Number Of Patients, Surgeries Slow To Return To Normal, Report Finds

Modern Healthcare: Inpatient Volumes, Surgeries Continue To Lag Amid COVID-19
While patient volumes have started to rebound from the significant drop at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many specialties haven't returned to 2019 levels, according to a new analysis of patient and procedure volumes released Wednesday. That slow recovery is concerning for hospitals, many of which experienced negative margins in March and April as patient volumes dropped. (Cohen, 9/23)

In other health industry and personnel news —

KHN: California Expands Privacy Protection To Public Health Workers Amid Threats
alifornia will allow public health officials to participate in a program to keep their home addresses confidential, a protection previously reserved for victims of violence, abuse and stalking and reproductive health care workers. The executive order signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom late Wednesday is a response to threats made to health officers across California during the coronavirus pandemic. More than a dozen public health leaders have left their jobs amid such harassment over their role in mask rules and stay-at-home orders. (Barry-Jester, 9/24)

Modern Healthcare: Home Care Nurses Account For Most Malpractice Claims Over Five-Year Period
Home care nurses were more vulnerable to professional liability claims than any other nursing specialty from 2015 to 2019, according to a new report. The findings, recently released by professional liability insurance providers Nurses Service Organization and CNA, signal the first time nurses in home care made up the most malpractice suits than other nurse specialty since the reports began in 2008. (Castellucci, 9/23)

WBUR: 'It's Scarier Than Having A Surgery': A Year Later, Uncertainty Around Medical Deferrals Remains 
It's been a year since federal immigration authorities re-started what's known as medical deferred action after quietly trying to eliminate it without any public notice. Medical deferrals allow severely ill people who don't have legal status in the U.S. — and who can't access adequate health care in their home countries — to temporarily stay here while receiving what's often life-saving treatment. (Dooling, 9/24)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Changes Revenue Calculation For Keeping COVID-19 Relief Funds
HHS again has changed the rules regarding how to document Provider Relief Fund grants and it could cause headaches for healthcare stakeholders. HHS recently released reporting guidelines that changed how healthcare providers are supposed to calculate lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, complicating accounting for more than$100 billion in grant funds. (Cohrs, 9/23)

Modern Healthcare: Northwell Scores NIH Grant For Gun Violence Prevention Screening
New York-based Northwell Health has received $1.4 million from the federal government to develop a first-of-its-kind universal screening process for identifying patients at risk of injury or death from firearms. The effort is part of the health system's "We Ask Everyone About Guns" research study, which views gun violence as a public health threat. The health system wants to find evidence-based solutions that can reduce firearms' impact on health, comparing the effort to similar campaigns against motor vehicle accidents and tobacco use. (Johnson, 9/23)

Stat: What Teladoc's Patent Claims Tell Us About Property Rights In Health Tech
The field of health tech is facing a big question: Can it establish strong patent protections akin to those enjoyed by drug companies — or will it become more like the broader technology industry, where patent claims are generally harder to enforce? As the digital health industry grows, one of its most pressing challenges is finding the right balance between intellectual property protections and supporting competition in ways that would lead to more effective products and better outcomes for patients. (Ross, 9/23)

Modern Healthcare: Community Health Systems Associate Reaches $2.3M HIPAA Settlement
A management company that provides services to affiliates of Community Health Systems has agreed to pay HHS' Office for Civil Rights $2.3 million, the agency said Wednesday. The fine levied on CHSPSC, a business associate that provides accounting, compliance, information technology and other services to hospitals and clinics indirectly owned by the Franklin, Tenn.-based for-profit system, settles alleged HIPAA violations related to a 2014 data breach affecting more than 6 million people. (Cohen, 9/23)