The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday it has established a new task force to take on healthcare monopolies and collusion. The task force, called HCMC for short, will guide the division’s enforcement strategy and policy approach in healthcare, including by facilitating policy advocacy, investigations and, where warranted, civil and criminal...

The widespread ban on noncompete contracts finalized last week by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will throw a wrench into the staffing and finances of nonprofit hospitals, legal experts and Fitch Ratings analysts say. Those changes are expected despite the agency’s limited jurisdiction over entities that aren’t corporations, experts say. The rule, which forbids new...

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized a rule reinstating certain regulatory protections against discrimination in healthcare that were stripped in a previous Trump-era rule. The final rule expands Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin, age and disability for certain health...

A new Wolters Kluwer Health survey¹ released today finds that 40% of U.S. physicians are ready to use generative AI (GenAI) this year when interacting with patients at the point-of-care. The findings reflect a rapid acceptance of the new technology more broadly, with 68% saying they have changed their views over the last year...

Mammograms read by artificial intelligence don't have a billing code so radiologists may pass the extra $40 to $100 in out-of-pocket costs on to patients,The New York Timesreported. The financial ramifications are just one angle patients — and providers — must consider when deciding to usehealthcare AI. Others include how well the technology works among a diverse patient population and whether it can improve...

Leaders from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs toldBecker'sits use of immersive technology such as virtual reality can inform health systems around the country. The VA has more than 3,000 VR headsets used by veterans at over 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics. More than 2,500 clinicians and staff are involved in implementing and testing the technology. The organization is believed to be the...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), today released the draft2024–2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for public comment. The draft plan outlines federal health IT goals and objectives that are focused on improving access to health...

We stand at the precipice of a global paradigm shift in healthcare. Outdated, overpriced and obtuse “sickcare” systems are failing us. Here comes generative AI, and it’s coming to healthcare just like every other facet of our economy. It’s a powerful transformative technology that is capable of analyzing vast swaths of data, finding patterns and creating entirely new solutions, and it’s poised to...

Generative artificial intelligencewas the talkof this week's HIMSS 2024 conference in Orlando, Fla., with executives discussing their health systems' plans for the technology. But how do healthcare leaders employChatGPTand similar platforms during their day-to-day jobs?Becker'sasked 12 executives at HIMSS '24 how they've used generative AI at work.

The federal government is pressing UnitedHealth Group and other payers to provide financial relief to providers as they continue to feel the financial disruption caused by the Change Healthcare cyberattack. In a letter to the industrypostedon Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wrote that the incident "has impacted payments...