PCCI CEO Steve Miff on the 4 Pillars of a Trustworthy AI Framework
As it publishes its annual report, Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation has 14 AI models in production with many more under development
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An Arm and a Leg: Personal Finance Guru Faces Down an Insurance Denial
Less than 36 hours before his wife was scheduled to undergo major surgery, New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber got an unwelcome letter from his family’s insurance plan: It was denying prior authorization for the procedure. With no time to lodge an appeal, Lieber and his wife decided to proceed and bet on…
DOGE Job Cuts Hit Federal Workers’ Finances and Mental Health
LISTEN: KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan spoke with federal employees who say mass government layoffs are affecting their mental health. She appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” segment on April 2. Federal workers are feeling demoralized and anxious as the Department of Government Efficiency slashes tens of thousands of jobs. Federal employment used to carry…
Why Providers Aren’t Happy with CMS’ Outpatient Medicare Physician Payment Proposal
CMS proposed a 2.4% Medicare payment increase for hospitals’ outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers in 2026, along with a new two-tiered physician reimbursement structure based on participation in value-based care models. Provider groups are welcoming the short-term boosts, but they fear the changes don’t go far enough to address their long-term financial pressures. The…
Viking Therapeutics’ Early Clinical Data Continue to Build Case for Its Oral Obesity Drug
Higher doses of a Viking Therapeutics pill that targets two receptors led to greater weight loss without worsening safety or tolerability, according to Phase 1 results presented during the ObesityWeek conference. Meanwhile, an injectable version of this Viking drug is on track to Phase 3 testing. The post Viking Therapeutics’ Early Clinical Data Continue to…
Q&A: Can automated prior authorizations help providers meet new challenges in 2025?
Prior authorizations continue to challenge healthcare organizations as payer authorization requirements expand and change. Automated prior authorizations can bring new efficiency and consistency to a process that’s ripe for evolution, but how will providers make the leap? Alicia Pickett, Senior Product Manager at Experian Health, shares her perspectives on the issues providers are talking about…
Readers Share Personal Insights on Deadly Denials and Pregnancy Centers
Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. A Tragic, Deadly Denial I read your article in The Washington Post about the woman whose Humana policy required prior authorization for a drug she’d been taking (Bill of the Month:…
More Californians Are Freezing to Death. Experts Point to More Older Homeless People.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A growing number of people — many of them older and homeless — are freezing to death during winter. Hypothermia from exposure to cold temperatures was the underlying or contributing cause of death for 166 Californians last year, more than double the number a decade ago, according to provisional death certificate data…
COVID Vaccine Concerns and Claims About Ivermectin as Cancer Treatment — The Monitor
This volume covers recent claims about COVID vaccine safety after a new study describes a rare condition it calls “post-vaccination syndrome” (PVS). It also investigates the false claim that ivermectin can treat cancer and highlights the re-emergence of concerns online about Gardasil, and its alleged mortality rate.
What Role Do Immigrants Play in the Hospital Workforce?
This issue brief analyzes the role that immigrants play in the hospital workforce, overall and by occupation and state. Immigrants account for about one in six hospital workers, including among clinical and nonclinical workers.