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Almost all maternal deaths are preventable, a federal study has found, and advocates say that should be sounding an alarm to help protect mothers.

Over 84% of pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented, according to a 

 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study examined maternal deaths from 2017 through 2019 in 36 states.

The new report found a much higher percentage of maternal deaths than a similar CDC study in 2019, which found 60% of fatalities could have been avoided, said Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has pushed for extending Medicaid benefits for all postpartum patients from 60 days to one year. More than half of the states have done that, but Abbasi Hoskins said others should follow suit.

“The CDC data reinforce that extending postpartum Medicaid coverage is sound policy, and states that have not done so are missing an opportunity to save lives,” she said in a 

The new CDC report “demonstrates that we have much more work to do to effectively address the underlying causes of maternal mortality in order to save the lives of pregnant and postpartum patients,” she said.

 Pregnant women with disabilities face higher risk of health issues

More than half (53%) of pregnancy-related deaths took place from seven days to one year after giving birth, the CDC reported. About 22% of the deaths occurred during pregnancy, while 13% of deaths happened on the day of delivery, and 12% of the fatalities occurred within one to six days of giving birth.

For the first time, the CDC found that mental health was a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, which Abbasi Hoskins said was significant. Mental health causes contributed to the largest number of deaths among white, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native mothers.

“These results demonstrate the impact that mental health issues have on our patients’ lives and that mental illness can be deadly,” she said in the statement.

Among Black mothers, cardiac conditions and cardiomyopathy were found to be the leading cause of death, the CDC report found. Abbasi Hoskins said that’s critical to understand the risk factors for Black patients.

However, the CDC report doesn’t include the fact that Black patients are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white patients, she said.

Abbasi Hoskins said it is “necessary to evaluate data using a health equity and racial lens. This is how we will be able to inform focused solutions that will eliminate inequities in care and outcomes that exist for Black pregnant and postpartum people.”

Lethenia Baker, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Wellstar Health in Georgia, told 

 there need to be improvements in diagnosis and treatment of postpartum conditions. “These are things that need to happen systemically,” Baker told 

. “It can't just be a few practices here or there who are adopting best practices. It has to be a systemic change.”

Boston Medical Center launched a remote patient monitoring program

 to monitor the blood pressure of patients who have had babies. Christina Yarrington, director of labor and delivery at Boston Medical Center, said some patients are at higher risk of hypertension and stroke within days after giving birth, and the greatest risk can occur after patients have been discharged from the hospital.

“This is the rub with hypertension,” Yarrington told 

. “They feel fine. They feel fine. They measure their blood pressure and it comes up as 180 over 110 … That’s high enough to give you a stroke. That’s high enough to cause cardiac damage.”

Virtually all of the patients checked their blood pressure with simple cuffs that required just the touch of a button. Boston Medical managed to identify some patients that needed treatment before suffering a stroke or heart attack.

“I think we’ve had a lot of near-misses, quite honestly,” Yarrington said. Boston Medical is now remotely monitoring the blood pressure of some patients during pregnancy. 

(Christina Yarrington talks about the remote monitoring program in this video. The story continues below the video.)

While the CDC study examined patients in 2017 through 2019, a separate study suggests 

the COVID-19 pandemic could have contributed to more maternal deaths

, found “small but significant increases” in pregnancy-related complications and maternal death.

“The increase in maternal death during delivery hospitalization and pregnancy-related complications during the pandemic is alarming,” the researchers wrote. They speculated that disruptions in prenatal care in the pandemic could have led to the increase in complications and maternal deaths.

President Biden's administration has focused on reducing maternal mortality. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 

plans to identify “birthing friendly” hospitals

. With the new "birthing friendly" designation, consumers can look for hospitals that have shown their commitment to excellent maternity care, CMS says.

Articles

A recent CDC report says most maternal deaths are preventable. Advocates call for more research to examine the causes of maternal mortality.

More than 4 in 5 maternal deaths can be avoided: ‘We have much more work to do’

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, part of RWJBarnabas Health, broke ground on a new $225 million cancer center. It's slated to open in 2025. This rendering was provided by RWJBarnabas Health.

RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey says it wants to reimagine cancer care, and the health system is building a new $225 million facility with that goal in mind.

