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For immediate release: June 30, 2022   (22-097) Contact:  Sharon Moysiuk, Communications   360-549-6471 Public inquiries: Health Systems Customer Service   360-236-4700 OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Health has taken disciplinary actions or withdrawn charges against the following health care providers in our state. The department's Health Systems Quality Assurance Division works with boards, commissions, and advisory committees to set licensing standards for more than 80 health care professions (e.g., dentists, nurses, counselors). Information about disciplinary action taken against medical doctors and physician assistants can be found on the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) website. Questions about WMC disciplinary actions can be sent to media@wmc.wa.gov. Information about health care providers is on the agency website. Click on "Look up a health care provider license" in the...

En español   The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers customer service online, by phone and at field offices across the country, which fully reopened April 7 after being largely closed for more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. You can conduct most routine business, including applying for benefits and filing appeals, at the Social Security website or by calling the SSA's national customer service line (800-772-1213). Getting help online: My ...

Nancy Northup is president and chief executive of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a global legal organization that represented the last abortion clinic in Mississippi in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is not only the most damaging setback to the rights of women in our country's history — it also creates a staggering public health emergency requiring swift and definitive action from all sectors, including the Biden administration. Soon, abortion will be banned outright or severely limited in about half the states. Some lawmakers will seek to ban patient travel over state lines to receive abortion services, an astonishingly authoritarian and unconstitutional intrusion. In certain states, fear of civil and criminal liability might make hospitals and physicians wait until a miscarriage becomes septic before intervening, or might lead to dangerous delays in...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] How One Home Care Agency Is Using 'Un-Retirement' Trend to Its Advantage    Home Health Care News

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Abortions up to about six weeks in pregnancy can resume at some clinics in Texas for now after a Harris County District Court judge granted a temporary restraining order that blocks an abortion ban that was in place before Roe v. Wade. In the ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Christine Weems ruled that the pre-Roe abortion ban "is repealed and may not be enforced consistent with the due process guaranteed by the Texas constitution." "It is a relief that this Texas state court acted so quickly to block this deeply harmful abortion ban," Marc Hearron, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a press release. "This decision will allow abortion services to resume at many clinics across the state, connecting Texans to the essential health care they need. Every hour that abortion is accessible in ...

Good news — sort of. If you're retired or just about to retire, next year's Social Security checks are likely to see one of the biggest bumps on record as a result of surging consumer prices. The average beneficiary may be in line to get as much as $180 more a month starting next January, based on recent inflation. And they are almost certainly can expect at least an extra $120. These are the numbers based on the Social Security Administration's own figures. The numbers were run by the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, a well-known Washington, D.C. think-tank. The higher payments will be welcome news for retirees, who have seen their household finances squeezed badly so far this year as a result of rocketing inflation and turmoil in the financial markets. The consumer-price index rose by 8.6% in the year through May, way ahead of the 5.9% annual inflation adjustment handed out to Social Security beneficiaries in January. Meanwhile, retirees with ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Joel Mekler | Medicare Moments: Medicare excess charges: What are they and how to avoid them?    New Castle News

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) has opened a second location in Waterbury Center to increase the community's access to world-class orthopedic and sports medicine from our highly skilled doctors. The new practice, located off VT-100N, near the Cabot Annex, opened on June 1. It provides an alternative to the Berlin location for residents in the Mad River Valley, Waterbury and Stowe and the surrounding areas. J.P. Begly, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at CVMC and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Volunteer Physician, will care for patients at the facility. Sara Graves, MD, MS, also an orthopedic surgeon, is also offering care, along with Orthopedic Physician Assistant Helen Hollenbach, PA-C. "We're thrilled to offer a second location for our patients," Dr. Begly said. "Sarah, Helen and I all have a keen interest in sports medicine, which we know will serve this active community well."  Dr. Begly joined the orthopedic t...

