maternal health
White House plans first-ever federal maternal health requirements for hospitals
Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images
Amid its initiatives to tackle the U.S. maternal mortality crisis, the Biden administration is proposing the first-ever rule demanding hospitals comply with specific obstetrics standards in order to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid programs, which cover about 40% of births. Among the demands are that hospitals have resuscitation equipment in delivery rooms, that they document their maternal health training, and that they be prepared to transfer patients who need treatment for which they do not have the resources.
CMS estimates hospitals will have to invest about $4.5 billion over 10 years to comply with the updates, or $70,700 per year per hospital. Some providers are pushing back. Last month, the American Hospital Association said that the proposed rule "will not address the main drivers of maternal morbidity and mortality" and suggested alternative solutions to improve maternal health care, including higher reimbursement rates for obstetrics services and increased support of telemedicine.
trauma
Contact sports put kids "at risk for deterioration later in life," says CTE expert
Professional players of contact sports such as hockey, boxing, and football are at a higher risk for repeat head injuries that can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Recent research shows that CTE, which is linked to severe mental health and neurological challenges, can strike younger athletes, too, and faster than it does older ones.
In an interview with STAT's Rohan Rajeev, Ann McKee, the director of the CTE center at Boston University, discussed the need for greater awareness of the risks faced by young athletes, how the conversation around brain trauma has changed in recent years, and how close we are to being able to diagnose CTE in life, rather than postmortem. Read more.
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