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, part of RWJBarnabas Health, broke ground on a new cancer center on its Livingston Campus last week. The five-story, 137,000 square-foot building is expected to be finished in 2025.

When completed, the facility will operate as the northern hub for cancer services offered by RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Richard L. Davis, president and CEO of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, hailed it as a milestone in the transformation of the campus.

“The new Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center will be a regional destination for cancer care, building on the medical center’s long-standing legacy of clinical expertise and compassionate, patient-centered diagnosis and treatment,” Davis said in a statement. “We are celebrating the dawn of a new era in world-class cancer care.”

The renovation of the medical center has been spurred by a $100 million gift by Loen and Toby Cooperman in 2021. The 597-bed facility, formerly known as Saint Barnabas Medical Center, was renamed Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in their honor.

The new cancer center will provide medical, surgical and radiation services. It will feature 52 exam rooms, 46 private infusion rooms, eight treatment spaces for short stays, and six treatment spaces for extended stays.

In addition, the new center will offer other services to help patients, such as a patient wellness center with exercise, yoga and music programs; a fitting studio for prosthetics and wigs; holistic medicine, including reiki and art therapy; and a teaching kitchen focused on nutrition. 

(Here's video on the project by RWJBarnabas Health; the story continues below.)

Michael Scoppetuolo, medical director of the Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, said the new facility is being designed with patients in mind. He said it offers “a great opportunity to expand cancer care in New Jersey.”

“A cancer diagnosis is life-changing, and for many patients and their families, it is the beginning of a long and sometimes daunting journey,” Scoppetuolo said in a statement. “To that end, I am excited about the research and the top-quality patient care that will take place at this new center. We have an extraordinary medical staff and access to clinical trials and research which sets us apart from other institutions in the state and puts us at the leading edge.”

Alison Grann, chair of the hospital’s department of radiation oncology, said  the new cancer center will be "a game changer."

The medical center already offers “some some of the most advanced and comprehensive care in the state," Gran said.

““This new building will provide the physical environment to match the clinical excellence,” Grann said in a statement. “This best-in-class, freestanding cancer center will provide the highest-quality science, treatment, and psychosocial services available, distinguishing it from other centers in the region.”

RWJBarnabas is one of New Jersey’s largest hospital organizations. The system operates 12 acute care hospitals, a pediatric rehabilitation hospital, and a host of other sites offering healthcare services. RWJBarnabas employs 37,000 workers and 9,000 physicians.

Read more from Chief Healthcare Executive

Cooper Health unveils $2 billion expansion project

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The new facility will offer medical, surgical and radiation oncology. Other features include a fitness center, along with yoga, art therapy and reiki. 

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center is building a $225M cancer center

Chris Luoma is senior vice president, product management at GHX, a software company that helps healthcare organizations automate supply chain processes.

Driven by external pressures and internal demands from the very highest levels of the organization, healthcare providers are moving enterprise systems to the cloud to improve care delivery, minimize the impact of staff vacancies and reduce costs.

In fact, 96% are expected to move to the cloud by 2024, according to 

. Yet there are critical factors that can impact the success of a cloud migration.

Based on more than two years’ worth of insights across more than 4,500 providers and suppliers, GHX has found there are five often overlooked areas when it comes to cloud ERP migrations. Unfortunately, they are usually discovered after the migration is already underway, affecting implementation timelines, costs and labor requirements.

In turn, this negatively impacts hospital operations and ultimately patient care. Healthcare executives – and ERP implementation teams – need to take note of these five overlooked areas and consider best practice recommendations for mitigating their risks to avoid unnecessary costs and frustration.

 Purchase order (PO) transaction failures lead to patient care risks and lost revenue.

 PO failures are often due to an inadvertent lack of diligence in the supplier setup process. This can result in multiple transaction failures that impede clinical supply inventory and invoice payments. Once a PO failure is identified, administrative staff must then step in to do manual PO processing, putting the provider at risk of lost time, human error and supplier credit holds until the issue is resolved.

 At the onset of the project, fully vet all suppliers, properly set up their profiles and automate processes whenever possible.

 A weak foundation for item data makes it difficult to load data into multiple systems. It also makes it difficult to properly maintain the information necessary for understanding the true cost of delivering care while protecting margins.

 Apply a strategy that prioritizes a reliable data foundation to ensure clean item data and price information across the organization. This will help improve order cycles, bolster contract compliance and support timely revenue capture.

Not fully automating the invoice-to-cash process across all invoices.

: The cloud migration process creates an opportunity to automate processes but skipping this important step can result in increased labor costs, delayed payments and an inability to maximize working capital.

 Use invoice process automation tools because they have proven to reduce work by up to 90%. Along with reducing labor costs, invoice process automation enables early payment rebates from suppliers, which also helps offset some of the cloud migration costs, which can frequently range between 50 to 200 million dollars for the first year.

 Clinicians are missing item information needed for patient documentation.

 A lack of deep clinical integration between operations and the supply chain creates unnecessary administrative burdens on clinicians, impacting their ability to spend as much time as possible focusing on patient care.

During the cloud migration design phase, take into consideration additional data attributes such as item dimensions and product classification that must be managed within the contract catalog and item master. This will reduce clinical supply variation and help improve patient outcomes.

Integration problems arise as new releases are issued by the cloud ERP provider.

The healthcare organization’s solution provider doesn’t have a strong relationship with the ERP vendor. This limits their ability to test integrations and APIs prior to new releases. Therefore, every time operations are disrupted by cloud updates, already-over-burdened hospital IT staff must quickly reassign resources to address the integration issues, impacting productivity and revenue.

 During the solution provider qualification process, ask about their relationship with the ERP provider as well as their experience with cloud ERP migrations and certifications. This will help protect against disruptions as new releases are issued.

Healthcare providers are eager to accelerate cloud ERP migrations and quickly realize ROI from their efforts. Yet the project’s success hinges upon the proper strategy, awareness of potential risks and how to resolve them and a qualified solution provider to support the migration and ensure its ongoing success.

Only then can the benefits be fully realized – from the C-Suite down and throughout the entire provider’s organization to its suppliers and, ultimately, the people and communities they serve.

Healthcare executives need to take note of these overlooked areas in order to avoid unnecessary costs and frustration.

Mitigating the top 5 risks of moving to a cloud ERP system | Chris Luoma

Nicole Mushonga has joined UNC Health as its system executive director for health equity.

Mushonga will lead UNC Health’s equity efforts across the system. She will lead efforts in identifying barriers preventing access to care and developing inclusive practices that create a better environment for patients.

“I am excited to join an organization such as UNC Health whose mission is to improve the health and well-being for all North Carolinians and who prioritizes health equity,” Mushonga said in a statement. “This is an amazing opportunity to impact the lives of so many of our residents and I am honored to lead this work.”

Mushonga comes to UNC Health from Wake County Health & Human Services, where she led their public health division as the Interim Medical Director of Public Health & Epidemiology Director. Under her leadership, the division was recognized by the White House and National Association of County and City Health Officials for their health equity programs addressing COVID-19.

Previously, Mushonga was an epidemiologist for the Kern County Public Health Services Department in Bakersfield, Calif.

Audrea Caesar, UNC Health’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, said in a statement that Mushoga “brings a unique skillset to our organization with her previous community health work, and her experience as an epidemiologist. She will be a great partner to the leaders of the healthcare system and will help us chart our course to reducing health inequities.”

Keck Medicine of USC hires first diversity officer

Shannon Bradley has been named the first chief diversity and inclusion officer of Keck Medicine of USC.

She takes the new post on Sept. 26. Bradley will lead strategies to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.

Ekta Vyas, chief human resources officer for Keck Medicine, said Bradley will become a key member of the system’s leadership team.

"Bradley brings years of healthcare experience and a track record of success implementing diversity, equity and inclusion strategies to this inaugural position,” Vyas said in a statement. “Creating a diverse and inclusive health system that fosters a culture of belonging is a top priority for Keck Medicine and allows us to address areas of opportunity and growth.”

Bradley will work closely with Christopher Manning, USC’s chief inclusion and diversity officer, to collaborate on diversity strategies and to prevent and address potential situations of bias.

“I look forward to leveraging Keck Medicine diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to provide the best outcomes for our patients and an inclusive workplace for all employees,” Bradley said in a statement. “Keck Medicine has the commitment and resources to become not only a regional, but a national leader in this area.”

