CEO Tim Moore speaks to Starkville Rotarians about Mississippi Cares.

Michael Payment, MD, FACC, has joined Memorial Physician Clinics in the practice of Cardiology.

Forrest General Hospital recently received an award recognizing it as one of the top-performing hospitals for treating heart attack patients.

Published by the Mississippi State Department of Health

With a big campaign fund and a well-known name statewide, Delbert Hosemann is focused on the general election for Mississippi lieutenant governor. But he does have a challenger on Aug. 6 for the Republican nomination — Shane Quick of DeSoto County.

In the first and only televised debate before the Aug. 6 primaries, the three Republican contenders for governor offer differing visions of Mississippi

On Tuesday night, all three of the Republican candidates for governor participated in a debate hosted by WJTV in conjunction with Supertalk Mississippi.

The candidates delivered contrasting views on Medicaid expansion, raising the gas tax and how to approach working with women.

As the telemedicine market expands, an increasing number of physicians are seeking telemedicine employment.

Hospitals with better nursing programs perform better overall.

Recent news reports indicate that the Trump administration is seeking to authorize states to convert open-ended federal Medicaid funds into a block grant system, and a formal proposal to do so landed at the Office of Management and Budget on June 4. 

Seventy percent of Americans support “Medicare for All” as an option for anyone who wants to choose government coverage over private insurance, according to a Marist Poll in partnership with NPR and PBS NewsHour.

Today, five major hospital associations released Modernizing the HCAHPS Survey: Recommendations from Patient Experience Leaders, a paper that explores how to update patient experience surveying to best improve patient care.

Following the agency’s request, Allergan has notified the FDA that it is moving forward with a worldwide recall of their BIOCELL textured breast implant products, including: Natrelle Saline-Filled breast implants, Natrelle Silicone-Filled breast implants, Natrelle Inspira Silicone-Filled breast implants, and Natrelle 410 Highly Cohesive Anatomically Shaped Silicone-Filled breast implants. 

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a description summary of a draft legislative bill intended to reduce Medicare and Medicaid drug costs. The bill, known as the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA) of 2019, includes provisions impacting drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, hospitals, and providers. Section 111 of the bill would significantly reduce payment to existing off-campus hospital sites that provide drug-intensive services such as cancer treatment and chemotherapy. Often the hospital site is the only source of these specialized services for the community and the payment reduction could threaten access to care. 

The new standards changes are applicable to accredited ambulatory care organizations that elect to use The Joint Commission’s optional Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) certification. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 23 issued updated recommendations to prevent measles transmission in health care settings. They include ensuring that health care personnel have presumptive evidence of immunity to measles; rapidly identifying and isolating patients with known or suspected measles; adhering to standard and airborne precautions for patients with known or suspected measles; routinely promoting and facilitating respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette; and appropriately managing exposed and ill health care personnel.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday sent Congress its plan to help states develop and expand innovative strategies to provide housing-related services and support to Medicaid beneficiaries with substance use disorders, as required by the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018. Under the plan, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expects to work with other federal agencies to assess state needs for technical assistance and support, identify and disseminate best practices and lessons learned, promote performance measurement and improvement, and raise awareness of existing Medicaid options in this area.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is accepting comments through Aug. 5 to inform the development of a national research strategy to prevent veteran suicide. President Trump in March issued an executive order creating a federal task force to develop a national “roadmap” and research strategy to prevent veteran suicide.

In OIG’s view, these recommendations ‘would most positively affect HHS programs in terms of cost savings, program effectiveness and efficiency, and public health and safety if implemented.’

Speak Up™ To Prevent Falls, a new patient safety campaign from The Joint Commission, offers free materials for health care facilities and staff to download and provide to patients and their families, so they can become active in their own care.