How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home
(VCU Health – January 17, 2025)

Every year, hundreds of lives are claimed by a silent, but easily preventable killer – carbon monoxide poisoning.  Early signs of this poisonous gas are easily missed due to lack of odor, taste, and appearance. In 2024, the Virginia Poison Center at VCU Health had 182 human exposures calls related to carbon monoxide exposure. “We often see more of these poisonings occur during winter months and natural disasters when people may use alternate methods of heating homes or obtaining electricity. Kerosene heaters, barbecue grills, or gasoline powered generators can all lead to carbon monoxide poisoning if they are used indoors or in areas without adequate fresh air flow,” according to John Downs, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Virginia Poison Center at VCU Health. However, carbon monoxide poisoning can occur at any time.

Research Spotlight: Breaking Down Barriers to Bring Innovative New Treatments to Patients
(UVA Health – January 14, 2025)

Many barriers make translating discoveries in the lab into effective new treatments difficult — such as a lack of resources, poor communication between disciplines, and complex regulations. “This is where iTHRIV comes in,” explains Karen Johnston, MD, MSc, director of the Integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia. “We help overcome these obstacles to find solutions to complex health challenges for our patients and communities.” The goal of iTHRIV is to empower healthcare providers, community members, researchers, and learners across Virginia.

Sentara hires first military retiree through the SkillBridge training program
(Sentara Health – January 14, 2025)

After 21 years in the U.S. Army and three deployments as a combat medic, Sgt. 1st Class Lucas White was ready to retire. But what would he do for a job? How would the skills he learned in the Army translate to civilian employment? He found the answer, and Sentara Health Plans found a valued employee, through the Pentagon’s SkillBridge transition program. White’s last billet was as deputy director of operations at McDonald Army Health Center at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Va., where he met Dr. Jon Gray, who is currently the director of medical operations for Sentara Urgent Care. Gray helped White connect with the SkillBridge program and Jaedda Hall, senior workforce development consultant with Sentara. White’s project management experience and hard-won medical skills made him a good fit for Sentara Health Plans, which is a SkillBridge civilian partner.

Sustaining transformation in 2025, per Ballad’s clinical chief
(Becker’s Hospital Review – January 16, 2025)

The greatest challenge of 2025 will be sustaining momentum of transformation, Amit Vashist, MD, senior vice president and chief clinical officer at Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health, told Becker’s. “With diminishing reimbursements and an increasingly harsh financial healthcare landscape, we must carefully prioritize initiatives that deliver the greatest value while maintaining operational efficiency,” Dr. Vashist said. This includes scaling systemwide improvements in a way that balances innovation with “the realities of limited resources and workforce strains.”

Valley Health Now Accepting Applications for 2025 Community Partnership Grant Program
(Valley Health – January 16, 2025)

Valley Health is excited to announce the opening of the 2025 application period for our Community Partnership Grant program. From January 15 to February 25, local non-profit organizations are invited to apply for one of eleven one-year grants totaling $200,000. These grants are designed to address critical health needs within our community. “Valley Health recognizes our community’s health concerns are complex and that we cannot solve them alone,” said Jason Craig, Director Community Health for Valley Health. “We are proud to support and partner with area community agencies, allowing us to leverage our resources for more meaningful impact on persistent health trends and disparities affecting our region.”

VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital and RCC Host Immersive Health Careers Camp for High School Students
(Real Radio 804 – January 15, 2025)

Local high school students spent a week of their winter break at VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital to participate in a Health Career Immersion Camp hosted by Rappahannock Community College (RCC) and the hospital. The camp introduced students to a variety of health professions and the opportunity to rotate through departments while acquiring hands-on simulated experiences in a lab environment and earning certifications.

VHHA Patients Come First Podcast – Jennifer Kennard
(Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association – January 13, 2025)

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Jennifer Kennard, Nursing Professional Development Generalist for Mother Baby and Lactation at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. She joins us for a conversation about her work, Sentara’s “I Gave Birth” bracelets, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to pcfpodcast@vhha.com or contact on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

Wythe County Community Hospital Celebrates Grade A Leapfrog Score
(Wythe County Community Hospital – January 17, 2025)

Wythe County Community Hospital celebrated with our community and hospital team to celebrate our achievement of an A on the most recent Leapfrog report. The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for healthcare consumers. People say that rural hospitals do not have the same level of quality as larger facilities however all hospitals are graded using the same standards by Leapfrog. We are so proud of our team and this accomplishment! Our team is here every day to fulfill our mission of #makingcommunitieshealthier.

