Cancer deaths are declining, but diagnoses are rising especially among younger women
By Yuki Noguchi
npr.org – A study released Thursday points to a mixed and rapidly shifting picture in cancer trends. On the one hand, the American Cancer Society’s annual survey found that mortality from the disease declined rapidly, by 34%, between 1991 and 2022. But at the same time, for reasons little understood, more young and middle aged women are getting the disease.
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CDC urges faster testing to find human bird flu cases
By Erika Edwards
nbcnews.com – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday urged labs nationwide to determine within 24 hours of admission whether people hospitalized with the flu have seasonal influenza or are infected with the bird flu that’s behind an escalating outbreak in dairy cows and poultry.
The guidance for labs to do this type of testing has been in place since last fall, but the process has been slow, with many hospitals sending flu samples out for testing in bulk every few days.
By the time those results come back, patients have often already been sent home, Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal deputy director, said during a media briefing Thursday.
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UnitedHealth CEO says U.S. health system ‘needs to function better’
By Rob Wile
nbcnews.com – The CEO of UnitedHealth Group said Thursday that shortcomings of America’s health care system must be addressed.
On the company’s first earnings call since the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson, CEO Andrew Witty said that while the U.S. provides world-leading care in many respects, there are systemic flaws that are working to drive up health costs for people in the country.
“The health system needs to function better,” he said, adding that the “variety” of state, federal and private sector structures and programs have created a “confusing,” “complex” and “costly” health care landscape.
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Not enough hospitals are testing their predictive AI models for accuracy, bias, study finds
By Dave Muoio
fiercehealthcare.com – 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.
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False claims settlements in healthcare total $1.7B in 2024
By Susanna Vogel
healthcaredive.com – The FCA seeks to hold companies and individualsaccountable for knowingly and falsely claiming money, or knowingly failing to pay funds owed to the U.S. government. For the past several years, the majority of federal FCA enforcement has centered on healthcare, as regulators have attempted to crack down on fraud.
In a news release, the DOJ said many of its investigations last year targeted providers that billed federal healthcare programs for medically unnecessary services and substandard care, or engaged in referral kickback schemes.
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Biden administration moves to expand, preserve access to addiction treatments as term expires
By Lev Facher
statnews.com – The Biden administration is ending its term with a flurry of actions meant to expand access to addiction treatment — and preserve its legacy of historic support for new ways to reduce drug-related harms.
In the last month, regulators have moved to ensure or expand access to evidence-based interventions for substance use disorders. While none of the new policies, individually, represents a paradigm shift in addiction medicine, the three actions collectively underscore the administration’s emphasis on treatment.
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