (Medscape)

• North Carolina House overwhelmingly approves its latest plan to expand Medicaid (WGHP)

• Certificate of Need exemption for birthing centers causes debate in W.Va. House (Parkersburg News & Sentinel)

• FTC’s enforcement action against GoodRx unveiled a new regulatory threat. Should digital health apps be concerned? (HealthCareDive)

• White House announces plans to enhance transparency over nursing home ownership (The Hill)

• More than 75% of Tennessee's rural hospitals at high risk of closure (MSN)

• Podcast:Surprise Ambulance Bills and Beyond (Health Affairs)

• Evaluation of Prices for Surgical Procedures Within and Outside Hospital Networks in the US (JAMA Network)

• Nonprofit hospitals may evade noncompete ban enforcement, experts say (HealthCareDive)

• Also:Doctors no longer bound by noncompetes under FTC’s proposed ban
• Hospitals have more questions than answers on noncompetes amid FTC proposal (Beckers)
  
  

• Follow-up colonoscopy rates low after positive stool-based test (MedicalXpress)

• Colorectal Cancer: New Blood Test May Help Determine if Chemotherapy is Needed After Surgery (Healthline)

• A bill for Virginia nursing home staffing standards is moving (Richmond Time Dispatch)

• Bill Targeting Minimum Staffing Standards, Value-Based Purchasing Gains Traction in Virginia (Skilled Nursing)

• How this law (No Surprise Act) reshaped medical billing, and what challenges remain for patients (PBS)

• The portal to resolve surprise bills has been inundated with disputes — SCP Health tops the list (HealthCareDive)
• The No Surprises Act and ‘Good Faith Estimate’: What Is It and When Is It Required (MedCityNews)

• Healthcare workers union petitions FDA to recall Fresenius dialysis machines (UPI)

• Ransomware Attacks at Record Levels; Healthcare Organizations Must Be Ready Via Data Security and Disaster Response Policies and Procedures (National Law Review)

• State Health Plan (NC) rejects appeals from Blue Cross NC and United Healthcare (Charlotte Observer)

• State, hospital association paint different pictures of Colorado nonprofit hospitals' finances (KUSA)

• More than 8 in 10 nursing homes face staffing shortages (The Hill); AHCH State of the Nursing Home Industry Study 2023 (ACHA)

• Also: It’s time to crack down on NY’s predatory nursing home operators (Syracuse -Guest Opinion by Richard J. Mollot)
• Inspector general will review program for poorest performing nursing homes (McKnights)
• Nurses Push for Staffing Requirements at Nursing Homes (Globest)
• Nursing-home reform may finally become a reality: Three breakthroughs that are turning talk into action (Market Watch)

• South Carolina lawmakers to consider ending part of approval process for new health care facilities (WBTW)

• South Carolina lawmakers could end state's certificate of need program (CenterSquare)

• Closing at UPMC hospital in central Pa. surprises, worries mayor of rural town (PennLive)

• Record High in U.S. Put Off Medical Care Due to Cost in 2022 (Gallup)

• Certificate of need changes in the Carolinas: What ASCs need to know in 2023 (Beckers)

• Study: Up to a third of rural hospitals are at risk of closure (Richmond Times Dispatch)

• Study says U.S. hospital giant HCA  puts profits above patient care (NBC)

• Patient care crisis' in HCA Healthcare Hospitals causing 'grueling burnout' among workers, report says (KTNV)

• Providers, Payers In Ongoing “Tug-of-War” Over ED Coding, Study Says (RevCycle)

• Labs With Questionably High Billing for Additional Tests Alongside COVID-19 Tests Warrant Further Scrutiny (DHHS-OIG); Full Report (PDF)

• CMS Proposes Bid to Speed Up Insurers' Prior Authorization Decisions (Medscape)

• Payer, Provider Orgs React to Prior Authorization Proposed Rule (HealthPayer)

• Employers Can Do More to Advance Health Equity (Harvard Business Review)

• Related: How much employees actually pay for health care plans (Eastern Oregonian)

• Considerations for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Its State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal Public Health Partners (RWJF)

• Patient discharge delays pose threat to health outcomes  (Healthcaredive)

• Issue Brief: Patients and Providers Faced with Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges (AHA)