Bradley shared that she hasn’t always had access to healthcare.

“I understand firsthand what it means to have an inequitable health care experience, which drives me to advocate even harder for patients who have been underserved or undervalued,” Bradley said.

GHX president stepping into new role, successor named

Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX) is getting new leadership in the new year.

Bruce Johnson, president and CEO of GHX, plans to move into a role as executive chairman of the board beginning Jan. 1, 2023. The GHX Board chose Tina Vatanka Murphy, division president, value based care, to be appointed as the company’s next president and CEO.

Based in Louisville, Colo., GHX works with healthcare companies to automate key business processes and use data more effectively.

“Serving as president and CEO of GHX for the last 15 years has been the highlight of my career and I am incredibly grateful to have worked alongside a tremendous team of purpose-driven individuals,” Johnson said in a statement. “Together, we have pioneered healthcare’s largest cloud-based supply chain network and built a community of tens of thousands of healthcare organizations across the globe.”.

Johnson described Vatanka Murphy as “a focused and authentic leader with a passion for advancing healthcare’s value-based future.”

“Her ability to remain clear-headed and focused in the face of adversity helped steer GHX, and our customers, through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to make a difference in the healthcare community at large,” he said.

Vatanka Murphy said she’s honored to become GHX’s next leader. She has been with the company for 23 years.

“While our industry faces profoundly difficult challenges ahead, the opportunity for healthcare to become stronger, more resilient and patient-centered has never been greater. I am inspired by the possibilities, and I am committed to championing the work of this great community as it advances toward a value-based future,” she said in a statement.

Premier Health names first chief clinical officer

Keith Bricking has been selected as Premier Health’s first chief clinical officer.

In the newly created position, Bricking will help coordinate care across the southwest Ohio health system’s provider workforce. He takes the new post October 3.

Since January 2019, Bricking has served as president of Atrium Medical Center, becoming the first physician to lead a Premier Health hospital, the system said.

“I’m eager to collaborate with others across our health system and Ohio to build further upon Premier Health’s record of clinical excellence,” Bricking said in a statement.

“My top priority will be strengthening coordination of care throughout Premier Health, and with academic partners and others in the communities we serve,” he said. “To advance that goal, I’m looking forward to putting to work my academic medical program experiences as a researcher, educator, and practicing physician.”

Premier Health will name a new president at Atrium Medical Center at a future date. The system operates six hospitals and a host of care sites in southwest Ohio.

Justin Davison has been named the new president and chief executive officer of the Saint Francis Healthcare System in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Davison joined Saint Francis Healthcare System in November 2019 as chief financial officer. In February 2022, Davison moved to the role of interim president and chief financial officer.

“The Board looks forward to working with Justin as our president and CEO,” Steven K. Dirnberger, board chairman for the Saint Francis Healthcare System, said in a statement. “He has done an outstanding job as the chief financial officer. We strongly believe he is the right person to guide and move us forward.”

Davison previously served as vice president of finance at Mercy Health in Springfield, Missouri. He has more than 18 years in executive leadership experience in hospitals and healthcare systems.

Saint Francis Healthcare System has served southeast Missourifor nearly 150 years. It’s the largest healthcare system between Memphis and St. Louis.

Lovelace Women’s Hospital gets chief nursing officer

Brenda Holley has been named the new chief nursing officer of Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Lovelace Health System said Holley will begin her new role on Oct. 3, 2022.

Holley brings more than 24 years of healthcare experience to the post. She possesses a clinical background in pulmonary and critical care nursing.

For the past three years, Holley has served as chief nursing officer of Lovelace Westside Hospital and she previously served as assistant CNO.

During her tenure at Lovelace Westside Hospital, she expanded outpatient therapy with new services and doubled the capacity in the outpatient sleep center, Lovelace said in a news release.

She also developed new services for inpatient and outpatient radiology and implemented tele-critical care support as a pilot for Ardent, improving efficiencies in the operating room.

Holley earned her bachelor of science in nursing at the University of New Mexico, her master of science in nursing from New Mexico State University, and also completed her doctorate in nursing at University of New Mexico.

