Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie on Monday announced that he had fired James Byrne, deputy secretary at VA, effective immediately, "due to loss of confidence in … Byrne's ability to carry out his duties," in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, the District of Columbia, and New Jersey.
People around the world are buying face masks to protect themselves from the new coronavirus that's been spreading across China and to other countries, potentially threatening providers' ability to access masks to use in clinical settings.
As of Wednesday morning, the New York Times reports that former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is leading the Democratic Iowa caucus with 26.8% of the vote and 71% of precincts reporting—and entrance polls suggest health care was a key issue for caucusgoers this year.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found performing CT scans on heavy smokers may lower their lung cancer death rates by a factor of one-quarter to one-third—yet the practice is still not common, according to Advisory Board's Ty Aderhold and Mallory Kirby. They offer two tips for providers to increase screening.
Providers increasingly are leveraging their medical expertise to take on "side gigs," or paid work outside of their full time job, that in some cases allow them to earn more money with more flexibility than their jobs in traditional care delivery settings, Anne Kadet reports for the Wall Street Journal.
President Trump during his State of the Union Address on Tuesday highlighted his administration's actions on health care, called for congressional action to lower prescription drug prices, and condemned Democrats for supporting a "socialist takeover" of the U.S. health care system.
Walmart last week opened its second standalone primary care clinic in Georgia, highlighting the company's plans to expand its health care business and reimagine how retail providers deliver care.
