Most Catholic hospitals don't disclose religious care restrictions

Greater transparency about religious affiliation and care restrictions would enhance the ability of patients to make informed choices, according to a new study.  »

Rural nursing homes face closure as occupancy wanes

Occupancy at rural skilled-nursing facilities has declined by about 7 percentage points since 2012, which makes them more vulnerable to closure or consolidation, according to new data.

VA, Sanford Health to bring free pharmacogenetic testing to 125 sites

The VA plans to expand the program, which targets patients with a history of cancer, to 250,000 patients at 125 of the agency's care sites by 2022.

Flagler Hospital combines AI, physician committee to minimize clinical variation

Flagler Hospital, a 335-bed community hospital in St. Augustine, Fla., has saved $1,350 per pneumonia patient and reduced its readmission rate to 0.4% after deploying a new clinical variation management program.

CMS makes changes to nursing home star ratings

In April, nursing homes will get new star ratings based on their health inspections and will face stricter criteria for staffing level ratings.

Beth Israel Deaconess awarded $2M Amazon AI research grant

Beth Israel researchers will study how machine learning—a type of AI—can support patient care and clinical workflows in the multiyear program.

Integrating security officers into the clinical team to prevent violence

St. Louis-based SSM Health implemented an initiative that encourages security officers to be a more active part of the care team in order to spot potentially violent incidents with patients before they escalate.

HHS using blockchain to streamline contract procurement

The tool HHS Accelerate leverages blockchain technology to streamline the process the federal agency uses to procure products and services from private vendors.

Will blockchain save the healthcare system?

Insurers are among the first to use blockchain technology in healthcare, and they are only going to expand its use.

Lack of robust data analysis impedes care improvement efforts

Even though 91% of surgical and medical specialists believe that increasing physician access to cost data would improve care, only 40% said that their health systems are making the effort, according to new research.