Hospitals Fined for Price Transparency, CDC Drops Coronavirus Testing
Two Georgia hospitals received hefty CMS fines for their lack of price transparency, and the CDC Director has ended a 17-month-old rule requiring testing for international travelers.
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By - In Georgia, CMS has issued two fines totaling over $1 million to the Northside Hospital network after failing to comply with price transparency guidelines. And CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has remitted the agency’s rule requiring international travelers coming into the United States to test negative for the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, another OIG report targets Cerner’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) EHR system, this time for its lack of patient safety metrics.
OIG Report Criticizes Cerner VA EHR Patient Safety
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report that was critical of Cerner’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs EHR system, citing concerns that the program did not sufficiently attend to patient safety. Of the 103 performance metrics used to monitor care quality, the VA pilot site only included 13. The report also indicated that administrators at the Spokane, WA, pilot site had no oversight of the metrics before the program went live. The report warned against further implementation of the Cerner EHR system before gaps in metrics could be addressed. READ MORE.
FDA Panel Recommends Novavax Approval
The FDA Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted 21 to zero to recommend the Novavax coronavirus vaccine for emergency use authorization (EUA). A non-biased panel reviewed Phase 3 clinical trial data and found that the Novavax coronavirus vaccine was safe and effective. The decision to issue an EUA now lies at the hands of FDA administrators, who are likely to decide in short order. The Novavax team has already begun developing another product that combines a seasonal flu shot with its coronavirus vaccine. READ MORE.
CDC Report Links Substance Misuse to Mental Health
A 2019 CDC study found that substance misuse was linked to mental health issues in a large swath of study participants. Significantly, over a third of those seeking substance misuse treatment were also afflicted with psychiatric or biopsychosocial problems.
“Actions to enhance comprehensive substance use programs that incorporate polysubstance use and co-occurring mental health problems into strategies for prevention, treatment, and response are needed, as is expanded linkage to services,” said the study’s authors. READ MORE.
Two Georgia Hospitals Fined for Lack of Price Transparency
CMS is fining Northside Hospital Cherokee and Northside Hospital Atlanta for failing to comply with the Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Both hospitals failed to maintain machine-readable files and shoppable services pricing on their websites. CMS contacted the hospitals’ administrators in 2021 to request a corrective action plan but received no response. Northside Hospital Atlanta will be fined $833,180, and Northside Hospital Cherokee will be fined $214,320. Payment is due within 60 days after June 7, 2022. READ MORE.
US Drops Coronavirus Testing Mandate for International Travelers
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued an order lifting the 17-month-old testing requirement for international travelers. In the Director’s order, she explained that the requirement was no longer necessary, and that the decision would be reassessed in 90 days. The decision comes as travelers begin to ramp up summer air travel. READ MORE.
