With ICE Using Medicaid Data, Hospitals and States Are in a Bind Over Warning Immigrant Patients

The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is putting hospitals and states in a bind as they weigh whether to alert immigrant patients that their personal information, including home addresses, could be used in efforts to remove them from the country. Warning patients could deter them from signing up for […]

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Effective but Underprescribed: HIV Prevention Meds Aren’t Reaching Enough People

Listen: More than 2 million Americans could benefit from PrEP, but only about a quarter of them are getting the HIV prevention medication. On Feb. 4, during WAMU’s “Health Hub,” KFF Health News reporter Zach Dyer shared tips for overcoming common hurdles to care. Billing mistakes. Stigma. Doctors who aren’t keeping up with the latest […]

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Fire forces evacuation at Pennsylvania hospital orthopedic institute

A large fire severely damaged the Orthopedic Institute at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City (Pa.) on Feb. 4, prompting a full evacuation of the hospital, according to a Feb. 5 report by Fox affiliate WOLF. Flames had breached the institute’s roof by the time crews arrived around 9:40 p.m. Firefighters responded immediately as hospital staff, EMS […]

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Hackensack Meridian renames outpatient tower after philanthropists

Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center has renamed its HOPE Tower outpatient facility in honor of philanthropist Mary Ellen Harris and her late husband, Dr. Robert H. Harris, the health system announced. The Neptune, N.J.-based hospital said in a Feb. 4 news release that the building will now be known as the Dr. Robert […]

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Moody’s upgrades Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s credit rating 

Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Health Care System’s credit rating was upgraded to “Aa3” from “A1” by Moody’s.  The upgrade was driven by the health system’s track record of excellent performance, which will support strong liquidity during a period of high capital spending, Moody’s said in its Jan. 29 report. Sarasota Memorial is investing $1 billion in […]

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How systems are preparing to care for a spike in uninsured patients

Clinical leaders across the country are well aware of the challenges individuals face when they are uninsured: delays in care and worsening health conditions, which ultimately lead to more complex and costly treatment. The prospect of a widening pool of uninsured is increasingly an imminent reality. Millions of people are projected to lose insurance coverage […]

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Deaconess Health taps new vice president of critical access hospitals

Jared Stimpson has been named vice president of critical access hospitals at Evansville, Ind.-based Deaconess Health System, according to a Feb. 5 LinkedIn post. Prior to his new role, Mr. Stimpson served as president and CEO of Perry County Memorial Hospital in Tell City, Ind., according to his LinkedIn page. He also served as a […]

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New York City nurses strike reaches 4th week: 5 updates

As the New York City nurses strike — the largest of its kind in the city’s history — continues into its fourth week, the union and hospitals involved say progress is being made in negotiations. Nearly 15,000 nurses have been on strike at Montefiore Health System, Mount Sinai Health System and NewYork-Presbyterian since Jan. 12. […]

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‘Sometimes these things defy all business logic’: Inside the calculus of going out-of-network

There was a time when a hospital contract renewal was one of the more boring events in healthcare. Health systems and payers would work through rate disputes in private, and patients rarely knew the process was happening, let alone that their access to in-network care hung in the balance. For the majority of contracts, that […]

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