When it comes to digitalising healthcare organisations there are two major pitfalls. If digitalisation is pursued in an IT and technology driven way, it can lead to painful implementations which leave clinicians scratching their heads. On the other hand, coming from a use case point of view can lead to endless pilot schemes that never get scaled up – something Tobias Silberzahn, partner at McKinsey & Co, dubs 'pilotitus'. Silberzahn, leads the HealthTech Network – a global community of more than 1,400 healthtech chief executive officers (CEOs) and founders. "Our experience is that digitalisation is best approached by setting an ambition of where a hospital wants to be in five years' time and then architecting a transformation to get there," explains Silberzahn. "So, how to set up the digital transformation journey of a hospital or hospital chain in a holistic way? One of the main success factors is thinking about real impact, patient outcomes an...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Witty: Despite Optum Care's massive growth, it's still in 'early innings'    FierceHealthcare

[unable to retrieve full-text content] 'A finite resource': as Australia recruits overseas health workers, their home nations bear the cost    The Guardian

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Why More Home Care Franchises Are Seeing Value in Company-Owned Locations    Home Health Care News

When people become older adults, it becomes hard to do the daily chores of life at that stage of life. More so, the health condition of seniors does not remain the same, and they become slow in certain activities – resulting in rapid fatigue.  Also, many seniors lack a sense of companionship, a friend, or just someone they can talk to and have a good time with.  In this blog post, we will discuss why good homecare services are beneficial for the well-being of senior citizens from the comfort of their own homes.  More Independence  Many times, you will see that people that turn old will often deny the fact that they find it hard to do their daily tasks with the same vigor as they did before. Partly, it's a matter of having a sense of self-sufficiency and not wanting to lose their independence.  The chief advantage of subscribing to the services of a home care service is that it helps...

Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham always seems to be bustling. The patients drifting in and out of the clinic's main location on Fayetteville Street offer a snapshot of the city's lower-income population: a mix of Black, white, and Latino residents who are there for low-cost medical, dental, mental health, or pharmacy services. Heidi Flores is just leaving the facility. With her T-shirt, cutoffs, and shy smile, she looks like the young woman on the precipice of adulthood that she is. She was here for a checkup. "It was my first checkup, actually," says Flores, who just turned 20. She doesn't have health insurance and had been worried about how much a visit to a primary care provider might cost. She's seen her aunt receive bill after bill following medical visits. In response, Flores, like several of her friends, has simply stayed away. But the health center charges on a sliding scale, and the appointment only cost her $20. Happily, ...

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[unable to retrieve full-text content] A Prescription for Equitable Health: Replacing Fossil Fuels to Fight Climate Change    U.S. News & World Report

AHRQ publishes new handbook for primary care health IT advisers, practice facilitators to help improve quality through use of clinical EHR data. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of healthcare for all Americans. AHRQ develops the knowledge, tools, and data needed to improve the healthcare system and help consumers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers make informed health decisions. On May 31, AHRQ published the guide, "Obtaining and Using Data in Practice Improvement: A Handbook for Health IT Advisors and Practice Facilitators," with strategies for primary care practice coaches to support improved care through health information technology. AHRQ announced the handbook "focuses on guiding coaches as they help primary care practices collect and extract high-quality clinical data from EHRs to support quality improveme...

Umbilical endometriosis, also called Villar's node, is a very rare type of endometriosis. It happens when endometrial tissue, which is meant to grow inside the uterus, starts growing in or around the belly button. Symptoms of umbilical endometriosis can include swelling, pain, and discoloration. Endometriosis is a condition that develops when endometrial tissue grows where it's not supposed to. This misplaced tissue typically grows in the pelvic region and affects organs near the uterus, like the ovaries and fallopian tubes. According to 2009 research, only about 1 percent of endometriosis cases involve parts of the body outside the pelvic region. Even then, it's usually the lungs or intestines. Endometrial growths near the skin are very rare. Although umbilical endometriosis is usually benign (noncancerous), its symptoms can be confused with other conditions affecting the navel. So, it's important to talk with a doctor as soon as possible if you have symptoms. When en...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] CMS Proposes New Medicare Payment Adjustment for Home Health    RevCycleIntelligence.com Former CMS Administrator Predicts Dire Near-Term Outlook for Home Health Industry    Home Health Care News Home health agency payments in 2023 decrease by 4.2%, or $810 million, under proposed rule    Healthcare Finance News CMS mulls $810M cut to home health Medicare payments    FierceHealthcare Home health firms to lose $810M in Medicare payments: 6 home health CMS updates    Becker's Hospital Review View Full Coverage on Google News