• High Deductibles Keep Some Women From Follow-Up After Troubling Mammogram (USNews)

• For-profit health systems HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and Community Health Systems have all had positive operating margins for most quarters during the pandemic (RevCycle)

• 7 Challenges, Opportunities for All-Payer Claims Databases (Health Payer)

• Critical changes in COVID-19 standards of care associated with improved mortality outcomes (MedicalXpress)

• Should older seniors risk major surgery? New research offers guidance (SFGate)

• Brief: How does medical inflation compare to inflation in the rest of the economy? (Health System Tracker)

• Potential Effects of the Proposed Medicaid Eligibility Rule for Newly Enrolled Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees (KFF)

• AMA found that around a third of Medicare Advantage markets in 2021 had one insurer with a market share of 50 percent or more, indicating low competition levels (HealthPayer)

• 3 trends to watch as ACA open enrollment begins

• Senate Dems urge action on false Medicare marketing (AXIOS)

• CMS releases final payment rules for 2023: 15 takeaways (Becker’s)

• Hospital Giant HCA Fends Off Accusations of Questionable Inpatient Admissions (KHN)

• Half of hospitals spend just 1.4% of expenses on charity care, KFF finds (HealthcareDive)

• Rural Emergency Hospitals – CY 2023 OPPS Final Rule Includes Additional Information on New Medicare Provider Type (National Law Review)

• Lobbying Expenditures in the US Health Care Sector, 2000-2020 (JAMA Network)

• 'Calm before the storm': Health insurance costs set to spike after they stayed mostly flat in 2022, survey finds (MSN)

• Payment Policy And The Challenges Of Medicare And Medicaid Integration For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries (Health Affairs)

• LCMC Health and Tulane University announce partnership with LCMC to acquire three HCA hospitals through the agreement (Tulane)

• Joint Press Release

• U.S. Hospitals Under Strain as ER Wait Times Lengthen (US News)

• Home health services patients sue HHS secretary over Medicare policy (The Hill)

• Beleaguered Bright slashes footprint, fully exiting all ACA markets, nixing MA for 9 states with ony Caifonia and Florida left (Health Care Dive)

• Research Brief: The Role Of Administrative Waste In Excess US Health Spending (Health Affairs)

• CMS Seeks Input on National Directory of Healthcare Providers (RevCycle)

• Federal Register: Request for Information; National Directory of Healthcare Providers & Services

• Major worldwide study clusters long COVID symptoms into 3 groups (Fierce Health)

• If passed, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) could have significant implications for health data privacy outside of HIPAA (HealthIT)

• An ‘unprecedented’ hospital system hack disrupts health-care services (MSN)

• Patients for Profit - How Private Equity is Hijacking Health Care: Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In (KHN)

• NC Hospitals Propose to Fund Medicaid Expansion, Reform CON Laws (Health Payer)

• Emergency Out-of-Network Payments Were Twice the Benchmark Level (Medscape)

• Comparison of Estimated No Surprises Act Qualifying Payment Amounts and Payments to In-Network and Out-of-Network Emergency Medicine Professionals (JAMA Forum)

• ‘The Hell That They Put Me Through’: Nursing Homes Are Suing Caregivers for Debts They Don’t Owe, Regulator Says (Barrons)

• Hospitals Divert Primary Care Patients to Health Center ‘Look-Alikes’ to Boost Finances (California Healthline)

• Private equity bought a nursing home, leading to staff cuts and a decline in care (Marketplace)

• Atlanta Medical Center closure: What you need to know (Beckers)

• Major Atlanta hospital announces closure, drawing mayor’s ire (MPT/PBS)

In the News

Blogs We Follow

Popular Site Destinations

Job Bank

No current postings at AHPA

Federal Agency Blogs

COVID-19 Information

Starting Points:

• U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Cases, Data & Surveillance
• Covide Science Updates (Weekly)
• State Health Departments
• NACCHO Directory Local Health Departments
• CMS Nursing Home Covid Data
• GAO Coronavirus Oversight

Guides & Resources for Workspaces:

• Kaiser Permanente Articles & Business Resources
• CDC Workplaces and Businesses
• 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
• Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (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 (Tracking ended 3/7/2021):
• 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
• Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens Webinars (You Tube Channel)

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