Staying healthy during the ‘quad-demic’: expert advice on flu, COVID, RSV, and norovirus
(13 News Now – January 15, 2025)

Karen McGoldrick from Sentara Leigh Hospital shares tips on staying healthy during the ‘quad-demic’ and how to recognize and avoid flu, COVID, RSV, and norovirus.

Your kid’s cough won’t quit. Should you be concerned?
(Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU – January 17, 2025)

If your kiddo has a cough they can’t seem to kick, they’re in good company. “We see tons of kids in our clinic for chronic cough. It can be really tough for families to see, and hear, their children coughing for weeks on end,” said Dr. Drew Barber, pulmonologist. Why is chronic cough so common and when should kids see a doctor? Dr. Barber explains.

Arkansas governor wants to revive state’s Medicaid work requirements under Trump administration
(Associated Press – January 16, 2025)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday she wants to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, hoping to revive and expand a restriction that was blocked by the courts but could get a new life under the Trump administration. Sanders’ comments come as fellow Republicans in several other states are seeking similar requirements along with other cuts or restrictions to Medicaid, which covers about 80 million people nationally. More than 18,000 people lost coverage when Arkansas previously enacted work requirements under Sanders’ predecessor, Asa Hutchinson, in 2018. The requirement, which only applied to able-bodied adults on the state’s expansion program, was blocked by federal courts and the Biden administration.

Florida nurses rally for improved staffing, health insurance and AI safety
(Health News Florida – January 16, 2025)

Nurses at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah joined thousands of fellow caregivers nationwide Thursday morning to express concerns over low staffing levels, the need for up-to-date equipment, quality health insurance and artificial intelligence safeguards. The march was organized by the National Nurses United to highlight broad support among nurses for solutions that prioritize patient care. Intensive care nurse Lazaro Garcia, who has worked at Palmetto General for about a decade and is the union’s chief representative, said several improvements are top of mind for hospital staff.

Flu is flying: Twin Cities sees highest weekly hospitalizations in past four years
(MPR News – January 16, 2025)

Data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health shows flu activity continuing to soar. In the Twin Cities seven-county region 537 people were admitted to the hospital Dec. 29 to Jan. 4. That is by far the highest weekly total of the last four seasons.  Statewide, 877 people were hospitalized due to influenza in the week ending Jan. 4. This far exceeds last year’s statewide peak of nearly 300 weekly hospitalizations. Additionally, the 592 flu-related hospitalizations reported last week by the department for the week ending Dec. 28 was revised upward to 630 –—suggesting that the actual number of flu hospitalizations during the week ending Jan. 4 may well exceed 900.

Many Northern California registered nurses march in support of staffing, patient protections against AI
(CBS News – January 16, 2025)

Thousands of registered nurse members of National Nurses United, including many in Northern California, participated in marches and rallies on Thursday, demanding safe staffing levels and patient safeguards with the introduction of artificial intelligence, the NNU says. More than 100,000 NNU members are entering contract negotiations, saying they “plan to confront industry decisions that undermine patients’ health and well-being and fail to address chronic RN recruitment and retention issues –  in favor of increasing profits.”

Massachusetts: State Of Commonwealth: Healey Vows Lower Costs, Improve Healthcare
(The Boston Globe – January 16, 2025)

Saying it is time to “build our future,” Governor Maura Healey on Thursday laid out a wide-ranging agenda in her State of the Commonwealth address, vowing to rebuild roads and bridges, make it easier to get a doctor’s appointment, and transition homeless families out of hotels and motels by the end of the year. Addressing lawmakers, elected officials, and a primetime audience, the first-term Democrat laced her near hour-long speech with a series of new plans and calls for the Democratic-led Legislature to join her in realizing her initiatives.

Missouri’s ToRCH Pilot Turns Rural Hospitals Into SDoH Hubs
(Healthcare Innovation Group – January 17, 2025)

Missouri HealthNet Division’s Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) program is taking an unusual approach to social determinants of health — deploying rural hospitals as community health hubs in addressing population health goals in partnership with community-based organizations. The program seeks to empower rural communities to collaborate to address healthcare-related social needs among their Medicaid population, with a focus on driving better health outcomes. Kirk Mathews, the chief transformation officer for Missouri HealthNet, the Show Me state’s Medicaid program, recently spoke with Healthcare Innovation about the program’s launch.

