Golden Hour Bundle of Interventions Boosts Outcomes for High-Risk Preterm Infants
WASHINGTON — A multidisciplinary quality improvement (QI) team successfully and safely adhered to a golden hour bundle of interventions for high-risk preterm infants, a researcher said here. Adherence to the bundle also led to reduced rates of severe hypothermia and reduced time to antibiotic administration, as well as a boost to early initiation of IV […]
Senators Grill NIH Director Nominee on Drug Prices, Gender-Affirming Care
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee questioned Monica Bertagnolli, MD, President Biden’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about the high cost of prescription drug prices, the limits of transgender care, and rebuilding faith in the agency, during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Biden tapped Bertagnolli, […]
Experts on AI Tell Nurses: ‘You Need to Embrace This’
WASHINGTON — Artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine certainly has advantages, but it’s not “magic,” experts warned, so it’s important for providers to understand the upside and downside of AI. “For the bedside clinicians, I think it’s important for them to … recognize that artificial intelligence is not some type of magic that just happens in […]
3 Dead In Listeria Outbreak Linked To Burger Chain’s Milkshakes
LOADINGERROR LOADING Health officials in Washington state are blaming a burger chain’s ice cream machines for a listeria outbreak that hospitalized six people, three of whom died. The bacteria were found in all milkshake flavors sold at a Frugals restaurant in Tacoma, the state’s Health Department said Friday, adding that the ice cream machines “were […]
Sen. McConnell Appears to Suffer Medical Incident During Press Conference
WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to have suffered some kind of medical problem during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. McConnell, 81, stepped up to a lectern, greeted the reporters, and began speaking about the Senate Republicans’ agenda in the near term when he stopped in the middle of a sentence. He […]
CMS Proposes 3.4% Cut in Medicare Physician Fees for 2024
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a 3.4% cut to the “conversion factor” used to set the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2024, and physician groups are none too happy about it. “The proposed 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) raises significant concerns for medical groups related to its […]
ACLU Sues DC For Police Response To Mental Health Crises
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of a Washington, D.C., nonprofit alleging that the city’s reliance on police response in mental health emergencies is a violation of federal disability law. According to the lawsuit, the Washington police department routinely dispatches armed officers to respond to 911 calls involving mental […]
Should Hospitals Get Paid More Than Physician Practices for the Same Service?
WASHINGTON — Should hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) get paid more by Medicare than independent physician practices for providing the same care? Yes, they absolutely should, panelists said at a briefing here Monday sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Ashley Thompson, senior vice president for public policy analysis and development at the AHA, outlined several […]
MACRA Gets Mixed Reviews at House Hearing
WASHINGTON — The physician payment system instituted under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) has brought some positive results but still needs to be improved, witnesses said Thursday at a House of Representatives hearing. “Despite the good intentions of policymakers, MACRA has not solved the issues with how Medicare pays doctors,” Joe Albanese, […]
Mucus Plugs in Airways of COPD Patients Linked to Higher Mortality
WASHINGTON — Mucus plugs obstructing the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were associated with higher all-cause mortality compared with no mucus plugs, according to an observational retrospective analysis. Over a median 9.5-year follow-up, mortality rates were 34.0%, 46.7%, and 54.1% in patients who had mucus plugs in zero, one to two, […]