Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.
1. Mayo Clinic to give preference to privately insured over Medicaid, Medicare patients
Mayo Clinic CEO John Noseworthy, MD, told employees in a video memo that the Rochester, Minn.-based system will "prioritize" patients with private insurance over Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries if the patients have similar conditions and seek care at the same time, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. After news of the video surfaced, the Minnesota Department of Human Services launched a review of Mayo Clinic for possible violations of civil and human rights laws.
2. CBO scores the AHCA
The Republican-proposed American Health Care Act would reduce the federal deficit, but leave millions more Americans uninsured over the next decade, according to the much-anticipated estimate from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
3. Ryan says AHCA will undergo 'necessary improvements'
On a call with House leaders early this week, President Donald Trump said he is willing to make modifications to the American Health Care Act so the bill is more palatable across the Republican Party, Politico reports. House Speaker Ryan later said GOP leaders would "incorporate feedback" from House members into the proposed legislation, including their responses to the Congressional Budget Office's score of the AHCA.
4. House Budget Committee approves AHCA
The House Budget Committee became the third House panel Thursday to advance the American Health Care Act, which would repeal and replace much of the ACA. The committee voted 19-17 to pass the bill, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting no.
5. What Trump's budget means for HHS
The White House released its 2018 budget Thursday — and it slashes 17.9 percent of the HHS budget, according to a report from The Washington Post.
6. Total signups for 2017 open enrollment fall 4% year-over-year
The number of Americans who enrolled in health plans for 2017 through the federal exchange and state-based marketplaces totaled 12.2 million, down 4 percent from the 12.7 million recorded in 2016, CMS reports.
7. PinnacleHealth pursues affiliation with UPMC, inks deal to acquire 4 CHS hospitals
PinnacleHealth, a three-hospital system based in Harrisburg, Pa., announced Tuesday it is expanding its network of acute care hospitals and also looking to partner with a bigger system.
8. JAMA: Higher physician spending not linked to better outcomes
Greater spending for healthcare services was not associated with better patient outcomes as measured by 30-day readmissions or mortality rates for hospitalized Medicare patients, according to a study published March 13 in JAMA.
9. Banner physicians affected in latest round of system layoffs
Banner Health is laying off some physicians as the Phoenix-based system restructures operations, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. The physician layoffs come after Banner eliminated several leadership positions across its network.
10. Dana-Farber's Medicare funding at risk due to overreliance on Brigham and Women's
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is at risk of losing its Medicare contract following a CMS survey that found deficiencies related to the Boston-based cancer hospital's oversight of its inpatient unit.
11. Patient fatally shoots herself inside Florida hospital
A patient at Health First Viera (Fla.) Hospital suffered a fatal, self-inflicted gunshot wound early Sunday morning, according to an email from Health First Vice President and COO Stuart Mitchell III to hospital employees obtained by Becker's Hospital Review.