Since 2007, the number of licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in the U.S. has grown from 120,000 to 248,000, with most NPs working full-time and in primary care settings, according to data released by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

A survey of physicians conducted by the American Medical Association found a slew of complaints about the prior authorization (PA) process, with doctors saying it’s a burden on their practices, delays care for patients, worsens outcomes and even leads to patients abandoning their recommended course of treatment.

The University of Michigan’s health system, Michigan Medicine, has rolled out a pilot program promising personalized service, reduced wait times and more time with a primary care physician for patients willing to pay a $2,700 annual fee. Hundreds of the system’s own doctors and staff, however, are criticizing the program as conflicting with its mission as a nonprofit system tied to a public university.

Health information exchanges (HIEs) can be part of an effective response to natural or manmade disasters, according to CMS and ONC officials, but that requires agencies and healthcare organizations have a plan before a disaster strikes.

The same people who design theme park attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland will now be working on children’s hospitals as part as a $100 million, five-year project that will begin with Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

Healthcare consumers appear quite comfortable with digital-based health tools, including those with artificial intelligence capabilities, according to a survey released by Accenture at the HIMSS18 conference in Las Vegas.

Starting in 2010, states began implementing Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment, or DSRIP, programs aimed at changing how hospitals and other providers delivered care to Medicaid beneficiaries. New York was one of the later states to adopt the initiative but saw success in reducing preventable utilization while tackling the effects of the opioid epidemic.