• 2/14 - Silicon Valley ZOOM Table - "What Can Healthcare Leaders Learn from the Nonprofit World" - Featuring Cathy Conway, Hospice of Santa Cruz County


• 2/16 - Bay Area ZOOM Table - "Robots to the Rescue? Solving the Caregiver Shortfall" - Featuring Alex Huang, Founder & CEO, and Daniel Haddick of Aeolus Robotics


• 2/17 - Los Angeles ZOOM Table - "The Shifting Battleground for Healthcare Privacy" - Featuring Harry Nelson, JD, Nelson Hardiman


• 3/01 - Orange County ZOOM Table - "Making Partnerships Work" - Featuring Bob Rose, MedWand


• Explore Membership in ABL's Executive Round Tables >>>

• Angle Health Raises $58 Million To Modernize Access to Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits
• Alegre Home Care Provides Caregiving Tips for Anxiety & Depression
• Greg Buchert Announces Makani Science's Crowdfunding Campaign
• Choice in Aging Discusses Services for Seniors with Fellow Advocates
• ChromoLogic's OCTiCell Spotlighted in Industry Journal + CEO Joins University Advisory Board
• Cigna Sees Whole-Person Health as the New Vitality of Well-Being
• Donate Life / OneLegacy Rose Parade Float Wins Sweepstakes Trophy
• Elemeno & URMC Golisano Children's Hospital Partner to Launch Workforce App
• HyperCORE International Celebrates 4th Anniversary + Nominated for Award
• HumanGood Contributes to Senior Living Executive Forecast 2023
• Illumination Foundation Celebrates 15 Years; Receives Grants; Co-CEO to Present on Preparing for CalAIM
• Kaiser Permanente: Medi-Cal Plans Top Ratings; Commits $25M to Center for Gun Violence Research & Education
• Life Adjustment Team Explains Wraparound Services, Care Coordination, Assertive Community Treatment & More
• LigoLab Provides On-Demand Webinar + Articles on Lab Business Issues
• MedWand Wins Innovation Award, Exhibits at Arab Health & Planning a Pilot Program with VA
• Mission Hospice Debuts Men's Grief Support Group
• Nelson Hardiman's Harry Nelson Named a 2023 Super Lawyer & Discusses Telehealth Abortion with NPR
• Parentis Health Discusses Paying Options for Respite Care
• PreludeDx Collaborates with Medical Cost Containment Professionals
• Providence Digital Innovation Group Urges Return on Digital Investment Group
• Select Data Partners with Corridor to Enhance Post-Acute Document Review
• Wipfli Honored by Built In, Surveys Rural Healthcare Providers + Provides Webinars & Articles
• Zymo Research / Pangea Lab's Yap Ching Chew, PhD, Co-Authors Article on Reversing Aging

• Alvaka on: Cybersecurity for Healthcare + a Quotable Quote
• NuSci's John Tanner Spotlighted on Podcast
• Project Insight PM Software Garners Results for ThedaCare and ICU Medical

In Why Healthcare Entities Should Invest in Robust Cybersecurity, Alvaka reports that cyber-attacks on healthcare organizations are not focused solely on data: they are going after critical health management and medical support devices too. As increased reliance on technology continues, it is more critical than ever to prioritize cybersecurity in defense and resilience. Alvaka shares that healthcare organizations spend far less than the average company on cyber, and it's time that this must change.
MEANWHILE, Alvaka CEO Oli Thordarson shares this quote from Joe Atchison's quote of the week: "When times are good you should advertise; when times are bad, you MUST advertise." (Oli Thordarson, ABL-Tech SGV)

John Tanner, Director of The Nutrition Science Foundation (NuSci) and CEO of Tanner Research, was interviewed recently on Rip Esselstyn's Go PlantStrong podcast, in an episode entitled, "John Tanner - In a Heartbeat, from Death to Plants." John tells his harrowing story of his recovery from a heart attack that nearly killed him and discusses the remarkable advocacy work he is doing now with his non-profit NuSci and food delivery company, Little Green Forks. Toward the end of the podcast, listeners will get a coupon code good for $15 off their order of healthy food from Little Green Forks that now ships throughout the 48 states. (John Tanner, Ph.D., ABL-Tech SGV)

Project Insight PM software helped ThedaCare streamline their project management process and increase their user adoption exponentially AND it helped ICU Medical monitor and report on all of their R&D projects more effectively, which resulted in a huge tax benefit. (Thomas Leffler, ABL-Tech OC)

