A Texas hospital CEO has apologized for a screening lapse that potentially exposed hundreds infants to tuberculosis. Hospital and city health officials are working to screen more than 750 infants who were came into contact with an infected hospital worker in the nursery. "I want to apologize to the families that are affected by this," Eric Evans told reporters on Tuesday. "As CEO of Providence Memorial Hospital I and my colleagues take full ownership of our full role in this and making sure we get this right." The El Paso Department of Health received its first positive test from the hospital nursery employee on Aug. 27 but Evans confirmed during a news conference that the employee had symptoms as early as July. The hospital initially flagged 700 infants for testing.
Obamacare might not let you keep your old doctor, but it may pay for a virtual-reality physician?and you won't even have to get out of bed to get diagnosed. For years, it has been possible to "see" your doctor without ever going into the office for an appointment, thanks to online chatting and videoconferencing technology. But few patients and doctors tried it because of one very big obstacle: Insurance companies wouldn't pay for it. Now, that's finally changing. Teladoc, a so-called telemedicine company that facilitates virtual visits with real doctors, has convinced several major health insurers and employers to cover the remote consultations the same as they would an in-office appointment.
Technological and structural changes pose an existential threat to healthcare incumbents but also a potentially rich opportunity for those who pivot fast enough to take advantage of them. In other industries that have undergone disruptive change, the incumbents have often decided -- very belatedly -- to partner with the insurgents rather than dismissing them, according to Adrian Slywotzky, a "partner emeritus" with the international consulting firm Oliver Wyman and author of books including The Profit Zone and Demand. "Almost without exception, that collaboration starts 10 years too late," he said in a keynote presentation at the MediFuture conference last week in Tampa, Fla. The healthcare industry "has not had a history of innovation because it didn't need to," he added. "That will change in the next two to three years.
Neglected to pick up your prescription? Now, there's a good chance your doctor will know and do something about it, thanks to a slew of new partnerships between CVS Health and various health systems. One of the most recent, which is slated to begin by early next year, will integrate the electronic medical records from MedStar Health's 10 hospitals and 4,000 doctors – located in Washington, D.C. and Maryland -- with CVS pharmacies as well as the chain's 900 Minute Clinics located across the country.
The Obama administration has spent at least $3.7 billion to build and promote online marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act, but it can't prove exactly where it all went, according to an audit released Monday. Federal investigators said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does not properly track certain data that public officials need in order to determine whether the healthcare law is working. The government tracks its healthcare spending in an outdated records system that cannot easily respond to data requests such as salaries or public relations contracts in certain departments. Instead, officials rely on manually prepared spreadsheets that can take months to produce.
According to a report being released Tuesday, a critical vulnerability was found when the government's own watchdogs tried to hack into HealthCare.gov earlier this year. The report, conducted by the Health and Human Services Department inspector general who focuses on health care fraud, is a mixed review for the federal website that serves as the portal to taxpayer-subsidized health plans for Americans. CBS News reported that a weakness was found by the "white hat" or ethical hackers from the inspector general's office.