As bird flu affects more people and animals, CDC urges faster testing
(The Washington Post – January 16, 2025)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory Thursday urging health-care workers treating patients hospitalized with the flu to perform an additional test for bird flu within 24 hours of admission. The advisory reflects increasing concern about the widening outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza that is sickening more people and animals in the United States and Canada. Earlier this month, a Louisiana man became the first person in the United States to die of bird flu. A severe infection nearly killed a Canadian girl who was hospitalized for two months. More domestic cats are getting infected after exposure to raw milk or raw pet food, authorities said.

Divestitures and distressed deals defined hospital M&A in 2024: report
(Healthcare Dive – January 17, 2025)

Last year was a record year for health system divestitures and hospital deals involving a distressed health system, according to a recent report by Kaufman Hall. Divestitures “skyrocketed” in 2024, with asset sales accounting for 45 of 72 announced deals, according to the consultancy. The percentage of distressed health systems pursuing M&A also reached new highs, rising from 28% in 2023 to more than 30% last year. Notably, “significantly larger organizations” than in years past are seeking deals due to financial distress, with the average deal size of the seller hitting $401 million, according to the report. This signals that financial distress could be “moving up the scale, prompting larger organizations to seek a partner” in 2025, the consultancy said.

Lung cancer diagnoses in American women outpace men for first time
(Axios – January 16, 2025)

Cancer incidence young and middle-aged women is rising, driven in part by a growing number of new lung cancer cases that are striking women more than men for the first time, per updated American Cancer Society statistics. Why it matters: While the data reflects long term gains in reducing cancer deaths, it also shows worrisome ongoing shifts in the burden of disease to women and people under age 65. By the numbers: More than 2 million new cancer diagnosis and 618,120 deaths are projected in the U.S. this year, according to the report published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Meet the Americans who still take COVID-19 precautions seriously
(Associated Press – January 16, 2025)

Susan Scarbro stares down a bowling lane at the distant pins. She hears a sound that breaks her focus. Was that a cough? Will her mask protect her? COVID-19 remains a very present threat for the 55-year-old. Scarbro has multiple immune disorders, making her vulnerable to infection. “Any minute anybody could cough, just incidentally,” said Scarbro, who lives in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. “And that cough could be the one thing that could make me sick.” This month marks the fifth anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. The virus would go on to kill 1.2 million Americans and disrupt countless lives.

Mergers and Acquisitions: An Overview of Notable Healthcare M&A Activity in Q4 2024
(Health Tech Magazine – January 16, 2025)

While mergers and acquisitions in the health services industry declined by 9% through Nov. 15, 2024 (compared with the same period in 2023, according to a recent report from PwC), deal activity is still robust compared with that before the onset of COVID-19, with annual deal volume nearly 70% higher than the pre-pandemic trendline. However, the Federal Trade Commission is increasing scrutiny of premerger notification forms to better detect illegal mergers and acquisitions that violate antitrust laws. The agency finalized changes to the form that requires more information to identify deals that may require an in-depth antitrust investigation.

Not enough hospitals are testing their predictive AI models for accuracy, bias, study finds
(Fierce Healthcare – January 17, 2025)

Many U.S. hospitals using predictive models are not evaluating their tools internally for accuracy, and fewer still are evaluating them for potential biases, according to a study published in the most recent edition of Health Affairs. The “concerning” analysis noted that hospitals reporting local evaluation of their predictive models and AI were more often those that developed their tools in-house, rather than using an algorithm provided through their electronic health record vendor’s platform. Reports of local testing were also more frequent among higher-margin hospitals and those in health systems.

The financial toll of the Change Healthcare hack: 7 numbers
(Becker’s Hospital Review – January 17, 2025)

The cost of the Change Healthcare cyberattack continues to mount for parent company UnitedHealth Group. Here are seven figures on the hack’s financial toll in 2024, according to the healthcare conglomerate’s year-end earnings report: $3.09 billion: Total impact of the cyberattack.

Biden administration picks 15 more drugs for Medicare negotiation
(The Hill – January 17, 2025)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected 15 more drugs for Medicare price negotiation, announcing the selection two weeks ahead of schedule. Administration officials did not share which drugs had been selected, only saying in a briefing that the 15 that had been chosen, combined with the 10 that have already been negotiated on, represent a third of Medicare Part D spending. CMS had until Feb. 1 to announce the new batch of drugs chosen for negotiation. When asked if the new selection was announced early in anticipation of the incoming Trump administration, a senior administration official noted CMS had completed actions related to Medicare negotiations ahead of set deadlines in the past.