The COVID-19 public health emergency is ending on Thursday, May 11, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The announcement gives providers more than their promised 60-day notice of the end of the PHE and the termination of many of the waivers the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services put in place to ease restrictions on hospitals and other providers during the public health emergency. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/covid-19-still-a-public-health-emergency-says-who-5-updates.html)

The latest figures from the U.S. CDC show that an estimated 96.3% of the U.S. pediatric population - ages 6 months to 17 years - have detectable antibodies from vaccination or infection against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in their blood. Based on the data, the agency estimates that nearly 65.7 million American children have been infected. (https://khn.org/morning-breakout/covid-antibodies-from-infection-shots-in-nearly-every-american-child/)

States are preparing to remove millions of people from Medicaid as protections put in place early in the covid-19 pandemic expire. The upheaval, which begins in April, will put millions of low-income Americans at risk of losing health coverage, threatening their access to care and potentially exposing them to large medical bills. In California, where about 15.2 million people are enrolled in Medi-Cal, up to 3 million could lose coverage because they no longer qualify or fail to reenroll, state officials forecast. This month, the state is launching a massive media campaign via radio, social media, and billboards to alert Medi-Cal members that they must apply to renew their coverage this year. In coming months, the state will enlist federally funded navigators and other community health workers to help people update their contact information and ease the reenrollment process - or to shepherd them into new coverage, if their income exceeds Medi-Cal's eligibility limits. (https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/medicaid-unwinding-coverage-loss-california-post-pandemic/)

California's student COVID-19 vaccine mandate - which has been on hold since April - has been quietly dropped as the state prepares to end emergency pandemic restrictions later this month, public health officials confirmed. The dramatic decline in deaths and hospitalizations over time gave Governor Newsom confidence to schedule an end date for the state of emergency on Feb. 28, three years after he made the declaration. Nearly all of the pandemic restrictions Newsom put in place have been lifted, and, come March, he won't be able to issue new ones with the same unilateral authority. (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-04/californias-covid-19-student-vaccine-mandate-on-hold-since-april-will-not-be-renewed)

CMS recently released the long-delayed final rule on risk adjustment data validation (RADV) audits of Medicare Advantage organizations (the Final Rule). CMS promotes the Final Rule as improving program integrity and payment accuracy as well as transparency and certainty. One thing that is certain, CMS can expect further challenges to its RADV audit methodology. More information: https://www.sheppardhealthlaw.com/2023/02/articles/centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-cms/cms-issues-long-awaiting-medicare-advantage-radv-final-rule/

More than one-third of aspiring nurses who allegedly purchased phony degrees to bypass coursework and training required to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination passed the test, The New York Times reported Jan. 27. The scheme involved selling more than 7,600 fraudulent diplomas and transcripts from three now-shuttered nursing schools in Florida to the aspiring nurses, many of whom had prior experience working in healthcare as certified nursing assistants or other positions, according to Omar Pérez Aybar, special agent in charge for the Miami region of HHS' Office of Inspector General. Aspiring nurses paid between $10,000 and $15,000 for fake nursing degrees and transcripts, which allowed them to qualify for the NCLEX exam. About 2,800 people - or 37 percent of those who bought fake documents - passed the test, according to Mr. Pérez Aybar. A "significant number" went on to gain licensure and secure employment at U.S. healthcare facilities, he told the Times. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/nursing/37-of-nurses-in-degree-scheme-passed-nclex-feds-say.html)

The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding non-compete agreements. The Proposed Rule would prohibit non-compete clauses in labor contracts for most workers, including independent contractors, and require employers to notify individuals with a preexisting non-compete clause via writing that the clause is no longer in effect. Such clauses are common for physicians, and the Proposed Rule could have a large effect on the healthcare industry. (King & Spalding Health Headlines: https://kslawemail.com/128/9827/pages/art1.asp?sid=6db1b7b2-1361-4b1d-8e0b-3c113c284ee8)

Blue Shield of California is launching a virtual-first health plan in partnership with care navigation platform Accolade. The 'Virtual Blue" health benefits plan will offer $0 out-of-pocket costs for virtual primary care, specialty care for 20 specialties, urgent care and mental care, according to a Jan. 30 news release. Members will also be able to access Blue Shield's PPO network in California, along with national and international coverage options. Employers can purchase the plan as a benefit now, with a start date of April 1. (https://www.beckerspayer.com/virtual-care/blue-shield-of-california-launching-virtual-first-health-plan.html)

