Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Targets Staff-To-Patient Numbers; Nursing Homes Push Back
Axios: The Fight Over Nursing Home Staffing Mandates
A fight over nursing home staffing mandates is pitting an industry that was at the epicenter of the pandemic against organized labor and some senior lawmakers in Congress. The Biden administration this spring wants to make every facility have enough adequately trained staff to provide high-quality care. But operators say they can't hire people out of thin air after COVID-19 hollowed out the long-term care workforce. (Dreher, 5/12)
Crain's Grand Rapids Business: Nurse Staffing Ratios Could Be Coming To Michigan Hospitals
A package of bills introduced today in Lansing would require hospitals to meet nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and end mandatory overtime as a regular practice. The legislation pushed by Democratic lawmakers in the state House and Senate and backed by the Michigan Nurses Association aims to retain and bring nurses back to the profession, and to improve patient safety after thousands of nurses have left their positions or the professions from burnout and stress. (Sanchez, 5/11)
Also —
Philadelphia Inquirer: Einstein Nurses Picket For Higher Wages, Better Staffing
Cars honked in support as nurses wearing red shirts waved signs that read “retain us, respect us” Thursday morning on North Broad street outside Einstein Medical Center. The picket was organized by the Einstein local of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents nearly 900 nurses at the Philadelphia hospital. The union is negotiating a new contract, after their existing one expired on April 30. Einstein nurses are seeking wage increases for veteran nurses and better hospital security to protect staff. (Gutman, 5/11)
Modern Healthcare: Ochsner Health Layoffs: 2% Of Workforce Cut
Ochsner Health is eliminating 770 positions immediately in an effort to curb financial challenges, the health system announced Thursday. The positions represent about 2% of Ochsner's 36,000 staff members across its 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers in Louisiana and Mississippi. Thursday is the last day of work for affected employees. (Berryman, 5/11)
AP: Federal Government's $1 Billion Effort To Recruit Next Generation Of Doctors At Risk
Thousands of women living in rural, eastern Maryland have few options when they’re looking for someone to deliver their babies. The local hospital doesn’t have an obstetrics doctor on staff so most women in this region, flanked by sprawling farm fields and antique stores, turn to the Chesapeake Health Care clinic. Five of the 10 obstetricians and midwives at the clinic are there because of the National Health Service Corps, which promises to pay off $50,000 in medical school debt for every two years that a doctor serves working in rural, urban or poor areas. (Seitz, 5/12)
In other health care industry news —
The New York Times: U.S. News Releases Its Latest, Disputed Rankings Of Law And Medical Schools
U.S. News & World Report finally released its annual rankings of top law and medical schools on Thursday, after boycotts by those institutions, disputes over methodology, and a delay of weeks. A few law schools shuffled positions, but the ones at the top of the new list were familiar — Stanford, Yale, Chicago, Duke, Harvard and New York University. Yale, which was the first to boycott, retained its No. 1 position, though in a tie this year with Stanford. Columbia, which also participated in the boycott, dropped to eighth place from fourth. (Saul, 5/11)
KFF Health News: AI May Be On Its Way To Your Doctor’s Office, But It’s Not Ready To See Patients
What use could health care have for someone who makes things up, can’t keep a secret, doesn’t really know anything, and, when speaking, simply fills in the next word based on what’s come before? Lots, if that individual is the newest form of artificial intelligence, according to some of the biggest companies out there. Companies pushing the latest AI technology — known as “generative AI” — are piling on: Google and Microsoft want to bring types of so-called large language models to health care. Big firms that are familiar to folks in white coats — but maybe less so to your average Joe and Jane — are equally enthusiastic: Electronic medical records giants Epic and Oracle Cerner aren’t far behind. The space is crowded with startups, too. (Tahir, 5/12)
