Care Delivery

This channel includes news on cardiovascular care delivery, including how patients are diagnosed and treated, cardiac care guidelines, policies or legislation impacting patient care, device recalls that may impact patient care, and cardiology practice management.

Upfront costs of robotic heart surgery are high—but it may be a smart investment
Makoto Hashimoto, MD, PhD, said robotic procedures are associated with a faster recovery time and many other potential benefits.
State sues AI company after bot impersonates doctor
The digital entity gave at least one end-user a phony medical-license number. Unfortunately for the chatbot, that end-user was a state investigator.
UnitedHealthcare looks to reduce prior authorizations by 30% before end of 2026
The insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group said the shift is part of its ongoing effort to eliminate the barriers between care delivery and medical coverage. The full list of services exempt from prior authorizations includes diagnostic tests and many outpatient surgeries.
Blame towering market power for soaring hospital prices: Healthcare affordability specialist
“When hospitals that were once competitors merge, prices go up—often by double-digit percentages—with no measurable improvement in patient outcomes.”
5-year checkup shows ‘hospital at home’ healthy but siloed
Hospital-at-home inpatient care is no worse than its traditional counterpart at facilitating good clinical outcomes for reasonable overall costs. In fact “HaH” is sometimes considerably better on both those scores.

Hopkins pediatric hospital: Maya Kowalski’s care ‘appropriate’

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., plans to file post-trial motions against the $261 million judgment that a Florida jury last week ordered the institution to pay.

CVD deaths have increased dramatically, undoing years of progress

The COVID-19 pandemic undid years and years of progress in terms of preventing CVD-related deaths. What can be done to help reverse this trend once and for all?

TAVR linked to favorable outcomes for asymptomatic and minimally symptomatic patients—but is it necessary?

While TAVR is safe for minimally symptomatic patients, questions remain about whether or not it is actually needed. A new analysis in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions examines this topic in detail.

Industry Watcher’s Digest

Buzzworthy developments of the past few days.

africa looks to artificial intelligence for healthcare improvement

Overheard in Africa: AI may be just what the doctor ordered for better healthcare, stronger society

Technology leaders and academic researchers joined with healthcare professionals in Nigeria Nov. 13 to sketch out the future of African healthcare.

FDA announces recall of more than 32 million disposable syringes

The new-look syringes are causing significant issues when used with syringe infusion pumps. This is a Class I recall, which means the FDA believes the products “may cause serious injuries or death.”

Even facing hefty fines, many hospitals punt on price transparency. Why is that?

Seeking to uncover the rationale driving hospitals to flout compliance, researchers interviewed hospital informants at 12 nonprofit institutions.

‘Take Care of Maya’ protagonist ups ante with criminal charge

Less than a week after the famous Kowalski family won a $261 million civil judgment against a Johns Hopkins facility in Florida, Maya Kowalski is announcing she will slap the hospital with a criminal complaint alleging sexual assault.

Care Delivery

Upfront costs of robotic heart surgery are high—but it may be a smart investment

State sues AI company after bot impersonates doctor

UnitedHealthcare looks to reduce prior authorizations by 30% before end of 2026

Blame towering market power for soaring hospital prices: Healthcare affordability specialist

5-year checkup shows ‘hospital at home’ healthy but siloed