SPOTLIGHT -
Ai's role in determining social determinants of health
A recent study highlighted the potential of natural language processing and large language models in extracting social determinants of health from electronic health records.
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Your receptionist is facing patient aggression
Receptionists are facing serious workplace safety concerns and need training to cope.
Bill would expand nurse practitioner authority nationwide
More than 200 nursing organizations send letter to congress supporting the bill.
Burnout and high labor costs taking a toll on physicians
Report shows physicians are operating in a difficult financial and mental environment.
Surprising number of people are not aware of remote health care options
Despite telehealth’s popularity during the pandemic, many still don’t about it and other home health innovations.
Let medical boards do their job and keep lawmakers out of it
NEJM opinion piece highlights how lawmakers are intruding into medicine – with little or no expertise
Hospitals, health systems, and providers having one of the most difficult financial years on record
Declining volume and revenue with increasing expenses mean many systems are ending the year in the red.
Patient experience partly driven by quality of scheduling options
Report shows providers embraced technology solutions, but patients have not.
Hospitals implement retention strategies to stave off staffing shortages
Almost all respondents report raising wages to boost retention, according to a Kaufmann Hall report.
NYT: Medicare Advantage rife with fraud
Report from New York Times says most large insurers in the program have been accused of fraud.
How to improve the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage
Study looks at how prior auths help and hurt health care - and how they can be made better.
Your patients aren’t taking your calls because they don’t know who’s calling
Survey shows that patients are dealing with so many phone scams that they miss calls from their doctors because the number isn’t identified.
Health care spending continues decades long rise
Almost a third of spending is on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket payments.
Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say inflation affecting their health care
Patients are either skipping care completely, cutting costs elsewhere, or borrowing money to pay for health care.
Malpractice rates on the rise
Survey from MGMA shows majority of doctors saw an increase since 2020.
Patients accrue medical debt from lack of money, understanding
Some patients report not paying because they either think their insurance will pay it or they think the bill is inaccurate.
AMA looks to fight back against health professionals spreading misinformation
AMA has adopted a multi-prong strategy to try to counter lies while holding the person responsible to professional review.
Climate change is a public health crisis, AMA says
Climate changes are threatening the health and well-being of all people, according to the group
AMA says health insurance industry failing on prior auth reform
Survey shows little progress after 4 years of promises.
Hospital group says payers are inappropriately denying care and payments
American Hospital Association requesting a task force from the justice department to investigate commercial health insurance companies in the Medicare Advantage program.
High cost of health care may be boosting direct primary care membership
Study shows most consumers dissatisfied with the cost of care.
Prescription spending rose 12% in 2021
COVID-19 vaccines and therapies were the main drivers.
HHS commits $90 million for data-driven approaches to reduce health disparities
Funds will aid HRSA Health Center Program-supported centers to identify and reduce health disparities.
Study finds possible cause of racial and ethnic gaps in Medicare’s quality program
Coordination and access to primary care within a network proves vital.
Who is leading the health care exodus?
A recent investigation examined who was leaving health care.
Too many patients don’t understand their health care benefits
Patients often don’t know where to find information on their benefits or don’t have time to do so.
34% of doctors report increased medical errors due to staffing shortages
Worldwide, physicians are seeing their mental health suffer, with 75% reporting high stress
AMA voices serious concerns about Medicare physician payment freeze
MedPAC recommendations could be devastating to Medicare physicians.
COVID-19 death toll likely higher according to study
Official death toll is almost 6 million, but excess deaths indicate far more may have died from COVID than reported.
Male physicians in Maryland make nearly 50% more than female physicians
The disparity almost the same as 4 years ago.
