The Oregon House has approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would prohibit labeling artificial intelligence tools with titles such as "nurse," "nursing aide," "nursing assistant" or "nurse practitioner." The measure is supported by the American Nurses Association and the Oregon Nurses Association.

Chief financial officers in the health care sector increasingly recognize the importance of being involved in data governance, says Jim Dregney, CFO of Sauk Prairie Healthcare. Data governance is essential for understanding how data is used, protected and leveraged for financial and operational stability, and CFOs should collaborate on data protection strategies and governance, Dregney says. "Every piece of data can be an effective analytic tool to improve operations," he said.

Obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Stephanie Pearson shares her journey as a physician who took on the role of patient after a work-related injury. Pearson highlights the adjustment challenges presented by patienthood and emphasizes the humbling experience of depending on a health care system she always navigated with authority.

M Health Fairview is revising maternal health screenings to eliminate racial biases and improve culturally appropriate care. The Birth Justice Initiative identified key disparities in the timing and number of prenatal visits for Black and Indigenous patients and people of color compared with white patients. Feedback from over 600 patients and doulas is being used to inform policy revisions for culturally congruent care.

A proposed CMS rule would increase hospice payment rates by 2.4%, or $695 million, for fiscal year 2025. The rule also includes updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program and requests for information on streamlining regulations and enhancing health IT standards.

Nearly half of respondents to a survey did not know whether their organization had adopted any HHS Cybersecurity Performance Goals, and 9.2% said they had no plans to adopt any of the goals. However, answers to other survey questions revealed that at least 80% of respondents had adopted some of the goals, which were introduced in early 2024. The goals are voluntary but may become mandatory under a proposed update to the HIPAA Security Rule.

The Hotspotting pilot program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln on Staten Island is designed to assist patients with opioid use disorder who are in the emergency department by connecting them to a dedicated support team, with the goal of reducing the risk of overdose and ED visits. The team, which will include community health employees and peer counselors, will follow up with patients biweekly for as long as a year after discharge, offering access to addiction and medical services and other resources.

UChicago Medicine is implementing digital health and artificial intelligence solutions with an emphasis on digital equity, and the system's Center for Digital Transformation is leading these efforts. Dr. Cheng-Kai Kao, chief medical information officer, said the aim is to ensure the tools it deploys are easily navigable and benefit all segments of the population equally.