Digital health services have exploded since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and behavioral health services have seen large increases in utilization. Prior to the pandemic, telehealth visits for mental health or substance use disorder represented less than 1% of outpatient visits, but by mid-2020 nearly 40% of telehealth outpatient visits were for mental health or substance use. Behavioral health is the highest-funded clinical indication within digital health, and digital behavioral health companies raised $1.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2022. Investments in behavioral digital health services have the potential to transform the healthcare system in several key areas. (https://www.sheppardhealthlaw.com/2023/01/articles/digital-health/the-transformation-in-behavioral-digital-health-services/)

A study published in JAMA Network Open found no difference in visit frequency for opioid use disorder treatment, initiation of medication use or adverse outcomes between patients who were treated by clinicians with high or low levels of telehealth use, suggesting telemedicine could be comparable to in-person care. The research used de-identified claims data from about 11,800 patients with commercial insurance or Medicare Advantage coverage between March 2019 and March 2021. (https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/study-telehealth-opioid-use-disorder-may-be-comparable-person-care)

As we approach the middle of the first quarter of 2023, private equity firms have continued to demonstrate their interest in investing in digital health. These companies strive to improve health outcomes and lower expenses by focusing on specific gaps, issues or illnesses, prioritizing technological innovation, and customizing individualized care plans. While the healthcare industry is experiencing an evolution towards digitally enabled care, this movement has been accompanied by a rise in regulatory oversight of digital health - an ostensible conclusion to recent shifts, including the COVID-19-era investment boom in telehealth and the persisting issue of narrowing the digital divide to ensure equitable access and outcomes. (https://www.sheppardhealthlaw.com/2023/02/articles/digital-health/private-equity-and-digital-health-in-2023-policy-updates-and-trends-to-watch/)

A judge in Colombia caused a stir by announcing he had used the AI chatbot ChatGPT in preparing a ruling in a children's medical rights case. Judge Juan Manuel Padilla said he used the text-generating bot in a case involving a request to exonerate an autistic child from paying fees for medical appointments, therapy and transportation given his parents' limited income. Padilla told Blu Radio that ChatGPT and other such programs could be useful to "facilitate the drafting of texts" but "not with the aim of replacing" judges. He ruled in favor of the child and wrote in his judgment, dated Jan. 30, that he had consulted ChatGPT on the matter, without specifying to what extent he had relied on the bot. Padilla also insisted that "by asking questions to the application we do not stop being judges, thinking beings." ChatGPT uses artificial intelligence and reams of data from the internet to generate answers to questions posed by human users. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colombian-judge-uses-chatgpt-in-ruling-on-childs-medical-rights-case/)

ALSO, ChatGPT Passes US Medical Licensing Exam: An AI chatbot that generates humanlike responses passed all three parts of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam, according to findings published in the preprint server medRxiv. Researchers evaluated the performance of ChatGPT - a model launched by OpenAI in November - on the exam. For Part 1 of the comprehensive exam, second-year medical students typically spend 300 to 400 hours preparing. It covers didactic and problem-based learning, including basic science, pharmacology and pathophysiology. The final part is completed by post-graduate students. Researchers found ChatGPT "performed at or near the passing threshold for all three exams without any specialized training or reinforcement." While it varies by year, the USMLE pass threshold is approximately 60% most years, study authors noted. ChatGPT performed above 50% accuracy across all examinations and exceeded 60% in most analyses. "These results suggest that large language models may have the potential to assist with medical education, and potentially, clinical decision-making," the researchers said. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/a-peek-into-healthcares-future-ai-passes-medical-licensing-exam.html)

Amazon has announced RxPass, a new Prime membership benefit from Amazon Pharmacy that offers patients affordable access to commonly prescribed generic medications that treat more than 80 common health conditions. With RxPass, Prime members can receive all of their eligible medications for one flat, low monthly fee of $5, and have them delivered free of charge. There are no hidden fees and no markups to the $5 per month subscription. RxPass is already available in most U.S. states. To enroll in RxPass, Prime members can go to Amazon.com or Amazon's mobile app to create or update their Amazon Pharmacy profile. Once there, customers will be guided through a simple sign-up process that verifies their eligibility and prescription information. If customers have questions during the enrollment process or after a prescription arrives, Amazon pharmacists are on hand 24/7 to coordinate with a customer's doctor or help with refills. (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005495/en/Amazon-Pharmacy-Introduces-RxPass-Unlimited-Prescription-Medications-for-Only-5-a-Month-Delivered-Free-to-your-Door%E2%80%94Available-Exclusively-for-Prime-Members)

