Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Look To Chatbots To Serve Current Patients, Attract New Ones
Stat: Hospitals Launch Chatbots, Creating Another Funnel For Patient Intake
Every day, more than 40 million people ask ChatGPT about health care, according to OpenAI. They’re asking questions about diet, exercise, insurance — and in some cases, serious symptoms that would typically get discussed on a 911 call or in a doctor’s office. (Palmer, 4/13)
More from the health care industry —
Modern Healthcare: How Medstar Health, CommonSpirit Are Tackling AI Oversight
Artificial intelligence has promised to make healthcare simpler, but wringing the kinks out of the emerging technology is testing clinicians’ trust. Nurses and physicians inside health systems are encountering obstacles as their organizations implement certain AI-backed applications. Health systems such as CommonSpirit Health and MedStar Health have ramped up AI oversight and increased communication among their clinicians to try to get ahead of any workforce disruptions. (Kacik, 4/10)
North Carolina Health News: 9 Things The Pitt Gets Right, According To North Carolina ER Workers
When Dr. Jennifer Casaletto’s kids started watching The Pitt last year, her 14-year-old son had a question: Which one are you? “I’m Doctor Robby,” she told him, referencing the attending physician played by Noah Wyle who oversees the chaotic emergency room in the hit HBO TV drama. She said his jaw dropped: “That’s what you do??” (Crouch, 4/13)
CBS News: Fighting For Health Care Claim Approvals
Marketing executive Mathew Evins lived with chronic back pain for eight agonizing years. He described it as "excruciating." By 2024, he had trouble just walking. He had exhausted non-invasive treatment, and his doctors agreed he needed surgery. His insurance company had other ideas: "They went back to my surgeon and said, 'Your patient needs another six weeks of physical therapy,'" Evins said. (Spencer, 4/12)
KFF Health News: How To Make A High-Deductible Health Plan Work For You
An elementary school teacher chose a low-price health insurance plan but soon realized she wasn’t clear about what it would mean for her family’s finances. When enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025, a lot of people buying their own health insurance on the state and federal exchanges saw their expected monthly rates jump. To keep costs down, many switched to a high-deductible health plan. These plans offer lower monthly payments, but in exchange patients can face steep out-of-pocket costs when they need care. (Fortiér, 4/13)
KFF Health News: Rovner Recaps Medicaid Cuts' Impact On Hospitals And Fields Caller Questions On Affordability
KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed Medicaid cuts on WAMU’s 1A on April 7. She also discussed health care affordability on The Middle With Jeremy Hobson on April 3. (4/11)
In obituaries —
The New York Times: Edna Foa, Who Pioneered Exposure Therapy To Treat PTSD, Dies At 88
Edna Foa, an Israeli American psychologist who pressed her field — and her patients — to more directly confront fear and anxiety, revolutionizing the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, died on March 24 at a hospital in Philadelphia. She was 88. Her death, from complications of pneumonia, was confirmed by her daughter Yael Foa. (Barry, 4/12)
