Iowa news
Ivy College partners with UnityPoint to expand options in health care management
A new partnership between Iowa State’s Ivy College of Business and UnityPoint Health will provide more options for business students looking for real-world experience in health care management. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding to help students combine their interests in business and health care, and open the door to paid health care management internships during college. (Business Record)
Billionaire’s pledge to give away most of her wealth benefits another Iowa nonprofit
MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving charity has awarded $5 million to the Siouxland Community Health Center in Sioux City. Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, pledged in 2019 to give more than half of her billions to charity following her divorce. CEO Mari Kaptain-Dahlen said the gift came as a surprise. Kaptain-Dahlen said a task force will help decide how to spend the money. Each year, the health center’s three locations see an estimated 35,000 patients for a range of medical and behavioral health services. (Iowa Public Radio)
Biden asks for $8 million for opioid treatment, prevention in Iowa
Iowa would receive $8 million to fund opioid addiction treatment services in the funding package President Joe Biden has requested from Congress. The opioid treatment funding, totaling $1.5 billion nationally, would allow states to expand access to treatment and recovery support services. Iowa has received three rounds of State Opioid Response grants since 2018, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. (The Gazette)
National news
Health systems can’t ‘recruit our way out of a workforce shortage’
Staff shortages worsened during the pandemic and reliance on travel nurses rocketed labor expenses for hospitals. Now, many are trying to cut costs by hiring and retaining employed staff. Staffing expenses are growing at a slower clip in 2023 than they did in the two years prior, but increases are still above pre-pandemic averages, according to Syntellis. And Moody’s predicts labor expenses will continue to increase for nonprofit hospitals next year. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Remote patient monitoring linked to better outcomes, higher costs
Remote patient monitoring, a technology increasingly used by hospitals and health systems, is associated with better outcomes but higher costs. Researchers compared 19,978 hypertension patients from high remote patient monitoring clinics to 95,029 patients from low remote patient monitoring practices. The former group had fewer hypertension-related acute-care encounters and reduced use of testing, but more primary care outpatient visits and higher total hypertension-related spending. (Annals of Internal Medicine)
Walmart: Friend or foe to hospitals?
Walmart has named its first health system partner, Orlando Health, which will work with the retailer on care coordination for patients at Walmart’s eight health care centers in the Orlando, Florida area. Walmart Health has nearly 50 locations providing primary, behavioral and dental care across five states. Many health system leaders view Walmart more as a potential collaborator than a competitor. Walmart said the care coordination agreement with Orlando Health will help with “effective transitions of care” and boost “value-based outcomes.” (Becker’s Hospital Review)