Walmart is removing tobacco products from select locations, including some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., submitted a request for information March 24 from 12 healthcare organizations regarding how they are fighting climate change.

Automation can help healthcare organizations tackle ingrained problems in new ways. However, developing the right strategy and roadmap for automation is a critical factor for success.

Despite the many challenges of the pandemic, the small teams and close knit communities of rural hospitals helped those organizations overcome challenges of the pandemic in ways large, urban hospitals couldn't, according to a March 22 report in Health Affairs.

The pandemic helped expose many of the profound health inequities plaguing the U.S. health system and created newfound momentum for remedying underlying issues. When hospitalizations and cases decrease, there are three key strategies worth keeping when the pandemic ends, according to authors of an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Although virtual visits and remote patient monitoring devices are growing in popularity, automation is needed to enable RPM systems to analyze patient data and facilitate appropriate action.

Women’s health is a hot topic.

While many hospitals are concerned with their competition, collaborating with neighboring systems may be a win-win strategy, bringing better clinical outcomes to patients, according to a March 16 Harvard Business Review report. 

The accounts payable sector faces a complex and challenging future. One important strategy for coping with the expected disruption is to accelerate the adoption of digital payments. CommerceHealthcare® has compiled a few data points and considerations for further illustration. We also encourage you to read our full eBook Healthcare Finance Trends for 2022.

Despite its difficulties collecting hospital data throughout the pandemic, the CDC plans to add data collection back into its repertoire according to a proposed regulation, reported by Bloomberg March 14. 

Drug shortages have plagued the U.S. market over the last decade, and low-cost generics have been the drugs most at risk.

For years, healthcare leaders have emphasized the role of primary care in improving health outcomes, elevating patient experiences and reducing costs.

Maintaining a strong safety culture is an important goal for healthcare organizations, but the listening methods most commonly used to gain insights on where organizations fall short, and how they can improve, isn´t very effective.

Data from patients, physicians and surgical robots is powering a new era of efficient and effective care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it is converting the Global and Professional Direct Contracting (GPDC) model to a new model called Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH).

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the healthcare system like never before — including many of its shortcomings, from health disparities to capacity strains to employee turnover. But even before this crisis, it was clear that we needed a better model for sharing high-quality, cost-effective care in more places so patients can access these services close to home. 

Shifting to a more integrated healthcare approach could help save health systems money, improve both patient and medical staff experience as well as health outcomes, according to a March 8 report from the Samueli Foundation. 

Organizations that have not already transitioned to using wRVUs from the current Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) should plan to make the switch sooner rather than later.

During the last two years, hospitals and COVID-19 have nearly become synonymous to the public. Hospital marketers have been whipsawed by the pandemic. Now it's time for marketers to turn attention back to repositioning the hospital's role in the community as a place of healing and refuge. 

Hospital-at-home programs are proliferating across the country, as more health systems partner with companies like Medically Home or create their own internal programs. Waiver flexibilities spurred by the pandemic have also made such programs more viable to hospitals.