Author: dianawinder

Webinar: Making Space for Life Saving Care – Inside Baptist Health’s Command Center Strategy, August 5

July 25, 2025

Webinar: Making Space for Life Saving Care – Inside Baptist Health’s Command Center Strategy, August 5

Baptist Health Medical Center – North Little Rock (AR) faced the same squeeze many hospitals feel today – rising volumes, longer waits and overworked staff. Instead of adding more physical space or people, hospital leaders looked to solve these issues with an AI-powered command center. What they got was a system capable of predicting capacity crunches hours in advance and guiding teams to the next best action.

On August 5, at 1:00 p.m. hospital president Cody Walker will walk through the tactics that freed up beds, cut handoff delays and made front-line work easier. The session is practical, data-rich and actionable.

Learnings Include:

  • How Baptist Health detects capacity bottlenecks before they happen,
  • How hospital leadership foster a culture of transparence and proactive decision-making, and
  • How predictive analytics can support greater efficiency and better patient care.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, August 5, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT

Click Here to Register

CMS Proposes to Decrease Hospital Outpatient Payments for Non-Drug Items and Services to Offset Higher Payments Made as a Result of 340B Payment Policy, Comment by September 15

July 25, 2025

CMS Proposes to Decrease Hospital Outpatient Payments for Non-Drug Items and Services to Offset Higher Payments Made as a Result of 340B Payment Policy, Comment by September 15

Between 2028 and 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decreased Medicare reimbursements to hospitals paid under the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) for drugs acquired through the 340B Drug Pricing Program (“340B Program”), a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) program that allows covered entities to purchase certain outpatient drugs at discounted prices from drug manufacturers.

To maintain budget neutrality, CMS redistributed the savings to all hospitals paid under the OPPS by increasing their payment rates for non-drug items and services. In 2022, the Supreme Court held that because CMS did not conduct a survey of hospitals’ acquisition costs, they could not vary the payment rates for outpatient prescription drugs by hospital group.

In response, CMS finalized in the Final Remedy Rule that 340B hospitals would receive a one-time lump sum payment reimbursing them for the decreased drug payments and CMS would reduce payments for non-drug items and services to all OPPS providers by 0.5 percent starting in 2026 until the total offset was reached (estimated to be about 16 years).

Click Here to Read More and Submit Comment

Rural Health Research: Interstate Occupational Licensure Arrangements to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Services

July 25, 2025

Rural Health Research: Interstate Occupational Licensure Arrangements to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Services

This policy brief from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center describes state-based provisions to expand behavioral health services through interstate licensure arrangements for:

  • Psychologists,
  • Social workers,
  • Licensed professional counselors,
  • Marriage and family therapists, and
  • School psychologists

Click Here to Read Brief

Whitepaper: Burnout was Rising. This Louisiana Health System Found a Way to Scale Relief

July 25, 2025

Whitepaper: Burnout was Rising. This Louisiana Health System Found a Way to Scale Relief

At Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, HER analytics revealed that providers were losing hours to notes. Even after initial investments in voice tools, burden remained, and front-line dissatisfaction was growing.

By implementing a generative AI assistant with ambient capabilities, FMOLHS saw strong clinical uptake and measurable results. After-hours documentation dropped 65%. High-value coding rose, and providers reported better work/life balance across the board.

What this case study covers:

  • How FMOLHS integrated ambient AI with Epic to ease documentation burden,
  • What drove 70% clinician adoption and long-term rollout success, and
  • Operational, financial and workforce results that earned C-suite buy-in.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

How Health Systems are Staying Ahead of Drug Shortages

July 25, 2025

How Health Systems are Staying Ahead of Drug Shortages

With hundreds of drug shortages persisting across the U.S., pharmacy leaders are adopting more coordinated strategies to manage supply disruptions and mitigate financial losses. These include expanding on-hand inventory for critical injectable medications, centralizing supply chain operations and embedding clinical decision tools. The goal is to ensure supply chains are “not only operationally sound but also clinically meaningful.”

Hospital labor expenses tied to managing these shortages increased from $359 million in 2019 to $894 million in 2024, according to a June Vizient report. Pediatric facilities were hit especially hard, tracking 25% more shortages and more frequently exceeding pharmacy budgets than other hospitals.

