NIH Report Highlights Patient Safety Concerns
The National Institute of Health (NIH) released a report that highlighted staff concerns about patient safety issues, as well as low morale at the NIH’s Clinical Center. The report outlined poor management and communication, out-of-date equipment, and even water leaks in operating rooms, according to The Washington Post. In addition, staff members at the center have reported a lack of transparency and that they often learn about patient safety issues from the news.
Proposal Aims to Cut 340B Payments
The Trump administration unveiled a proposal to reduce payments to hospitals through the 340B drug discount program. According to STAT, the purpose of the proposal is to fulfill the president’s promise to address rising drug costs. HHS estimated that the change will save Medicare $900 million, with beneficiaries saving $180 million. The proposal could reduce a hospital’s incentive to prescribe a more expensive drug, but advocates of the 340B program call the proposal “shortsighted” and note that funds gained through the program are used for initiatives to help vulnerable populations.
Physician Shortage in Rural America
Recruiting doctors to practice in rural America has been difficult as new doctors choose to stay in metropolitan areas, where they can make more money. An article from NPR delves into the impact that this physician shortage has on people living in these rural areas, and how difficult it can be for them to go see a doctor. Unfortunately, the physician shortage, and its impact on rural America, has been missing from the healthcare debate currently going on in Washington, DC.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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