Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Unveils Plans For Standardizing Documentation Of Patients' Addresses
Modern Healthcare: ONC To Create Industry Data Standard For Patient Addresses
HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Tuesday unveiled plans to develop an industrywide data standard for documenting addresses in healthcare. The project, dubbed Project US@, will launch early next year. ONC plans to issue the standard for documenting patient addresses in 2021. "This a completable project within the year," Steve Posnack, ONC's deputy national coordinator for health IT, said at a virtual event spotlighting application programming interface projects Tuesday, where the agency announced the new project. (Kim Cohen, 12/1)
In other health industry news —
Philadelphia Inquirer: With New Program, Temple Health Helps Doctors And Nurses Cut Their Massive Student Loan Burdens
So many employees were stressed out about student loans that Temple University Health System this fall offered a new benefit — a concierge service to help them qualify for a much-touted federal program that can massively cut their debt. Trouble is, help from the program, known as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) venture, has been notoriously difficult to get. Meant to assist new doctors, nurses, teachers, soldiers, firefighters and others in public-service jobs, the program has so far been largely a flop. (Arvedlund, 12/2)
Houston Chronicle: CCEMS, Military Partnership Forges Forward With Firsts, Unique Approaches
When the United States Army expanded their EMS Fellowship partnership to include Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services more than a year ago, no one could have expected the extent of the benefit to both entities, but the rare union has explored techniques and uncommon practices that have resulted in lifesaving rescues that have brought headlines for both. (Taylor, 12/1)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Expects $2 Billion Covid Earnings Hit Next Year
UnitedHealth Group Inc. expects the pandemic to carve $2 billion out of its profits next year, with Covid-19 testing and treatment costs remaining steady even as more Americans return to their doctors’ offices for routine care. Executives said costs for virus testing and treatment won’t be offset by widespread deferrals in care in 2021, as they were in 2020 when U.S. medical providers shut down most non-urgent in-person care for weeks during the spring. (Tozzi, 12/1)
Des Moines Register: UnityPoint Health Hires New CEO Clay Holderman From New Mexico
UnityPoint Health, one of Iowa's biggest hospital and clinic systems, has hired a New Mexico hospital executive as its new chief executive officer. Clay Holderman is expected to take the reins in February 2021, the West Des Moines company announced Tuesday. Holderman currently is executive vice president and chief operating officer for Presbyterian Healthcare Services in New Mexico. (Leys, 12/1)
Modern Healthcare: Tenet Names New CEO Of Revenue Cycle Subsidiary Conifer
Tenet Healthcare Corp. named J. Roger Davis as CEO of its revenue cycle management subsidiary Conifer Health Solutions, the Dallas-based hospital chain announced Tuesday. Davis replaced Joseph Eazor, who stepped down in August for personal reasons, marking the third leadership change in about a year. Tenet had planned to sell Conifer, but instead decided to pursue a tax-free spinoff that would create an independent, publicly traded company. (Kacik, 12/1)
