Can NPs and PAs Replace Physicians?
Non-physician providers like nurse practitioners and physician assistants have formally been around since the 1960s, but over the last 10 to 15 years, there’s been large growth in these areas, Bernard notes. In 2020, the number of non-physician providers was around 277,000, but more recent tallies bring that number to 545,000.
HHS Drops Plan to Restrict Hospital Use of Data-Tracking Tech
The rule stated that entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) “are not permitted to use tracking technologies in a manner that would result in impermissible disclosures of PHI to tracking technology vendors or any other violations of HIPAA Rules.”
Texas’ New Healthcare Workplace Violence Law: What It Requires
As violence against healthcare workers occurs with greater frequency than in any other industry, the state of Texas is requiring healthcare facilities to adopt workplace violence prevention plans by September 1, 2024.
Enhancing Dialysis Care in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Focus on Certification Standards
With the introduction of the Long-Term Care Dialysis (LTCD) Certification, the Accreditation Commission for Health Care aims to elevate the standards of care for this vulnerable population. This article explores the critical components of the LTCD Certification, its impact on patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and the importance of collaboration between providers.
Here’s How the Chevron Decision Will Impact Healthcare
Hospitals and health systems will now potentially have to wait through legal challenges to regulations that were previously determined by the many federal agencies that influence healthcare. The 6-3 decision was made on June 28 to reverse the original ruling made in the landmark case Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., in 1984. It is now up to the courts to determine their own interpretations of ambiguous regulatory standards.
CMS Pushes Organizations to Improve Star Ratings and Quality of Care
Medicare Advantage plans often face a range of challenges in maintaining and improving their Star Ratings—everything from member churn to aging membership to increased competition. But moving from a 3.5-star to a 4-star rating can result in an average additional $400 per member per year.
HHS Tells Health Systems: Get Serious About Cybersecurity
The six-page document builds off of the Biden administration’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, which was unveiled last March, and follows recent actions taken by federal agencies to boost security, including the release of healthcare-specific practices and training resources, guidance on medical device security from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and new telehealth guidelines from the HHS Office of Civil Rights.
Health Systems Can Now Validate Their Data Use Methods
The organization has unveiled a voluntary Responsible Use of Health Data (RUHD) Certification program for US hospitals, including critical access hospitals, which aims to “provide guidance and recognize healthcare organizations navigating the appropriate sensitivities needed to safely transfer data to third-party organizations, also known as secondary use of data.”
Biden’s AI Plan Spurs ‘Cautious Optimism’ in Healthcare
Specifically for healthcare, the President is giving the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department six months to draft a strategy to determine whether AI meets the standards for delivering healthcare, and he asks HHS to create a task force within the year to create a plan for responsible AI use.
DEA Extending Telemedicine Prescription Waiver Through 2024
The DEA and Health and Human Services Department will publish the extension in the Federal Register this week. The decision comes after two public listening sessions last month and a public comment period on proposed telemedicine rules that garnered more than 38,000 comments, many of them critical.