Worth another look: February’s top stories

One of the nastiest cybercrimes in healthcare history targeted not a hospital system but an industry player. Change Healthcare took the hit Feb. 21. As of the first full week in March, many patients still can’t pay for prescriptions with their insurance. Providers can’t process claims to get paid. And, as the Washington Post reports today, the damage is “threatening the financial solvency of some organizations that rely heavily on Change’s platform.” No wonder HE’s coverage of the story drew so many views. We wish a full and speedy recovery to Change and everyone who needs them to bounce back fast. As it turns out, that’s an awful lot of us.—Dave Pearson

The incident began Wednesday morning, with system update trackers noting “connectivity issues” before later confirming it was in fact a cybersecurity issue.

At its height, the COVID-19 pandemic displaced more than 10,000 RNs from their jobs. Three years later, the workforce is back and growing strong. However ... 

Forbes is out with its picks for the 600 best employers to work for in 2024. A good handful of hospitals have made the top 50 in two separate lists. 

While only a feasibility exercise, the study strongly suggests additional patient screenings would help deepen understanding of literacy and discrimination issues.

The largest hospital system in a large Western state is feeling the heat of negative publicity over how it goes after patients who owe the system money.

The latest COVID-19 vaccine began entering recipients’ bodies last September. Now comes early CDC data supporting the formulation’s general effectiveness.