Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
When Patients Question ChatGPT, It May Be More Empathetic Than Docs
Axios: ChatGPT Might Show More Empathy Than Docs, Study Finds
OpenAI's ChatGPT tool can answer patient questions with more empathy than human physicians can, according to a new study. Why it matters: Apparently, even our humanity can be bested by robots. (Reed, 5/1)
In other health care industry news —
Axios: Hospitals Face Rough Waters From High Costs
The patients are back — but health systems are facing post-pandemic cost pressures driven by inflation and workforce shortages. Why it matters: These financial pressures are threatening the recovery of the industry, mainly the most vulnerable organizations, experts tell Axios. (Reed, 5/1)
The Washington Post: Many Nursing Homes And Hospitals Are Near Fire Zones In California
Wildfires regularly sweep through California, destroying forests and threatening homes. But a recent study shows an unexpected danger of the fires: They can shut down, or prevent access to, hospitals and other inpatient facilities. Researchers recently found that half of California’s entire inpatient capacity is less than a mile from a high fire threat zone. (Blakemore, 4/30)
Stat: Geisinger Has Struggled. Why Did Kaiser Permanente Buy It?
In 2009, when President Barack Obama was touring the country and ginning up support for what would eventually become the Affordable Care Act, Geisinger entered the mainstream. Obama praised Geisinger, the rural Pennsylvania hospital system and health insurer “where high-quality care is being provided at a cost well below the national average.” Its image as the archetype of local, integrated care seemed peerless. (Herman, 4/30)
CBS News: Louisiana's Health Care Deserts Put Women, Babies At Risk, Advocates And Doctors Say
A Louisiana hospital sent a mom home "with prayers" while she was miscarrying, she said. Kaitlyn Joshua was given an ultrasound at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge. They examined and monitored her. That's where she says the treatment ended. (4/30)
KFF Health News: Millions Are Stuck In Dental Deserts, With No Access To Oral Health Care
Every day, Adrienne Grimmett and her colleagues at Evara Health in the Tampa Bay area see stories of inequity in their patients’ teeth, gums, and palates. Marked in painful abscesses, dangerous infections, and missing molars are tales of unequal access to care. All of these ailments — which keep patients out of work because of pain or social stigma, and children out of school because they can’t concentrate with rotting roots — are preventable. (Peace, 5/1)
Also —
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Closes Never Give Up Youth Psychiatric Facility
The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that it is revoking the license of a youth psychiatric facility in Nye County that has been plagued with allegations of child abuse and sexual assault. (Newberg and Schnur, 4/28)
The Boston Globe: Boston Children’s Hospital Pays $15 Million After Child Dies During Sleep Study
As her 6-month-old lay dying in her arms, Becky Kekula struggled to make sense of how this could be. They were in the intensive care unit of Boston Children’s Hospital, a place known for saving lives. Yet for all its medical might, the institution could offer no more hope for her baby boy. (Bartlett, 4/29)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Nurses Sentenced To Federal Prison Over Medicare Scheme
Two nurses who owned a Houston home healthcare business were ordered this week to begin serving prison sentences after pleading guilty to a Medicare kickback scheme. (Wayne Ferguson, 4/28)
