Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Hacks Hit Health Care, Biden Admin Launches New Cybersecurity 'Toolkit'
Axios: Biden Admin Rolls Out Cybersecurity Toolkit For Health Care
The Biden administration is ramping up efforts to harden defenses around the U.S. health care infrastructure, releasing an updated cyber "toolkit" to help the sector better defend against hackers. Health care is a high-value, target-rich industry facing increasing attacks, and the problem is increasingly being recognized as a threat to patient safety when providers are forced to divert or shut down care. (Reed, 10/26)
Health IT Security: CISA, HHS Collaborate On Healthcare Cybersecurity Toolkit
The toolkit can be found on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website. [It] aims to help healthcare organizations with everything from basic cyber hygiene to implementing complex tools. (McKeon, 10/25)
On health care staffing —
Modern Healthcare: CMS Staffing Rule For Nursing Homes Faces Republican Pushback
Key congressional Republicans signaled opposition to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plan to impose staffing minimums on nursing homes Wednesday. Last month, CMS issued a proposed rule to mandate that skilled nursing facilities provide a minimum of three hours of nursing care per resident, per day, including at least 0.55 hours from registered nurses. The nursing home industry has long opposed staffing regulations, and may have found allies on Capitol Hill to help push back on CMS. (McAuliff, 10/25)
Axios: U.S. Health System Staffing Shortage Warning Signs Are Piling Up
Staffing shortages, more dangerous workplaces, aging physicians and the increasing politicization of medicine: The warning signs for America's burned-out health care workforce are all there. A strained health care system may be heading in a dangerous direction in the pandemic's aftermath, according to new data points and a blunt warning from the head of the nation's leading medical association. (Owens, 10/26)
Modern Healthcare: Centene, UnitedHealth Layoffs Stem From Medicare Advantage Pay Cuts
Medicare Advantage insurers are laying off thousands of workers and tinkering with benefits in response to unfavorable Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policies. To compensate for lower Medicare Advantage revenue, health insurers such as Elevance Health and Centene have made workforce reductions while companies such as UnitedHealth Group and Humana are scaling back benefits such as over-the-counter product allowances and increasing cost-sharing responsibilities for the 2024 plan year. (Tepper and Eastabrook, 10/25)
In other industry news —
Stat: Oncologists More Likely To Provide Low-Value Care After Receiving Pharma Money
Oncologists were more likely to provide low-value cancer care after receiving money from pharmaceutical companies, and the findings raise questions about the extent to which industry influence may have led to patient harm, according to a new study. (Silverman, 10/25)
The Boston Globe: Dana-Farber Offers Sneak Peek Of Plans For 300-Bed Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will argue to regulators that its proposed independent hospital and collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will reduce emergency room wait times and increase competition. The cancer hospital offered a sneak peek into its strategy in a document released early Wednesday. The document, included in a broader filing, is part of the process to seek approval from the state Department of Public Health. (Bartlett, 10/25)
New Hampshire Bulletin: ‘Huge And Historic:’ NH Care Providers Celebrate Big Medicaid Rate Increases
Two agencies that keep 600 people out of nursing homes by providing in-home care have learned the state will give them a direly needed 42% Medicaid rate increase — more than they had asked for. “It’s a game changer,” said Keith Kuenning, Waypoint’s director of advocacy. “We’ve been working on this for years. This has been astounding.” (Timmins, 10/25)
The CT Mirror: Yale Health, CT Officials Resume Negotiating Prospect Hospitals Sale
Officials from Yale New Haven Health, Prospect Medical Holdings and the state’s Office of Health Strategy have resumed negotiations in Yale’s bid to acquire three Prospect-owned hospitals in Connecticut after the health systems agreed to sign a confidentiality agreement to keep the talks private. (Carlesso and Altimari, 10/25)
Also —
The Baltimore Sun: Potentially Life-Threatening Pathogens Found In Many Maryland Patients On Ventilators, According To Study
A significant percentage of patients on breathing machines in Maryland hospitals and long-term care facilities are harboring two pathogens known to be deadly for people with weakened immune systems, according to a recent survey conducted by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. (Roberts, 10/25)
