Hospitals

Children’s hospitals prepare for surge in admissions amid shortage of RSV drug A supply shortage means a drug that can prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants won’t have a major immediate impact, children’s hospitals said, and they are preparing for a… nweixel The Hill

“Widespread access [to the new antibody drug] will take time across many sectors of the pediatric population and won’t have as great an impact on volumes this immediate respiratory season,” the Children’s Hospital Association said in a statement.

...

Tiny, Rural Hospitals Feel the Pinch as Medicare Advantage Plans Grow - KFF Health News More than half of seniors are enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans instead of traditional Medicare. Rural enrollment has increased fourfold and many small-town hospitals say that threatens their viability. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

...

Prepandemic ICU performance related to lower COVID mortality rates Caiaimage/Martin Barraud/iStock CIDRAP

... in Chest, a review of intensive care units (ICUs) across 10 Brazilian states shows that those with lower mortality rates pre-pandemic saw lower COVID-19 death rates.

Moreover, efficiently managed ICUs also saw lower mortality from the novel coronavirus, suggesting that hospital management is directly linked to patient outcomes.

...

Kaiser Permanente reaches tentative agreement with workers After a historic strike, healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions have reached a tentative agreement. Brittany Trang STAT

...

75,000 members of the union, which spans seven of the states plus Washington, D.C. in Kaiser’s nationwide health care network, went on strike last week from October 4 through the early hours of October 7. ...