Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New NIH Publishing Policy Could Cost Researchers Big Bucks — And From Their Own Pockets
MedPage Today: Researchers Could Pay $100M To Comply With NIH Publishing Policy
NIH-funded researchers could pay journal publishers as much as $104 million per year in additional fees to comply with NIH's updated policy that requires manuscripts to be publicly available as soon as they are published. That's the total estimated by assessing about 24,000 manuscripts associated with NIH grants in 2024 that would likely have to pay to comply with the policy, Ryan Huebinger, MD, of the University of New Mexico, and colleagues reported in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Clark, 8/24)
Stat: Comments On OMB Research Rule Mysteriously Removed From Federal Website
For the past couple of years, Magdeleine Bradford-Butcher has been living on the cutting edge of science. When prenatal testing showed the baby she was carrying had cystic fibrosis, her doctor put her on Trikafta — a relatively new treatment aimed at preventing severe complications from the genetic disease after birth. (Oza, 8/25)
The Trump administration again tries to restrict H-1B visas for some —
The Washington Post: Trump Administration Proposes $103,000 Fee For H-1B Visas After Legal Setback
Trump tried to implement a similar $100,000 fee last year through a presidential proclamation, but it was invalidated by a federal judge in June. ... The new proposed regulation, set to formally publish in the Federal Register on Tuesday, seeks to carve a different legal path by proposing to use the fees to offset the cost of running the immigration system. It exempts some groups, such as most U.S. colleges, universities and nonprofit hospitals affiliated with academic institutions. But unlike last year’s proposal, it would apply to many people who already reside in the United States, not just those submitting petitions from abroad. (Hesson and Gurley, 8/24)
In other healthcare industry developments —
Chicago Tribune: Nurses At Chicago's St. Mary Hospital Plan One-Day Strike
Hundreds of registered nurses at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago plan to again go on a one-day strike as they try to reach their first contract with the hospital’s new owner Prime Healthcare. (Schencker, 8/24)
The CT Mirror: Lawrence+Memorial Staff Seek Better Conditions, Higher Pay
Healthcare workers rallied outside Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London on Monday, demanding higher compensation to help alleviate issues with staff recruitment and retention that they say are compromising patient care. (Golvala, 8/24)
KFF Health News: California Weighs Penalties For Healthcare Providers That Don’t Rein In Costs
California is weighing stiff penalties for hospitals and other healthcare entities that don’t stay under state spending limits, potentially levying hundreds of millions of dollars in fines if these providers don’t take steps to rein in rising healthcare costs. If the state Office of Health Care Affordability adopts the fines next week, hospitals, medical groups, insurers, and others could face penalties that amount to as much as 125% of the total they spend above the state’s annual growth targets. (Boyd-Barrett, 8/24)
Asheville Watchdog: 92 New WNC Hospital Beds Up For Grabs Amid Anger At HCA
The hearing August 19 at Asheville-Buncombe Technical College was a routine part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) certificate of need process. It was an opportunity for state regulators to hear public comments and presentations on the competing proposals before them. But today, even routine administrative healthcare proceedings have become highly charged. (Clifford, 8/25)
Modern Healthcare: Advocate-Owned Atrium, Morehouse Win Approval For Atlanta Hospital
Atrium Health has received state approval to build a hospital campus in Atlanta in collaboration with the Morehouse School of Medicine. Atrium — part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health — plans to invest more than $700 million in the hospital and surrounding care network, according to a Friday news release. The organizations did not specify a timeline for the hospital’s opening. Updates will follow meetings with stakeholders as planning continues, the news release said. (Hudson, 8/24)
Charlotte Ledger: As Atrium Pursues WakeMed, A Look Inside Its Last Big North Carolina Deal
As Atrium Health continues its push to join forces with Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals, its leaders have repeatedly pointed to another North Carolina deal as evidence of what to expect: its 2020 combination with Winston-Salem-based Wake Forest Baptist. (Crouch, 8/24)
Modern Healthcare: Las Vegas Raiders Donate $25M To Intermountain Health
The Las Vegas Raiders and its owners have donated $25 million to Intermountain Health toward the construction of a new children’s hospital, the National Football League team announced Monday. The project will result in Nevada’s first standalone children’s medical center, according to a news release. The Salt Lake City-based health system has been the official healthcare partner of the Raiders since 2019. (DeSilva, 8/24)
Stat: With Medicaid Cuts Looming, Rural Hospitals Already Making Changes
Last year, Republicans set American health care on a new path: They slashed $1 trillion from expected Medicaid funding over the next decade and allowed tens of billions of dollars in annual insurance subsidies to expire. (Payne, 8/25)
Also —
Stat: AI Software To Detect Hospital Drug Diversion Has A Problem: Humans
In late September 2024, patients noticed a nurse at Adventist Health in Bakersfield, Calif., was acting strangely. The nurse was walking barefoot through the intensive care unit, talking to herself and acting abrasively toward others. Family members of patients noticed the nurse sloppily taking out IV needles but were afraid to confront her. “I know she was on something because you can tell,” one family member told federal investigators after the incident. (Byrne, 8/25)
