Top Hospitals by Discharge Volume
January 13, 20211 min
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Hospital price transparency rule: no definitive relief in sight
January 13, 20218 min
By Allison Shelton and Beth Anne Jackson, Brown & Fortunato, P.C. On December 29, 2020, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision that effectively upholds the Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) signaled its intent to actively enforce the rule. Accordingly, as of January 1, 2021, hospitals are expected to have a public website that displays pricing information for inpatient and outpatient items and services furnished...
Vaccine management to test healthcare providers
January 13, 20217 min
By Ketan Patel, Advisory Principal, Healthcare, KPMG COVID-19 vaccines are starting to make their way to healthcare personnel, first responders and residents of long-term care facilities in stages to mitigate exposure risk. The process of getting people vaccinated, however, is fraught with complexity in one of the largest public health undertakings in the modern era as manufacturers ramp up production to reach thousands of doctors, nurses, EMTs and allied professionals. Programs needed to support successful...
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to wage and hour compliance
January 13, 202111 min
By Hollie Reiminger, Of Counsel, Houston, Fisher Phillips As organizations ring in 2021 with smaller budgets and an eye toward cost-cutting measures, it is a good time to reflect on the recent wage and hour developments to proactively manage the anticipated increase in federal lawsuits. Claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) — specifically collective actions — will be prevalent in the new year in light of at least three key developments: a...
Is it possible to grow young?
January 13, 20219 min
BY VICTOR S. SIERPINA, MD, ABFM, ABIHM, Director, Medical Student Education Program, WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor of Integrative Medicine, Professor, Family Medicine University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor Norman Vincent Peale, one of the early exponents of the power of positive thinking said something like this about aging: “Aging of itself does not bring disease and disability, but it is the belief that it does which brings about these conditions.” He...
Priorities for a new, healthier year
January 13, 20217 min
By Ted Shaw, President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association With the new year comes new opportunities and a renewed focus on our goals for the future. COVID-19 vaccination is underway, and Texas hospitals hope for a healthy future. But herd immunity is just one part of ensuring a healthy future for Texas residents. Texas hospitals have several public policy priorities for the 87th Texas Legislature, which recently convened in Austin for its 140-day legislative session. Reducing the...
Single-cell analysis of metastatic gastric cancer finds diverse tumor cell populations associated with patient outcomes
January 13, 20216 min
Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who profiled more than 45,000 individual cells from patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), a specific form of metastatic gastric cancer, defined the extensive cellular heterogeneity and identified two distinct subtypes correlated with patient survival. Based on their findings, the researchers developed and validated a gene expression signature capable of predicting patient survival better than other clinical features. If validated in prospective studies, this tool may be useful...
Immunology study finds protein critical to T cell metabolism and anti-tumor immune response
January 13, 20215 min
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that a protein called NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK) is essential for the shift in metabolic activity that occurs with T cell activation, making it a critical factor in regulating the anti-tumor immune response. The preclinical research suggests that elevating NIK activity in T cells may be a promising strategy to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy, including adoptive cellular therapies and immune checkpoint blockade. In a preclinical melanoma...
Houston Methodist welcomes Gilberto Sustache, M.D., and Naureen Ahmeduddin, D.O., to Houston Methodist Primary Care Group at Brooks Street
January 13, 20212 min
Houston Methodist Primary Care Group is pleased to welcome Gilberto Sustache, M.D., and Naureen Ahmeduddin, D.O., beginning in January. Sustache and Ahmeduddin join Asisat Ope, M.D. and Ali Sawal, D.O., at the Brooks Street practice in Sugar Land. Sustache is a board-certified family medicine physician providing preventive care and wellness maintenance. His clinical expertise includes health screenings, minor procedures, men’s health, as well as thyroid concerns. Sustache received his medical degree from the University of...