High expenses have been placing added strain on hospitals as they try to recover from the challenges of the pandemic.

 

Hospital finances broke even in April amid a continuing trend of high expenses, plus the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement of the COVID-19 public health emergency

Hospitals experienced increases in bad debt and charity care in April. Combined with decreased patient volumes, authors said the data could illustrate the effects of the start of widespread disenrollment from Medicaid following the end of the PHE and the continuous enrollment provision that accompanied it.

As states continue the process of redetermination, these trends will likely continue.

Monitoring patients with congestive heart failure for costly and dangerous complications, like fluid accumulation, could soon be as easy.

 

Israel-based health technology company Cordio Medical, along with AstraZeneca and Spain’s Bellvitge University Hospital, are piloting HearO, a smartphone application that uses artificial intelligence to detect heart failure warning signs in a patient’s speech patterns and notify their doctor weeks before a cardiac event occurs.

“We took this known clinical phenomenon and just turned it into something that can be measured objectively [by] looking at electrical signals created by speech, captured by microphones on off-the-shelf mobile devices,” said Cordio CEO Tamir Tal.

The pilot will examine patient compliance with HearO and the software’s notification of potential heart failure events over six to nine months.

States encourage hospital mergers but the feds are casting wary eye..

 

As federal policymakers step up oversight of hospital mergers, more states are taking steps to encourage consolidation in the industry — or to have the final say on whether such moves are anti-competitive.

The policies are a sign of the power some hospital lobbies continue to wield in statehouses, where they've argued mergers are a way to expand the patient base and keep otherwise unprofitable facilities open.

State sovereignty is in play in these discussions, especially around the question of whether states have the authority to exempt hospitals from federal antitrust scrutiny.

Research shows that acquisitions can keep rural facilities open, but that facilities usually wind up cutting services that community members rely on. Mergers can also slow wage growth for health care workers.

Harold Miller, president of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform said "there are other ways for rural hospitals to be paid more by health plans or have access to more capital."

Unionize???

 

After facing harsh workplace conditions while caring for Covid-19 patients at the height of the pandemic—such as working 24-hour shifts without adequate protective gear—a rising number of healthcare workers are looking to unionize.

In 2021, 13.2% of healthcare workers were unionized (so that’s about 2.4 million people). That number hasn’t changed much in the past 12 years, according to a December 2022 study published in JAMA from Harvard and the University of Washington researchers. But amid “crisis levels” of worker burnout post-pandemic, experts are starting to see an increased interest in unionization!

646 hospitals at risk of closure!!

 

Yes, there are 646 rural hospitals at risk of closure due to financial issues, comprising around 30 percent of all rural hospitals in the U.S., according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform.

The hospitals face losses on patient services as health plans aren't paying enough to cover the cost of care delivery. The losses will likely increase as inflation and workforce shortages persist, according to the report, which was released in April. While rural hospitals are receiving some support through grants, local tax revenues or other profits, they still have low financial reserves and remain at risk.

More than half the states in the U.S. report 25 percent or more of their rural hospitals are at risk of closure, and more than 200 hospitals nationwide are at immediate risk of closing.

There is help for many though!!

Face Mask Mandates Fall Away Among Many Hospitals

 

The last of the state mask mandates for health care settings are being phased out — and a new study suggests the ones that remain aren’t helping control Covid.

Hospitals around the world are (rightly, in my opinion) dropping mask mandates to improve communication and enhance both the patient and healthcare worker experience!!

Another thing that is really impacting Americans is the new platform for basically free prescription meds!!

Whether insured or not, wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about the cost of prescription drugs every month? Everyone's situation is different. But, the costs can become a huge concern when it comes to matters of health. What if you don't have insurance? Paying full-price for prescription medications can become extremely stressful. How can this be provided to businesses and consumers in a different way?  

Search all drugs now!

Inflation is hitting hospitals as margins remain near zero levels!

 

Hospital and health system margins improved slightly in March, but continue to sit near-zero levels, putting hospitals in a vulnerable position should a recession or a new public health emergency materialize. 

Under the seemingly calm surface, there are significant challenges — especially labor shortages and diminished margins — that could quickly reach the surface should another crisis arise!!

Growth Management Group will soon come forward with a program to help alleviate this problem.

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