Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Survey Shows 800,000 Nurses Plan To Quit By 2027
Fierce Healthcare: 800,000 Nurses Say They Plan To Leave The Profession By 2027
Nearly 100,000 registered nurses were estimated to have left the field during the COVID-19 pandemic and almost 800,000 intend to follow them out by 2027, according to a survey analysis released Thursday by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (Muoio, 4/14)
In other health care industry news —
Axios: Electronic Health Records Rule Sets Up "Bridge To Nowhere," Insurers Say
A Biden administration effort stemming from the 21st Century Cures Act to make health data sharing more transparent is facing pushback from health insurers. The rule from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology aims to get providers and payers to share patient health information in a more seamless way. (Dreher, 4/14)
Stat: UnitedHealth Says Medical Costs Aren’t Soaring. Reality Is Murkier
Executives at UnitedHealth Group hinted Friday that hospitalizations are not rising and that people are not racing to see their doctors. However, UnitedHealth’s own data, plus other outside estimates, indicate those medical costs are not exactly slowing down either. (Herman, 4/14)
Fierce Healthcare: Humana Puts $40M Toward Affordable Housing
Humana will invest $40 million in expanding affordable housing options, the company said Thursday. The new funding will bring Humana's total investment in affordable housing to $90 million, according to the announcement. The investments aim to address shortages of low-cost housing units in the communities that Humana serves. (Minemyer, 4/14)
Also —
Becker's Hospital Review: 15 Specialties, 4 Liver Transplants And 1 Life Saved: Inside A Rare Surgery At Children's Hospital Colorado
Every April, the healthcare industry recognizes National Donate Life Month, celebrating the field of organ transplantation and raising awareness about the need for more donors. This year's awareness month holds more meaning than ever for Children's Hospital Colorado, where a multidisciplinary team of experts from 15 different specialties and departments recently performed an exceedingly complex surgery to save one transplant patient's life. The 18-year-old patient, who lives in Montana, first underwent a liver transplant at the Aurora-based hospital about 10 years ago. (Bean, 4/14)
Stat: Free Uber Rides Helped Patients Keep Prenatal Appointments
For patients of the Community of Hope and Mary’s Center clinics in Washington, D.C., getting to their medical appointments can be a challenge — many live far from public transit or lack cars. If they’re pregnant, the fallout can be especially harmful if they miss prenatal doctor visits, risking the baby’s and mother’s health. That’s why ride-sharing company Uber, which has for years been searching for a viable way into the $4 trillion health care market, swooped in to offer hundreds of pregnant patients in D.C. free rides to appointments in 2021 and 2022. (Ravindranath, 4/17)
KFF Health News: People With Down Syndrome Are Living Longer, But The Health System Still Treats Many As Kids
It took Samantha Lesmeister’s family four months to find a medical professional who could see that she was struggling with something more than her Down syndrome. The young woman, known as Sammee, had become unusually sad and lethargic after falling in the shower and hitting her head. She lost her limited ability to speak, stopped laughing, and no longer wanted to leave the house. General-practice doctors and a neurologist said such mental deterioration was typical for a person with Down syndrome entering adulthood, recalled her mother, Marilyn Lesmeister. They said nothing could be done. The family didn’t buy it. (Leys, 4/17)