Two national chains will reduce operation hours at their pharmacies this spring, The Wall Street Journal recently reported. CVS plans to cut or alter hours at about 6,000 pharmacies, or two-thirds of its U.S. locations, in March, according to the Journal. Walmart plans to end operation two hours earlier at 4,600 of its pharmacies - nearly all of its locations - at the same time. Walgreens has not announced similar plans but has also struggled with the pharmacist shortage. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/cvs-walmart-to-cut-hours-at-most-pharmacies-in-march.html)

The Federal Trade Commission has alleged drug-cost and telehealth platform GoodRx shared consumers' personal health information with third parties like Google and Facebook. According to the FTC's complaint, GoodRx provided information about its users' prescription medications and health conditions for advertising purposes, like targeting users with health-related ads on Facebook based on drugs they had previously purchased. The agency also said GoodRx allowed third parties to use that data for their own internal purposes, misrepresented its HIPAA compliance and failed to set policies on how it should protect its users' personal health information.
GoodRx agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to settle the case, but admitted no wrongdoing. In addition to the payment, the FTC said its proposed court order would permanently prohibit GoodRx from sharing health data for ads, require user consent before sharing information with third parties for other purposes, direct third parties to delete previously shared data, limit how long GoodRx can keep patient information and force the company to put a privacy protection plan in place. (https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/goodrx-shared-health-data-google-and-facebook-ftc-says)

Eleventh-hour financial improvements were not enough for U.S. hospitals, making 2022 "the worst financial year for hospitals and health systems since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic," according to Kaufman Hall. The declaration is hardly a surprise as hospitals' median monthly margins lingered in the red throughout the first 11 months of 2022, starting with the -3.4 percent recorded in January, driven by the omicron surge. December was the only month where hospitals realized a positive year-to-date operating margin at 0.2 percent, according to Kaufman Hall's latest "National Flash Hospital Report" - based on data from more than 900 hospitals. Approximately half of U.S. hospitals finished the year with a negative margin, Kaufman Hall reported. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/hospitals-suffer-worst-financial-year-since-the-pandemic.html)

Payers, pharmacy benefit managers and drug manufacturers are no strangers to heavy criticism from the public and providers alike. Now another sector of the healthcare system has found itself increasingly caught in the crosshairs of constituents looking to point a finger for the rising cost of care: hospitals. As sharp words against the industry bubble up more often and encompass a wider variety of issues, it marks an important turn in the ethos of American healthcare. Most policymakers have historically wanted hospitals on their side, and health systems are often the largest employer within their communities and in many states.
Confidence in the medical system as a whole fell from 51 percent in 2020 to a record low of 38 percent in 2022. Though the healthcare system is among all major U.S. institutions facing record-low public confidence, are hospitals ready for an era of widespread distrust? "We're going into hospital purgatory. It's a period in which old rules may not work in the future," Paul Keckley PhD said. "The only thing we know for sure is that it's not going to get easier." (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/hospital-purgatory-confidence-in-healthcare-plunges-as-criticism-grows-louder-and-larger.html)

The U.S. spends two to four times as much on healthcare as most other high-income countries, but the health outcomes lag behind, a new Commonwealth Fund study found. "U.S. Healthcare from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes" is an ongoing report by the Commonwealth Fund that compares healthcare spending and outcomes, health status and healthcare usage in the U.S. with 12 other high-income nations and the average for all 38 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development members. The U.S. remained the only nation within the OECD that does not offer universal health coverage despite spending nearly 18 percent of its GDP on healthcare, according to the report. Read article for five more findings: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-safety-outcomes/the-us-outspends-other-high-income-countries-on-healthcare-but-its-care-outcomes-lag-behind.html)

For more than a decade, the British government has run its National Health Service, the world's largest government-run healthcare system, on a tight budget. The NHS prided itself on being one of the leanest healthcare systems in the developed world, spending less per head on average than its large European neighbors - and far less than the U.S. Now the state-funded service is falling apart. People who suffer heart attacks or strokes wait more than 1½ hours on average for an ambulance. Hospitals are so full they are turning patients away. A record 7.1 million people in England - more than one in 10 people - are stuck on waiting lists for nonemergency hospital treatment like hip replacements. The NHS on Monday faced the biggest strike in its history, with thousands of paramedics and nurses walking out over pay.
The NHS's woes are an extreme example of issues playing out across the developed world. Healthcare systems, hit hard by Covid, are under pressure as people live longer and have a wider range of treatment options. Aging populations mean costs will keep growing. The U.K.'s experience is a warning of what happens when supply in healthcare provision can't keep up with demand. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/nhs-uk-national-health-service-strike-costs-11675693883)

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