According to a July report from HHS’ Office of Inspector General, hospitals failed to capture 49% of patient harm events because staff either did not consider them harmful or were not required to disclose them. The OIG established the first…

Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena, Calif., is again extending its tuition waiver policy for the 2026 matriculating class, waiving all tuition and fees (including disability insurance) for students who enroll.  The July 29 decision marks…

Health officials have reported 266 influenza-related pediatric deaths to the CDC for the 2024-25 season — the highest number of pediatric deaths in any non-H1N1 flu pandemic season since 2004. Ninety percent of these pediatric deaths were among children who…

Providence Medford (Ore.) Medical Center recently paused endoscopy procedures for 11 days after identifying quality-control lapses in its cleaning and sanitization process.  “We recently learned that some quality-control steps and related processes in endoscopy cleaning were not completed in some…

The Joint Commission has launched a specialized initiative that aims to address what it calls “gaps” in how children’s hospitals are accredited and certified.  According to the organization, national standards do not currently distinguish between the healthcare needs of adults…

The median in-network cost for a vaginal delivery is $15,178, and the average C-section costs $19,292, according to healthcare data company Fair Health.  Fair Health calculated the cost of giving birth including the delivery itself — pharmacy, nursery, labor and…

Martha Schwebach, the nation’s first family nurse practitioner, died July 9 at 86, the Albuquerque Journal reported July 27. Ms. Schwebach graduated from the Dominican School of Nursing in Great Bend, Kan., before moving to Moriarty, N.M. She spent eight…

New Hampshire is the first state to require physicians to obey some patients’ wishes for sterilization with respect to reproductive health.  The legislation, signed into law on July 15, takes effect Sept. 13. Physicians might require patients to sign an…

Albuquerque-based University of New Mexico is planning a $600 million expansion of its medical school, the Albuquerque Journal reported July 28. Here’s what to know: 1. The expansion will add a new on-campus facility, hundreds of hospital beds and staff…

The American Medical Association said it expressed “deep concern” to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over reports of plans within the agency to dismiss all 16 members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. “USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan…