Hospitals across the U.S. are incorporating artificial intelligence into administrative and clinical workflows, testing the waters with one of the most disruptive forces in any industry today. C-suite leaders are gathering information and beginning to forge a plan for safely leveraging AI to its full potential, but the rapid pace of change means and increased costs of implementation ensures nobody is ahead of the curve for long.
A major drugmaker’s plan to trade out upfront 340B discounts for rebates has found swift pushback from both hospitals participating in the drug subsidy program and the government administration that oversees it. Friday, Johnson & Johnson issued a notice that beginning Oct. 15 it would no longer be processing wholesaler chargebacks for two of its drugs, Stelara and Xarelto, for certain program participants. To receive the program’s discounts, disproportional share hospital covered entities would need to submit claims for a rebate through an online platform within 45 days of dispensing (with an initial grace period of over six months).
The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ASTP) has been collaborating with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR) to establish and oversee a consistent approach to ensure that health IT requirements in grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and policy and regulatory actions align with HHS-adopted data standards. HHS adopted the Health IT Alignment Policy in July of 2022.
Healthcare is ill-equipped for ransomware
In an era where healthcare operations are becoming increasingly digitized, the risks associated with cybersecurity are evolving at a rapid pace. Over the past decade, ransomware has emerged as a significant threat to healthcare systems across the country. The frequency of these attacks has escalated to the point where it's now common to hear about a healthcare institution falling victim to ransomware on a weekly basis. The consequences are severe, often impairing the ability of healthcare providers to treat patients effectively and efficiently.
Employers are actively seeking out alternatives to curb rising health benefit costs by sidestepping traditional carriers, a new report from Brighton Health Plan Solutions shows. Of the 150 health benefit respondents cited for the report, 75% said they are actively having conversations about direct contracting. A significant segment, 41%, which are not already in direct contracting relationships will consider them for 2025. This could result in a 6% to 20% increase in savings compared to conventional partnerships with health insurers, according to a news release.
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