Houston, TX

Decatur, IN

The gap between hospitals with strong and weak margins is growing, according to Kaufman Hall, and the top hospitals are vigilant about evaluating their physician strategies. "Data from the National Hospital Flash Report show that not all hospitals are generating losses; higher performing organizations are carefully reviewing their employed physician portfolios with a focus on profitable service lines and are more effective at deploying advanced practice providers," stated the research firm in the second quarter Physician Flash Report, released Aug. 5.

What top financially performing hospitals do differently with physicians

Recently, the recommended screening age for two cancers dropped, which could impact oncologist workloads. In March, the Prostate Cancer Foundation released new guidelines for prostate-specific antigen-based screening in Black men, recommending screening to start between ages 40 and 45 and continue until age 70. In May, the U.S. Preventive Services...

How cancer screenings are shaking up physician workloads

National rankings offer patients valuable insights into a health system's care quality, outcomes and performance, helping them make informed choices. But to what extent do these ratings influence health systems' strategies and conversations surrounding quality?. Becker's recently spoke with physician executives from four health systems to understand how they view...

How important are national rankings to physician executives?

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Herbie J Pilato

Actor Buddy Ebsen, who died at age 95 in 2003, found fame by starring in two of the most popular classic television shows in history: The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS, 1962 to 1971) and Barnaby Jones (CBS, 1973 to 1980). On the Hillbillies, he played former Tennessee country mountain-folk-turned-wealthy Beverly Hills resident Jed Clampett. On Barnaby Jones, he was one of TV's most senior, slyest, health-conscious detectives. Ebsen, however, almost became even more famous for a certain big-screen classic film in which he ultimately did not appear.

'Beverly Hillbillies" Actor Buddy Ebsen Was "Bitter" about not playing the Tin Man in 'Wizard of Oz'

Actor Clarence Williams III, best known as the super cool undercover cop Lincoln "Linc" Hayes on TV's classic crime drama, The Mod Squad, died three years ago from colon cancer at 81 years old. This is the story of a talent that lives on.

The Tragic Death of 'Mod Squad'/'Purple Rain' Actor Clarence Williams III: Three Years Later

The FDA released guidance Aug. 6 on the Medtronic NIM Vital Nerve Monitoring System recall. The recall is in response to 10 reported injuries resulting from false negative responses received while using the device. No deaths have been reported. Affected users need to contact Medtronic to have the device's software...

False negatives reported on Medtronic device

The FDA has approved the first nasal spray to treat anaphylaxis. The epinephrine nasal spray, called neffy, is for emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adult and pediatric patients weighing approximately 66 pounds or more, according to an Aug. 9 news release from the agency. The approval is...

FDA approves 1st anaphylaxis nasal spray

Oakland, CA

Kaiser Permanente's partnership with Target shows that health systems don't have to sacrifice quality of care for convenience, a Permanente Federation executive wrote in Medical Economics. The Oakland, Calif.-based health system has 35 clinics at Target stores in southern California, offering patients the type of easy-to-access retail healthcare they crave...

Why Kaiser Permanente has 35 clinics at Target

CMS will add seven new measures to its hospital inpatient quality reporting program as part of its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule released Aug. 1. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection standardized infection radio statified for oncology locations. Central line associated bloodstream infection standarized infection ratio startified for oncology locations.

CMS issues new hospital patient safety measures

It is anticipated that Congress will extend telehealth access rules for Medicare patients, though likely not until after the election. This delay could have significant repercussions, Politico reported Aug. 9. Since the introduction of pandemic-era telehealth provisions in 2020, tens of millions of beneficiaries have utilized these services. CMS lacks...

Telehealth access for Medicare patients in limbo

Kansas State

Pittsburg, KS

Drew Talbott, president of Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kan., will retire Aug. 30, one day before the hospital transitions to ownership by St. Louis-based Mercy. Mr. Talbott joined Via Christi in 1996 and has been president for four years, according to an Aug. 6 news release shared with Becker's by St. Louis-based Ascension. He was previously its COO for 13 years.

Ascension Kansas hospital president to retire

Savannah, GA

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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Daily Coffee Press

Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.

Federal Charges in Southern GA: Indictments and Sentences for Firearms and Drug Offenses

Newark, NJ

Scott Schissel, MD, PhD, is joining RWJBarnabas Health as chief medical officer of Newark (N.J.) Beth Israel Medical Center, according to an Aug. 7 news release sent to Becker's. He joins the West Orange, N.J.-based health system from Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital in Boston, where he served as CMO,...

Brigham and Women's Faulkner exec heads to RWJBarnabas Health

Georgia State

An organization that supplies blood to hundreds of hospitals is back to normal operations following a July 29 ransomware attack. OneBlood said Aug. 8 that it restored its software system used to manage its blood supply online. "OneBlood is processing and distributing blood products to the more than 250 hospitals...

Hospital blood supplier back online following ransomware attack

Tallahassee, FL

The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a now 13-year-old girl who went missing from Florida last year and has ties to Georgia and Tennessee. A $15,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that can lead to her location.

FBI Investigating Disappearance of 12-Year-Old Girl Who Has Ties to Georgia

DME in healthcare stands for durable medical equipment – defined by CMS as equipment that is used for medical purposes by an individual who is sick or injured and that can withstand at least three years of repeated or frequent use. However, in the context of healthcare compliance, it can be more important to understand the HIPAA status of DME suppliers.

What Does DME Stand For in Healthcare?

Large health systems publicly reported billions in profits for the first half of 2024 and Kaufman Hall data shows a strong uptick in year over year hospital margins. Average operating margins reached nearly 5% in January, up from 2.7% in the previous month, and have hovered between 4.4% and 4.1% since then.

The truth about hospital profitability

Nashville, TN

Nashville, Tenn.-based Ascension Saint Thomas is introducing an AI-powered administrative assistant to its second- and third-year internal medicine residents. The health system will allow residents to use Suki, the AI healthcare assistant, to help with documentation burdens. Additionally, Saint Thomas is expanding Suki's availability to more than 700 clinicians. The...

Ascension hospital rolls out AI to residents

Denver, CO

David Heitz

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

Aug. 5-8 1. Andrea Graham, PharmD, was named CEO of Millen, Ga.-based Jenkins County Medical Center. 2. Ingrid Long, RN, was named CEO of Banner Health Torrington (Wyo.) Community Hospital. 3. Catherine O'Neal, MD, was selected as the inaugural chief academic officer at Baton Rouge, La.-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our...

9 women making moves in healthcare

Bellaire, TX

Galena Park, TX

Pasadena, TX

South Houston, TX

Channelview, TX

Humble, TX

Missouri City, TX

Pearland, TX

Deer Park, TX

Stafford, TX

NewsBreak

4 hospitals' most notable PX initiatives this year

From real-time communication updates to bedside interactions, hospitals and health systems are increasingly focused on enhancing personalization to drive patient experience improvements. Becker's recently connected with...

4 hospitals' most notable PX initiatives this year

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