Many Hospitals Aren’t Following Price Transparency Rules, Study Finds
In other health industry news, public health universities saw a 23% jump in applicants for master’s and doctoral programs from fall 2019 to fall 2020, Stat reports, increasing hopes that the nation's shortage of medical professionals might soon ease.
Modern Healthcare:
Two-Thirds Of Largest Hospitals Aren't Complying With Price Transparency Rule
Around two-thirds of the country's largest hospitals are not complying with the new price transparency regulations, a new study found. CMS compelled hospitals Jan. 1 to publish "a machine-readable file" of rates they negotiated with payers, which the agency hoped would exert downward pressure on higher-than-average prices. But 65 of 100 of the largest U.S. hospitals did not meet the criteria as of early February, according to research published Tuesday in Health Affairs. (Kacik, 3/16)
Stat:
Driven By The Pandemic, Applicants Flood Public Health Schools
The Covid-19 pandemic has tested the public health and medical workforces like never before. And yet people in those fields say they see emerging signs that the crisis will inspire the next generation of doctors, nurses, and public health professionals to join the ranks. Public health schools, for example, saw a 23% jump in applicants for master’s and doctoral programs from fall 2019 to fall 2020, and are reporting an even bigger increase so far in this application cycle, according to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. (Joseph, 3/17)
North Carolina Health News:
Psych Nurse Practitioners Want Freedom From Old Law
Olehonna Lynch started Pembroke Center for Wellness in 2010 because she wanted people in her home community to receive the best mental health care possible. Lynch, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, said that before she started her practice the residents of Robeson County waited up to three months for an outpatient psychiatric appointment. When people can’t get help for their mental health issues in the community, they often end up in an emergency room in crisis. (Knopf, 3/17)
Stat:
4 Health Care Startups Racing To Shake Up Diabetes Treatment
If you’re a digital health startup looking to make an impact, it makes sense to tackle diabetes. More than 34 million American adults — over a tenth of the population — live with the metabolic disorder, which costs the nation roughly $400 billion every year. The earliest crop of digital diabetes management startups — including Onduo, Omada Health, Virta Health, and Livongo — made their mark by combining remote monitoring with virtual diabetes coaching. (Palmer, 3/17)
Stat:
General Catalyst Brings On Former Livongo, Gilead, And Ancestry Execs
General Catalyst’s Hemant Taneja realized he had created a unique playbook for health care startups after investing in chronic care platform Livongo and working closely with Glen Tullman, the company’s founder, to take it public in 2019. “We had a lot of conviction and we wanted to lean into it,” Taneja, the managing director of the venture capital firm, said. (Brodwin, 3/16)
