The Latest

  • Stanford nurses walked off the job April 25 in a bid for better staffing and other measures in new contracts.
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    Retrieved from Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement on April 26, 2022
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    Tracker

    Tracking healthcare worker strikes

    The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions issued a strike notice on Friday declaring over 75,000 workers will strike from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6 if parties do not agree to new contract terms by Sept. 30.

    Updated Sept. 25, 2023
  • A picture of the exterior of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In front of the building is a black sign designating the building's name.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    CMS to get ‘tougher’ on Medicare Advantage, official promises

    Deputy Administrator Jon Blum signaled regulators could increasingly crack down on bad actors in the MA program, which now covers more than half of Medicare seniors.

  • a medicaid insurance card on top of a small American flag
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    Kameleon007 via Getty Images
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    CMS requires 30 states to pause Medicaid disenrollments after systems error

    Nearly 500,000 people will regain Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage after being improperly removed from the rolls during redeterminations, according to the HHS.

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    Fotolia
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    CommonSpirit launches value-based management platform for physicians

    The nonprofit giant is the latest healthcare organization trying to position itself as an attractive partner for independent physicians who want to transition to value-based payment arrangements.

  • Kaiser building
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Kaiser unions issue unfair labor practice strike notice as bargaining further breaks down

    Leaders of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced on Friday that over 75,000 members will strike from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6 if labor and management cannot agree to new contract terms.

  • The HHS in DC
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    Alex Wong / Staff via Getty Images
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    Federal agencies propose increase to No Surprises Act administrative fees

    On Thursday, the HHS and other departments proposed a rule that would raise the independent dispute resolution process fees from $50 to $150. Last month, a federal court vacated a rate of $350.

  • Vice President Kamala Harris
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    Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Biden administration seeks to erase medical debt from credit reports

    In kicking off a medical debt rulemaking process, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aims to tackle what is a “serious pain point” for many families, Director Rohit Chopra said Thursday.

  • The U.S. Capitol building photographed at dusk from the front left.
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    Marc Dufresne via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    The one code Congress must support: G2211

    Presidents of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians argue for reforms in the national physician payment system.

  • Federal Trade Commission
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    Carol Highsmith. (2005). "The Apex Building" [Photo]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    FTC sues US Anesthesia Partners, Welsh Carson over alleged price collusion in Texas

    The PE firm and its anesthesia network rolled up multiple physician practices over the past decade, creating a dominant provider and charging Texans “tens of millions of dollars” more each year for anesthesia services, regulators allege.

  • Teladoc member and child using video service
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    Courtesy of Teladoc
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    Teladoc appoints former Tenet executive to board of directors

    Eric Evans joins the board after previously serving as president of hospital operations at Tenet Healthcare.

  • Header image for "Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filings Climbed 79% in March"
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    Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Staffing firm American Physician Partners files for bankruptcy

    The company said the COVID-19 pandemic, rising labor costs and a “problematic” implementation of the No Surprises Act challenged its finances.

  • Congressman Garcia gestures to a cardboard meme of two identical Spiderman characters pointing at one another.
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    Rebecca Pifer/Healthcare Dive
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    PBMs, PhRMA trade blame over drug costs in House hearing

    Pharmacy benefit manager lobby PCMA and drugmaker lobby PhRMA pointed fingers over problems in the prescription supply chain during the House committee's second PBM hearing on Tuesday.

  • Kaiser building
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Nearly 80,000 Kaiser workers authorize potential strike as final bargaining session begins

    Union and Kaiser Permanente representatives have one final negotiation left to work out contract terms. Otherwise, 80,000 workers will strike in what would be the largest work stoppage in the industry's history.

  • A view of the front of the U.S. Capitol building framed by green-leaf trees against a clear blue sky.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Frustration over surprise billing implementation builds in House hearing

    Bipartisan lawmakers joined together to voice concerns about the implementation of the No Surprises Act, which critics say has created barriers to care.

  • A Cigna logo behind a construction fence.
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    Matt Slocum/AP

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    Cigna hit with second class action suit over claims automation software

    The lawsuit was filed in Connecticut and seeks class action status to represent all consumers nationwide who had claims reviewed by PxDx.

  • The U.S. Congress building is shown through a window.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Home health advocates raise alarm over payment cuts, access to care

    A new payment model and reimbursement cuts are straining home health agencies, but more data may be needed to fully evaluate the model, advocates and researchers said during a Senate finance committee hearing.

  • Nurse sees elder patient in nursing home
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    ljubaphoto via Getty Images
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    Over 80% of nursing homes currently fall short of proposed CMS staffing thresholds

    In over half of states, less than a quarter of nursing facilities would meet staffing requirements under a proposed federal rule, according to a new KFF analysis.

  • A person looks at a black and white image on a screen as they hold an ultrasound device to another person's chest.
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    peakSTOCK via Getty Images
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    Gates Foundation grants GE HealthCare $44M for AI ultrasound tech

    The money will go to GE subsidiary Caption Health to develop AI tools to help with maternal care and pediatric lung health.

  • A healthcare worker looks at a laptop wile writing down information.
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    PeopleImages via Getty Images
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    Ochsner Health launches generative AI pilot for patient messaging

    The New Orleans-based health system will use generative artificial intelligence to draft messages to patients, which will be reviewed and edited by clinicians.

  • A piggy bank rests near a stethoscope.
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    marchmeena29 via Getty Images
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    Hospitals share differing medical prices online versus over the phone, secret shopper survey finds

    The study raises new questions about the dependability of hospital pricing, and builds on a mountain of research finding wide variance in pricing between different hospitals — and within the same facility.

  • An illustration of a large dollar coin with medical supplies flying in the foreground is positioned on an analysis tracking chart background.
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    Illustration: Xavier Lalanne-Tauzia for Industry Dive

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    Ascension posts $2.7B net loss in fiscal year 2023, driven by rising expenses

    Like other nonprofits, Ascension continued to feel the strain of inflationary pressures as expense growth outpaced modest gains in revenue.

  • A gavel and a stethoscope sit on a blue background.
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    DNY59 via Getty Images
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    Tennessee BCBS sued by former employees over COVID vaccine mandate

    The new lawsuit alleges the nonprofit health plan violated employees' religious rights by not granting them an exemption to its inoculation requirement.

  • Closeup shot of an unrecognizable doctor using a digital tablet.
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    iStock via Getty Images
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    Oracle to launch generative AI tools integrated with EHR

    The clinical digital assistant, which will be available in the next year, will automate notetaking and suggest next steps, like scheduling labs or follow-up appointments.

  • Human respiratory syncytial virus virions are shedding from the surface of human lung cells.
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    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2017). "Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus" [Micrograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    New RSV vaccines can be powerful tools, but rollout poses test

    Public health officials and drugmakers are trying to raise awareness of RSV among at-risk older adults — and convince them to get an additional respiratory shot alongside those for COVID-19 and flu.

  • Kaiser building
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    65,000 Kaiser Permanente workers vote to authorize strike

    Seventy-five percent of healthcare workers represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions have authorized a strike, which could begin as early as Oct. 1.