Biden names GLP-1 drugs Ozempic, Wegovy for price negotiation program
(Fierce Healthcare – January 17, 2025)

The Biden administration unveiled its list of 15 drugs, which include GLP-1 drugs Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, for the second round of drug price negotiations, made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Drug manufacturers will have until Feb. 28 to opt in to, or out of, negotiations with the federal government, which are expected to significantly reduce the prices of costly prescription drugs for Medicare Part D members. “The drugs treat conditions such as diabetes and cancer, and seniors across the country rely on them,” said President Joe Biden in a statement. “These 15 drugs, together with the 10 drugs that Medicare already negotiated, represent about a third of Medicare Part D spending on prescription drugs, which means the lower prices my Inflation Reduction Act is delivering will put money back in seniors’ pockets across the country.”

Biden names GLP-1 drugs Ozempic, Wegovy for price negotiation program
(Fierce Healthcare – January 17, 2025)

The Biden administration unveiled its list of 15 drugs, which include GLP-1 drugs Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, for the second round of drug price negotiations, made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Drug manufacturers will have until Feb. 28 to opt in to, or out of, negotiations with the federal government, which are expected to significantly reduce the prices of costly prescription drugs for Medicare Part D members. “The drugs treat conditions such as diabetes and cancer, and seniors across the country rely on them,” said President Joe Biden in a statement. “These 15 drugs, together with the 10 drugs that Medicare already negotiated, represent about a third of Medicare Part D spending on prescription drugs, which means the lower prices my Inflation Reduction Act is delivering will put money back in seniors’ pockets across the country.”

CMS to seek Medicare negotiations on Ozempic price
(The Hill – January 17, 2025)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has included Ozempic among the next 15 drugs chosen for Medicare negotiation. CMS listed Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy — all forms of semaglutide — at the top of the list of drugs for which Medicare will the negotiate the price of in 2025. The list price for a one-month supply of Ozempic costs close to $1,000 without insurance or manufacturer coupons. According to CMS data, Medicare Part D spending on Ozempic was more than $4.6 billion in 2022.

DEA plans to create a special telehealth registration for prescribers
(Healthcare IT News – January 16, 2025)

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has released its notice of proposed rulemaking for a framework to permit medically necessary controlled substances without an in-person visit without violating the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act. The NPRM comes two months after the DEA and U.S. Health and Human Services announced they extended the pandemic-era virtual prescribing of controlled substances a third time. The most recent extension of COVID-19 flexibilities for prescribing runs through 2025.

HHS warns of ‘new and unique risks’ of private equity in healthcare
(Becker’s Hospital Review – January 17, 2025)

The harmful effects of private equity in the healthcare delivery system “deserves ongoing scrutiny and greater research,” HHS said in a Jan. 15 report. The report stems from a March 2024 request for information into how healthcare market transactions by health systems, insurers, private equity, and other investors may drive consolidation, harm patient care and affordability, endanger workers and burden taxpayers. More than 2,000 comments were submitted from patients, physicians, health systems, insurers, industry associations, labor unions, and academic researchers. The report was prepared in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department.

How will Trump’s return to the White House change the face of global health?
(NPR – January 17, 2025)

Donald Trump is just days away from the beginning of his second presidential term. His return to power has the potential to dramatically reshape the global health landscape. Right now, the U.S. is the single largest donor to global health in the world, pouring more than $10 billion this past fiscal year into international health efforts. While that number represents less than 1% of the total U.S. spending, millions of people worldwide are directly impacted by it. The money supports a vast range of efforts, from a million mpox vaccines shipped to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to monitoring for influenza in Chile.

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs Health Care Spending and Other Priorities for Incoming Administration
(KFF – January 17, 2025)

Both Medicare and Medicaid continue to be viewed favorably by large majorities of the public, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents. While lawmakers are discussing changes to Medicaid and Medicare including possible spending cuts, about half of the public think the federal government isn’t spending enough on each of these programs. Half (51%) say the federal government spends “not enough” on Medicare, and nearly half (46%) say the same about the Medicaid program. Across both programs, the share of the public who say the government isn’t spending enough is more than twice the share who say the government is spending “too much.”

US health secretary: price of targeted drugs should be lowered
(Reuters – January 17, 2025)

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Friday the government will try to negotiate better prices for the 15 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations for 2027 because they are too expensive. “The reason we’re going to negotiate for lower prices of these 15 drugs, the way we did last year for the 10 most expensive drugs, is because the facts show that not only do they work, but those drugs are too expensive and should be lowered in price,” Becerra said in an interview with CNN.