Rebekah isn't someone who typically comes to mind when thinking about the importance of affordable prescription medication and access to home care-based services — especially for people who are elderly. Instead, Rebekah is a 32-year-old millennial who works full-time and is also a caregiver for her mother who suffered a stroke. Rebekah and her new husband moved back in with her mother in her childhood home in Queens, N.Y., to help her with day-to-day tasks — such as cooking and eating, managing medications and paying bills. Rebekah and her husband are among the 53 million people in the U.S. who are caregivers for family who are elderly or disabled — a number that increased by nearly 10 million from 2015 to 2020. In addition to needing assistance at home, Rebekah's mother needs at least eight different medications, including a recently prescribed injectable medication which may not be covered by her mother's insurance. "Every time another medication is added we ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Home healthcare workers see potential end to 24-hour shifts at City Hall rally supporting new legislation    AMNY

Investment in state-of-the-art facility at historic site advances a bold vision to transform healthcare throughout the region Long Branch, NJ – June 21, 2022 – Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), an RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) facility, on Tuesday unveiled plans to build the Vogel Medical Campus – a state-of-the-art outpatient care center – at the former Fort Monmouth Myer Center site in Tinton Falls. The medical campus is made possible by a historic $50 million gift to MMC from local philanthropists Sheldon and the late Anne Vogel. Pending all necessary approvals, construction is expected to begin in early 2023. The Vogel Medical Campus at Tinton Falls will bring world-class care to a convenient location where patients can access services in one place – creating a seamless and exceptional experience. The outpatient center will include surgical and imaging services, physician offices and support services. Patients will also have access to comprehensive cancer care provided in partnership wi...

Home health agencies would see a net $810 million Medicare pay cut next year under a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services draft policy announced Friday. The proposed rule calls for a 4.2% overall reimbursement decrease, which is primarily due to a negative pay adjustments to account for increased expenditures CMS contends resulted from a recently implemented payment system. CMS imposed a new reimbursement policy for home health agencies in 2020 that pays them based on patient characteristics instead of the number of therapy hours provided. CMS assumed the new model, known as the Patient-Driven Groupings Model or PDGM, would lead home health agencies to bill with the highest-paying codes to maximize reimbursements. The Patient-Driven Groupings Model isn't allowed to cause higher Medicare spending, so CMS reduced home health agency pay by 4.36% starting in 2020 to account for how it anticipated home health agencies would respond to the model. Starting next year, CMS proposes a ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Definitive Healthcare launches data-driven podcast    FiercePharma

UnitedHealth Group's Optum has scooped up Healthcare Associates of Texas from Webster Equity Partners, sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The deal is yet another data point that reflects Optum's intent to build large clinician groups in key health care markets, along with its dedication to value-based care. HCAT has a big provider footprint in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, one of the largest metro areas in the country, and the largest in its home state. The platform is well-positioned and has begun to transition to value-based care, sources say, offering broad ancillary services around its core primary care platform. Services include a wellness clinic for chronic health problems, pharmacy services, imaging, and similar. Details: Optum's acquisition assigns HCAT an enterprise value approaching $300 million and implies a high-teens EBITDA multiple, sources say. SVB Securities advised HCAT on the transaction, the people add. SVB also advised LHC Group on its recent $5.4 bi...

Editor's Note — Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening and closing, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. (CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday updated its travel advisory page for Covid-19. Just two new places, both in Africa, joined the crowded "high" risk category. But perhaps more notable this week is the news that two destinations in stubbornly high Europe were downgraded to "moderate" risk. The Scandinavian cultural powerhouse of Sweden and heavily forested and historic Romania in Eastern Europe provide two bright spots on a continent that has been mired in the "high" risk category. The Level 3 "high" risk category is now the top rung in terms of risk level. Level 2 is considered "moderate" risk. Level 1 is "low" risk. Level 4, previous...