Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|January 27, 2023

Iowa news

UI Heart and Vascular Center updates cardiac cath labs

The University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center has added two new cardiac catheterization labs and updated existing ones to increase patient access to the service. The new labs have the most-advanced technology in the state. The new technology reduces radiation exposure and decreases the amount of IV contrast dye used in the blood vessels. The UI Heart and Vascular Center completes close to 4,600 cardiac catheterization procedures each year and approximately 45,000 clinic visits across all subspecialties. (Business Record)

Iowa in top 10 for states where the most people have health insurance

Iowa ranks seventh for states with the most residents who have health insurance. More than 9 in 10 people in the U.S. had some type of health insurance coverage in 2021, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationwide, 8.3% of Americans went uninsured for the full year, but the rates of coverage can vary widely from state to state. Iowa’s population without health insurance coverage has steadily declined in recent years. In 2010, 9.3% of residents did not have health insurance, 5% in 2019 and 4.8% in 2021. (MSN)

Bill advances that would limit medical malpractice lawsuit payouts to $1 million

Senate Republicans advanced a bill that would limit payouts to Iowans who win medical malpractice lawsuits. The proposal would prevent juries from awarding more than $1 million for noneconomic damages in medical malpractice judgments, unless the provider displayed “actual malice.” Opponents say it would deny justice to Iowans when medical malpractice causes severe injury or death. Medical providers support the bill, saying the lack of jury award limits is a major factor in Iowa’s health care workforce shortage. Mikayla Brockmeyer, a third-year medical student at Des Moines University, says many of her classmates are planning to leave Iowa. (Iowa Public Radio)

National news

What will save rural health care?

Rural hospitals and health care facilities face amplified financial challenges amid persisting workforce shortages, rising costs and leveling reimbursement. Reserves are dwindling and without urgent action, hundreds of facilities face closure. But it's not too late. Mobile health, partnerships, new payment methods and government support can make a big difference to rural hospitals across the U.S. Becker's asked 33 health care executives to share their best ideas to save rural health care. (Becker's Hospital Review)

25% of critical health care staff willing to quit over workplace violence

Most health care workers in critical care settings experience on-the-job violence, with 25% saying they were willing to quit because of the issue, according to a global survey presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 2023 Critical Care Congress. The Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems survey, conducted last June and July, is based on nearly 600 responses from 69 countries, mostly from India and the U.S. Respondents included nurses, attending physicians, physician residents, physician assistants, registered nurse practitioners and others in the departments of anesthesiology, critical care medicine and emergency medicine. (Critical Care Medicine Journal)

6.8 million expected to lose Medicaid when paperwork hurdles return

A pandemic-era law that kept people automatically enrolled in Medicaid will expire at the end of March. That means enrollees will have to reenroll -- correctly. The paperwork required to get and stay enrolled is a hurdle for many seeking access to health care, and the federal Department of Health and Human Services estimates that barrier will cause 6.8 million people to lose their coverage even though they're still eligible. (Iowa Public Radio)

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