Bonus Features – April 2, 2023 – 63% of nurses say AI will cause a generational divide among nursing staff, 67% of consumers prefer electronic medical bills but 78% of providers still use paper, and more

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

In this week’s edition, one story is, let’s just say, a little foolish. It is the beginning of April, after all.

News and Research

The American Telemedicine Association’s ATA Action submitted two letters to the Drug Enforcement Administration about its proposed rules regarding the remote prescribing of controlled substances. With the end of the public health emergency, DEA is proposing a rollback on flexibility for remote prescribing. ATA Action’s comments provided recommendations for ensuring patients retain access to treatment without a prior in-person appointment and for induction of buprenorphine via telemedicine. If the DEA’s proposed rules become final, ATA warned in a statement, patients “will fall through the cracks, creating a significant and avoidable public health crisis.”

Incredible Health’s 2023 State of US Nursing Report found that 80% of nurses plan to remain in the healthcare industry until retirement – though an even greater number, 84%, worry that the industry isn’t doing enough to address poor pay, understaffing, and burnout. The report also noted that nurses are split on AI, with half thinking it will having a positive impact and half saying the impact will be negative, and 63% of nurses think AI will cause a generational divide in the nursing workforce.

InstaMed’s latest Trends in Healthcare Payments report noted a stark divide in how healthcare consumers prefer to be paid vs. how physicians bill them. Two-thirds of consumers prefer digital and electronic payment options, while 78% of providers collect payments primarily with paper processes. The report also found that providers are in a perilous situation financially, with 36% operating at a loss and 31% spending more on hiring than expected.

Products

Sales

People

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo.

And in case you didn’t figure it out, our friends at DrFirst supplied us with this year’s April Fools’ Day joke called iPrescribe Space – though space travelers probably will want to know medications will be available on their long journey to Mars…

ONC has a pretty good tweet for April Fool’s day too.

About the author

Brian Eastwood

Brian Eastwood is a Boston-based writer with more than 10 years of experience covering healthcare IT and healthcare delivery. Brian also writes about enterprise IT, consumer technology, corporate leadership, and higher education for a range of publications and clients. He got his start as a professional writer as a community newspaper reporter in 2003.

When he's not writing, Brian is most likely running, hiking, or cross-country skiing in Northern New England. When he needs a break from cardio, he's usually reading a history book.

   

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