While AI incites a range of feelings when it comes to its clinical implications and possibilities, I am much more focused on leveraging AI to solve healthcare's administrative challenges. Considering these burdens cost $600 billion to $1 trillion annually, AI offers a remarkable opportunity to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and deliver first-class experiences for everyone.
The U.S. surpassed 1,000 measles cases Friday, even as Texas posted one of its lowest counts of newly confirmed cases since its large outbreak began three months ago. Texas still accounts for the vast majority of cases in the U.S., with 709 confirmed as of Friday in an outbreak that also spread measles to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas.Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children died from measles-related illnesses in the epicenter in West Texas, and an adult in New Mexico who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 2 more measles cases this week, lifting the state's total to 48, with the number of affected counties remaining at eight, all in the southwestern corner of the state. Kansas is among a handful of states that have reported cases linked to a large outbreak centered in West Texas. Of the 48 cases, 43 were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. The number of hospitalizations remains at one, and no deaths have been reported in the state.
In a bipartisan vote Tuesday, the Pennsylvania House passed the Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention Act, which would establish violence prevention committees in all hospitals.
Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital have agreed to a $750 million settlement of hundreds of sexual abuse claims by patients of disgraced and imprisoned former gynecologist Robert Hadden, bringing total legal payouts in civil cases involving the ex-doctor to over $1 billion.
The nation's infant mortality rate dropped last year after two years of hovering at a late-pandemic plateau. Some experts think one reason for the drop could be a vaccination campaign against RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be dangerous for infants. The infant mortality national rate dropped to about 5.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, according to the CDC. That's down from about 5.6 per 1,000 live births, where it had been the previous two years.