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- 👴🏻 Nursing home industry sues Biden admin over staffing rules
👴🏻 Nursing home industry sues Biden admin over staffing rules
Ascension gets some systems online after cyber attack, Change Healthcare breach notification, and more!
Pulse Points
June 03, 2024
In this edition:
👴🏻 Nursing home industry sues Biden administration
🖥️ Ascension gets some systems back online
đźš’ FDNY partners with Dermatologists
đź’¬ Change Healthcare breach notifications
And more!
Nursing home industry sues Biden administration over staffing rules
An industry lawsuit is urging a federal court to overturn the Biden administration’s new mandatory minimum staffing requirements on nursing homes, arguing the federal Medicare agency exceeded its authority.
The complaint argues Congress never gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) the authority “to impose such onerous and unachievable mandates on practically every nursing home in the country,” so the rules are a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.
It was filed last week in the Northern District of Texas by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), its Texas counterpart and the operators of three nursing homes in the state.
The lawsuit argues the requirements will force facilities to close or downsize, displacing tens of thousands of residents and “forcing countless other seniors and family members to wait longer, search farther, and pay more for the care they need.”
Ascension starts getting back online
Hospital system Ascension said Tuesday that it hopes to restore a system that's key to its operations by the end of next week nationwide after being hit with a ransomware attack in May.
The electronic system that contains patients' medical records has been largely inaccessible
It is one of the country's largest health systems with some 140 hospitals and hundreds of clinics across over a dozen states
The hack has ultimately has resulted in major disruptions to patient care over the last month, including canceled appointments, hold-ups in getting labs, and long wait times for care, according to patients and health workers.
Patients have been unable to use MyChart, the online platform for patients to make appointments, check labs and test results, and talk with their physician.
Specialty Spotlight
Dermatology
AAD partners with FDNY for cancer checks
The FDNY, in partnership with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, hosted a free skin cancer check event.
Data shows firefighters have a 21% greater risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, than the general public. Firefighters are exposed to cancer-causing substances in the line of duty, especially when fighting fires, which can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin.
The inaugural event kicks off the AAD's Firefighter Skin Cancer Checks Program, a nationwide effort designed to provide free skin cancer checks to 10,000 firefighters by 2026.
1 in 8 seniors will be treated for TBI About one in eight U.S. seniors will be treated for a traumatic brain injury, typically during a fall, a new study finds.” Data from Medicare “show that about 13% of seniors suffered a severe concussion during an average follow-up period of 18 years, researchers report.” And while “these injuries can be treated, they increase the risk of serious conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, heart disease, depression and anxiety, they added.” Read more | 1 in 3 Americans no somebody who dies of a drug overdoes It was reported that approximately one in every three Americans “have reported knowing someone who has died of a drug overdose, a new survey found.” Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health “found that 32% of people have known someone who has died of a drug overdose,” while those who “reported knowing someone who has passed away from drug use were also more likely to support policy aimed at curbing addition.” The survey was published in JAMA Health Forum. |
HHS updates guidance on Change Healthcare breach
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published an update to the frequently asked questions (FAQs) webpage concerning the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident.
The webpage, first published on April 19, 2024, provides answers to FAQs concerning the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Rules and the cybersecurity incident impacting Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group (UHG), and many other health care entities.
The webpage updates address questions OCR has received concerning who is responsible for performing breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, and where applicable the media. Specifically, the FAQs make clear that:
Covered entities affected by the Change Healthcare breach may delegate to Change Healthcare the tasks of providing the required HIPAA breach notifications on their behalf.
Only one entity – which could be the covered entity itself or Change Healthcare – needs to complete breach notifications to affected individuals, HHS, and where applicable the media.
If covered entities work with Change Healthcare to perform the required breach notifications in a manner consistent with the HITECH Act and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, they would not have additional HIPAA breach notification obligations.