Patient Care

This page includes news coverage of various aspects of patient healthcare, including new technology innovations, what is working, what is not, personalized medicine and remote and telemedicine delivery. Find specific news in the areas of Care Delivery, Digital Transformation, Precision Medicine, Remote Monitoring and Telehealth.

Hidden costs of enterprise email may top $4M per year per hospital
E-mails sent to the full workforce at hospitals and health systems are costly due to the time they take away from recipients’ other essential duties and tasks. How costly? Researchers have done the math.
Nonprofit health system settles fraud lawsuit over unsafe spinal surgeries for $3.7M
The U.S. Department of Justice said MultiCare admitted in court documents to ignoring warnings from a whistleblower and staff who said a neurosurgeon was performing spinal surgeries on patients without medical need and billing the procedures to Medicare.
Cardiologists urge Congress to pass new bills focused on PAD, Medicare coverage
SCAI has shared a new call to action as an observance of American Heart Month. The group is asking Congress to pass new pieces of legislation that could improve care for PAD patients and get important medical devices in the hands of interventional cardiologists.
What stakeholders are saying about gender-transition interventions for minors
The more persuasive of the opinions could redound to the reshaping of the principles of pediatric medicine—and of certain policies in public education. Here’s a sampling.
FTC settles lawsuit against Express Scripts in deal that includes TrumpRx support
The Federal Trade Commission was suing the pharmacy benefit manager over allegations it was deliberately inflating the price of insulin. Per the agreement, Express Scripts has agreed to end business practices that involved taking manufacturer rebates on wholesale drug costs without passing them on to patients.

Telehealth diabetes management offering now part of Amazon marketplace

The integration was announced during the annual JP Morgan Health Care Conference in San Francisco. The program works through Amazon Benefits Manager to remotely help patients with weight and blood pressure management.

High-intensity focused ultrasound could allow prostate cancer patients to avoid surgery

The less invasive method could help men avoid some of the unpleasant side effects such as urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction, which are known deterrents for patients facing potential prostatectomy.

FDA announces another recall for surgical devices over safety concerns—7 new injuries reported

Maquet Cardiovascular, a subsidiary of Getinge, is recalling two of its endoscopic vessel harvesting devices due to issues with different pieces bending, peeling or detaching during use. Some of the company's other EVH devices were recently involved in a separate recall for similar reasons.

Sesame Street is coming to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

The partnership begins with a video series called “Ask a Doctor” featuring clinicians from the health system alongside Muppet characters.

Q&A: Vulnerable patients hit hardest by anesthesia reimbursement cuts

Tracy Young, CRNA, vice president at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, details the ongoing fight between providers and insurers over how anesthesiologists get paid.

Recor Medical's Paradise Ultrasound Renal Denervation System

Momentum continues for renal denervation as CMS considers national Medicare coverage

CMS is accepting public comments on the topic for a period of 30 days. Recor Medical and Medtronic have both shared statements in support of the potential policy shift.

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center, part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has set a world record by performing 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants in a single year.

‘A team effort’: VUMC sets world record for heart transplants in a single year

The center's 2024 total of 174 heart transplants represents an increase of 36% compared to 2023, and 10 of the patients receiving a new heart were young children.

Industry Watcher’s Digest

Having released the latest version of Llama in December, Meta is telling the world that open-source AI is the future of AI in healthcare.

Patient Care

Hidden costs of enterprise email may top $4M per year per hospital

Nonprofit health system settles fraud lawsuit over unsafe spinal surgeries for $3.7M

Cardiologists urge Congress to pass new bills focused on PAD, Medicare coverage

What stakeholders are saying about gender-transition interventions for minors

FTC settles lawsuit against Express Scripts in deal that includes TrumpRx support