- Georgia: A federal grant Emory University received to create the National Ebola Training and Education Center (NETEC) has increased twofold, from $12 million to $24 million. CDC and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response provided the grant through HHS. The funding will go toward expanding NETEC services as well as creating a special pathogens research network. The University of Nebraska Medical Center and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue are also NETEC co-leads (Hensley, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2/6).
- Ohio: Suha Abushamma, a first-year internal medicine resident at Cleveland Clinic, returned to the United States on Monday, more than a week after she had to leave the country under President Trump's travel ban. Last week, after landing at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Abushamma, a Sudanese citizen, said was told she could either voluntarily withdraw her visa application or be forcibly deported—she opted to withdraw her visa, and she flew back to Saudi Arabia. During a press conference on Monday, David Rowan, Cleveland Clinic's chief legal officer, said after high-level discussions with federal officials, the U.S. Attorney's office arranged Abushamma's return on Mar. 6. Abushamma said she will drop the lawsuit she filed last week that alleged she was coerced into withdrawing her visa (Ornstein, ProPublica, 2/7).
- Pennsylvania: NIH has awarded a group of researchers and engineers led by the University of Pittsburg a four-year, $2.35 million grant to develop a compact, wearable artificial lung for children. Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering will head the project. Investigators will work in collaboration with the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (Nuzum, Pittsburgh Business Times, 2/6).
Building the hospital of the future
The fundamental assumptions underpinning traditional acute care strategy are becoming increasingly weaker—which means current hospitals aren't suitable for future market demands.
To achieve acute care sustainability, organizations have to shift focus from labor, supply cost, and clinical variation to the challenge with the greatest savings potential: fixed costs. This white paper shares tactics for significantly restructuring fixed costs by reallocating services across the system and rightsizing excess inpatient capacity.