Iowa news
UIHC among top 20 health systems with strong finances, according to ratings services
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is among the top 20 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings. UIHC has an Aa2 rating and stable outlook, strong patient demand and excellent financial management, Moody’s said. The credit rating agency said it expects the health system to continue to manage the pandemic with improved operating cash flow margins. (Becker’s Hospital CFO Report)
MercyOne’s Pittman recognized among 50 innovative chief digital officers
Janell Pittman, MercyOne chief marketing and digital strategy officer, has been named as one of 50 innovative chief digital officers to know in 2022 by Becker’s Hospital Review. Pittman, who has led MercyOne’s marketing and digital strategy since 2017, said the system has embraced consumer-facing digital health across the spectrum, from “digital front door services including online scheduling, virtual triage, and patient portals, to expanding access to care with primary and specialty care telehealth visits,” as well as the use of patient wearable devices for remote patient monitoring at home. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Advocating for Iowa children with special needs
This year, ChildServe is sponsoring a sensory-friendly morning at the Iowa State Fair to give kids of all abilities an opportunity to go and enjoy. The fair is a start, but advocates say more needs to be done with legislation to help children with special needs and their families. The Iowa Pediatric Healthcare Collaborative is made up of Blank Children’s Hospital, ChildServe, MercyOne Children’s Hospital, and University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The group met with federal lawmakers to talk about the importance of services and Medicaid for children who need it. (WHO-TV)
National news
How hospitals should prepare for the end of the public health emergency
Officials at all U.S. hospitals should be looking deep into their unique positions, paying attention to their financial situations, mix of patients and distinct geographies when assessing how the end of the public health emergency, whenever that may be, finally comes. This is according to McKinsey consultants Stephanie Carlton, a Dallas-based partner at the firm focusing on health system reform, and Pooja Kumar, MD, a Philadelphia-based senior partner. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Tens of thousands of monkeypox vaccine doses to be distributed immediately in U.S.
As cases of monkeypox virus surge in the U.S., the Biden administration will start distributing the monkeypox vaccine nationwide, focusing on people most at risk and communities with the highest numbers of cases. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will send 56,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine immediately to areas with high transmission. An additional 240,000 doses will be distributed over the next few weeks, with more to come this summer and fall. Officials expect to make at least 1.6 million doses available by the end of the fall. (NBC News)
AHA wants prompt payment of 340B funds after Supreme Court win
The American Hospital Association wants HHS to act quickly to ensure that affected hospitals receive withheld 340B program funds. The organization’s June 28 letter to HHS comes after the Supreme Court recently overturned a $1.6 billion 340B payment cut. The case centered around whether CMS has the authority to make cuts to the program under its Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System. Under the payment rule, HHS cut the reimbursement rate for covered drugs by 28.5% in 2018, but it later lowered the cut to 22.5%. The Supreme Court reversed a federal appeals court’s 2020 ruling that HHS had the authority to make the $1.6 billion annual reimbursement cut. (Becker’s Hospital Review)