CMS policies to reduce maternal mortality; New England doctor guilty of illegal drug distribution; pediatric emergency care investment could save 2,100 – Morning Medical Update

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New CMS policies to reduce maternal mortality and increase access to care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new baseline health and safety requirements for hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) meant to improve standards for maternal safety, and simultaneously eliminate barriers to care for underserved communities. The policies are included in the calendar year (CY) 2025 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) final rule, a fact sheet for which can be found here.

“These new requirements build on CMS’ maternity care action plan,” Dora Hughes, M.D., M.P.H., CMO and director for CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, said in an organizational release. “Additionally, CMS has established emergency services readiness and transfer protocol requirements for all patients, which will better prepare hospitals and CAHs to respond to obstetric emergencies…”

New England doctor pleads guilty to drug distribution conspiracy

Adnan S. Khan, M.D., 48, of Grantham, New Hampshire, pled guilty for conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances, becoming the subject of the first joint prosecution of a doctor by the Justice Department’s New England Strike Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. Khan conspired to illegally distribute controlled substances through his business, New England Medicine and Counseling Associates (NEMCA), which operated a network of New England clinics providing clinical treatment to patients suffering from substance use disorder. MSN has the story.

“[Khan] prescribed drugs to vulnerable patients in exchange for cash, knowing the patients were diverting the drugs,” Nicole M. Argentieri, principal deputy assistant attorney general and head of the Justice department’s Criminal Division, said in a news release. “The cases brought by the New England Strike Force, including today’s conviction, demonstrate the Criminal Division’s commitment to holding accountable medical professionals who endanger local communities by putting profits above their patients’ wellbeing.”

Modest investment in pediatric emergency care could save 2,100 lives annually

A study out of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) found 83% of emergency departments unprepared to meet the needs of pediatric emergency patients. If they were to bridge that gap, and become pediatric ready, they could prevent the deaths of more than 2,100 children each year for an investment of no more than $12 per child across the U.S.

“This study builds on a growing body of research demonstrating that every hospital can and must be ready for children’s emergencies,” Craig Newgard, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and professor at the OHSU School of Medicine, said in a university release.