Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Staffing Levels At NC's Mission Hospital Are Risky, Say Nurses, State Senator
Asheville Watchdog: Mission Hospital's Low Staffing Endangers Patients, Docs, RNs Say
The death of a patient in a bathroom at Mission Hospital earlier this month reflects a return to poor staffing conditions, especially in the hospital’s emergency department, similar to those that precipitated federal sanctions last year, healthcare advocates said at a news conference Friday. (Evans, 3/1)
Modern Healthcare: Ascension, Prime Healthcare Close Deal For 8 Illinois Hospitals
Prime Healthcare completed its acquisition of eight Ascension Illinois hospitals. The transaction closed March 1 and involves more than half of Ascension's Illinois hospital network, along with several skilled nursing, home health and senior living facilities. Federal and state regulators signed off on the $375 million deal last year. (Kacik, 3/1)
KFF Health News: States Facing Doctor Shortages Ease Licensing Rules For Foreign-Trained Physicians
A growing number of states have made it easier for doctors who trained in other countries to get medical licenses, a shift supporters say could ease physician shortages in rural areas. The changes involve residency programs — the supervised, hands-on training experience that doctors must complete after graduating medical school. Until recently, every state required physicians who completed a residency or similar training abroad to repeat the process in the U.S. before obtaining a full medical license. (Zionts, 3/3)
Modern Healthcare: Salesforce Targets Prior Authorization Burdens With AI Tool
Salesforce plans to add an artificial intelligence tool to help providers deal with administrative burdens such as prior authorization, the customer relationship management company said Friday. More tech companies are developing healthcare-specific AI agents, which are applications that use the technology to handle time intensive functions. Salesforce's set of AI agents, called Agentforce For Health, will focus on tasks related to patient access, public health and clinical research. (Turner, 2/28)
Stat: How AI Can Distort Clinical Decision-Making To Prioritize Profits Over Patients
More than a decade ago, Ken Mandl was on a call with a pharmaceutical company and the leader of a social network for people with diabetes. The drug maker was hoping to use the platform to encourage its members to get a certain lab test. The test could determine a patient’s need for a helpful drug. But in that moment, said Mandl, director of the computational health informatics program at Boston Children’s Hospital, “I could see this focus on a biomarker as a way to increase sales of the product.” (Palmer, 3/3)