Vizient researchers in 2019 also estimated that drug shortages cost hospitals an additional $359 million annually in labor alone and $200 million more each year from purchasing higher-priced substitute medications.

Ten pharmacy leaders were asked “What strategies are most effective in mitigating persistent drug shortages.”

Click Here to Read the Responses

Missouri Tobacco Quit Services

July 25, 2025

Missouri Tobacco Quit Services

Lung cancer is the leading cancer-related cause of death among adults in the United States, and smoking combustible commercial tobacco products remains the leading cause of lung cancer.

Missouri Tobacco Quit Services offers a package of resources to support providing information about lung cancer screening services in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, Project CONNECT.

Click Here to Explore Missouri Tobacco Quit Services

Register Now: 2025 Missouri Rural Health Conference, September 16-17

July 24, 2025

Register Now: 2025 Missouri Rural Health Conference, September 16-17

Register now for the only statewide gathering of the entire rural health community!

The Missouri Rural Health Conference is hosted by the Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) and the Association of Rural Health Clinics. This annual event brings together providers, administrators, advocates, and policymakers and includes breakout sessions tailored to rural health priorities, networking opportunities, and an exhibit hall full of resources.

When: September 16 – 17

Where: Old Kinderhook, Camdenton, MO

Click Here to Learn More and Register

Whitepaper: 180 Healthcare Breaches Reveal: Your Email System May be Your Biggest Risk

July 24, 2025

Whitepaper: 180 Healthcare Breaches Reveal: Your Email System May be Your Biggest Risk

Despite a 70% surge in cybersecurity spending, email remains healthcare’s most compromised asset. In 2024 alone, 180 healthcare organizations – including users of Microsoft 365, Proofpoint and Google Workspace – reported email-related breaches to the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Many of these incidents were preventable, tied to misconfigured settings and unchecked vulnerabilities, not a lack of investment.

This exclusive report unpacks how even leading health systems fall short on HIPAA email compliance – and what leaders must do now to avoid financial, legal and reputational damage.

Download to learn:

  • Why 43% of email breaches happened on Microsoft 365, despite security add-ons,
  • How AI-driven phishing and poor email security protocols expose even trained employees, and
  • What the average $9.8 million breach cost means for your 2025 risk strategy.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

2025 340B Program Hospital Recertification Announcement

July 24, 2025

2025 340B Program Hospital Recertification Announcement

The 2025 340B Program Recertification period for hospitals will be August 1 – September 8, 2025.

Prior to being able to recertify, Authorizing Officials (AOs) and Primary Contacts (PCs) must set up a user account in the 340B office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System (340B OPAIS). Failure to set up user accounts will result in not being able to view accounts or conduct recertification, thus termination from the 340B Program.

AOs and PCs must create individual user accounts; they will not be able to share access.

All active 340B ID’s associated with an AOs user account must be updated for recertification to be completed by the established deadline. Failure to recertify by the established deadline will result in termination from the 340B Program.

For assistance with the 340B OPAIS, it is strongly encouraged to utilize the online help that is available for your convenience. In addition, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has information and tutorials available on their website at https://www.hrsa.gov/opa/340b-opais/index.html.

For further assistance please contact the 340B call center operated by the 340B Prime Vendor Program at apexusanswers@340bpvp.com or call 1-888-340-2787 (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)

There will be a recertification webinar on August 6, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST.

Webinar Details

When: Wednesday, August 6, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST

Webinar: Who’s Cleaning Medical Equipment? The Answer Affects Patient Flow, August 13

July 24, 2025

Webinar: Who’s Cleaning Medical Equipment? The Answer Affects Patient Flow, August 13

Ambiguous responsibilities for cleaning and equipment handling are costing hospitals more than time. They’re risking compliance, delaying care and compromising safety.

In this session, infection prevention and operations experts break down how instructions for use (IFU) misalignment across healthcare teams drives infection risk and patient delays – and what leading systems are doing instead.

You’ll hear real-world insights on how centralized service models can reduce confusion, drive throughput and keep hospitals survey ready.

Key Takeaways

  • How IFU uncertainty leads to delayed care and equipment downtime,
  • Why shared responsibility models fail – and how centralizing can improve throughput, and
  • How to protect uptime, safety and staff satisfaction with clear ownership of disinfection and storage.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, August 13, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register