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Consumer Data Transparency Is More Important Than Ever as the Battle Against COVID Rages On
On January 1, CMS implemented the Hospital Price Transparency final rule, but by July, it was clear that many hospitals were noncompliant. Even with a proposed rule for penalties, requirements still only fall on certain parts of the health care industry. It’s well known among economists and health leaders alike that US health care spending remains incredibly high and continues to grow rapidly. Health care spending in the United States is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.4% over the next decade, outspending all other nations in health care as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). … Read more
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Gundersen Health System expanding COVID treatment to support influx of patients
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) – A rapid rise in hospitalizations is causing Gundersen Health System to expand the scope of its COVID treatment. The hospital announced Friday that an overflow of patients from its COVID unit are now being cared for within individual rooms in a second area. A third area is also being used as a negative pressure unit. Operations Vice President Mike McKee says Gundersen has seen a steady increase in COVID patients since the beginning of August, but the last two weeks the hospital has been treating between 25-35 people. In addition, McKee adds that anywhere from … Read more
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Florida hospitals overwhelmed by surge in COVID patients
Hospitals are overwhelmed by the surge in COVID patients infected with the delta variant. Kyle Green AP In the year and a half since its savage debut in the United States, the coronavirus pandemic has stretched our healthcare system nearly to the breaking point. Florida has a workforce shortage that started well before the pandemic and accelerated in the past 18 months because of it. Hospitals are contending with burnout among physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and support staff. What we’re seeing right now in the United States is a healthcare system that is not only stressed to the brink in … Read more
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Triangle mental health system is also overburdened by COVID
Raleigh’s UNC Rex Hospital has announced plans to build a mental health center. Scott Sharpe News & Observer file photo When Robert D.’ s 9-year-old daughter was two months into COVID-19 isolation following Durham Public Schools’ closures, she began having episodes that signaled a serious decline in mental health. “The lack of playdates…the world just got pulled out from under her,” Robert said. “The meltdowns got worse and worse — she could not cope.” He described his daughter’s behavior as a “crisis situation.” “I got this parenting book that said, ‘Hold your child through the tantrum.’ Well after an hour … Read more
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Myocarditis More Common After Covid Vaccination, Study Finds
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, a large new study from Israel confirms. But the side effect remains rare, and Covid-19 is more likely to cause myocarditis than the vaccine is, scientists reported on Wednesday. The research, which is based on the electronic health records of about two million people who are 16 or older, provides a comprehensive look at the real-wold incidence of various adverse events after both vaccination and infection with the coronavirus. Although the study did not break down the myocarditis risks by age or … Read more