Prior authorization is overused, and existing processes present significant administrative and clinical concerns. That is why the AMA is fixing prior authorization by challenging insurance companies to eliminate care delays, patient harms and practice hassles.
New legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Kelly Armstrong aims to protect patients from care-delaying snags in the health insurance prior authorization process.
Joining a growing trend, physicians at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma are trying to unionize. "We really want to be able to have a voice, have a seat at the table and work with them and be a little bit more collaborative. And we think this unionization effort is the best way to do that," said Derek Tam, a pediatric emergency physician at the hospital. The desire to unionize, Tam said, has been motivated by changes that have been made across the hospital. He says that staff feel those changes impact the quality of care they can provide to patients.
USC researchers have developed an innovative type of cancer-fighting immune cell, the EchoBack CAR T-cell, that uses focused ultrasound to activate and sustain a powerful, targeted attack on tumors. Unlike earlier versions, these cells remain effective for days without tiring and only activate near cancer, reducing damage to healthy tissue.
The New England Journal of Medicine's editor in chief, Eric Rubin, received a letter from the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Edward R. Martin Jr. in recent days in which the prosecutor asked six questions, largely about alleged bias in the decision to publish unspecified content. The journal told STAT it responded by affirming its commitment to evidence-based recommendations and editorial independence.