Keck Medicine of USC hires its first diversity officer, GHX will see new leadership in the new year, and Premier Health hires its first chief clinical officer.

MED MOVES: UNC Health hires new health equity director, and more

Nearly all emergency physicians are seeing an increase in violence, and they say it’s taking a toll on doctors, nurses and patient care.

The violence is significantly higher over the last four years, particularly since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new 

 released Thursday by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Emergency department staff are experiencing more attacks and it’s adding to the stress on doctors and nurses at a time when 

most health systems are already seeing labor shortages

. Alex Skog, president-elect of the Oregon Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, said in a media call Thursday there was an incident at his facility just within recent days.

“Now more than ever, we feel it’s gotten to a level that’s completely unsustainable,” Skog said.

Emergency physicians say they’re increasingly being physically assaulted and receiving credible threats of violence from patients or their family members, said Chris Kang, president-elect of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

The organization polled 2,712 of its members between July 25 and August 1. The survey found sharp increases since a similar poll was conducted in 2018.

The poll found 45% said violence in the emergency department has greatly increased in the past five years, compared to 25% in a 2018 survey. Overall, 85% of respondents said there has been at least some increase in violence.

Over half (55%) said they were physically assaulted, up from 47% in 2018. Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) said they witnessed an assault.

Nearly a quarter (24%) or respondents said they have had multiple assaults in a week, while 40% said they are assaulted once a month.

Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) of those surveyed said emergency department violence is hurting patient care.

Despite the rise in assaults, hospitals are rarely trying to have attackers prosecuted, the poll indicated. Only 2% of respondents said hospital security pressed charges, and that’s adding to the danger for emergency department staff, Kang said.

“Hospital law enforcement support is inconsistent,” Kang said.

“The lack of consequences … is believed to be a significant contributor to the rise of violence since 2018.”

Emergency physicians say they need more support.

“The biggest thing we are asking for is hospitals and legislative bodies to see what they can do to quantify incidents and provide better guardrails against violence,” Skog said.

‘Patients deserve better’: Hospital leaders describe cuts in services due to financial woes

Some attacks have gained media attention.

a nurse was stabbed at a hospital in Los Angeles

Four people were shot and killed on the campus of an Oklahoma medical center

, as authorities said the gunman blamed a surgeon for pain following an operation.

But many attacks never generate headlines, doctors say. Some incidents likely aren’t being reported, Kang said.

Earlier in his career, Skog said violence in the emergency department was relatively rare. That’s no longer the case, noting his emergency department in Portland, Ore. has had two incidents in the past few weeks, Skog said.

“It’s heartbreaking to me,” Skog said. “That’s something we were not seeing three, four years ago.”

“Providers are talking about this more, but that’s only because the incidents have simply exploded,” he said.

Within the last several days, Skog said a patient attacked staff in his emergency department, tackling a technician and cutting a doctor’s forearm. It took a host of staff members to subdue the patient.

“When this happened, the whole emergency department was essentially paralyzed,” Skog said.

The hospital had to divert all ambulances to other hospitals for several hours. It also delayed treatment for patients already in the emergency department, Skog said.

Emergency physicians said violent incidents are exacerbating the long waits patients are experiencing, a subject that’s also gaining growing attention. Most of those surveyed (85%) said violence is increasing wait times. And 87% reported a loss of productivity.

The delays for patients caused by violent episodes are adding to the stress of emergency staff, Kang said.

“That has a profound impact on the sense of duty many emergency departments have,” he said, adding, “There’s a sense of emotional trauma that we can't do the job we believe we should be doing.”

“It’s our mental health, it’s our wellbeing when we can’t do our jobs,” he said.

While it’s difficult to get a number on how many doctors and nurses are leaving jobs due to the spike in violence, emergency physicians said it’s clearly playing a role in getting some staff to make career changes.

“Emergency medicine is hemorrhaging nurses, technicians and doctors,” Skog said.

After the recent attack in his emergency department, he overheard one nurse say, “I'm telling my supervisor I’m never coming down here again. This is not safe.”

Violence in healthcare has been gaining more attention in recent months. 

About half of hospital nurses (48%) reported an increase in workplace violence

, according to a survey released in the spring by National Nurses United. Nursing leaders have said the violence, along with burnout, is driving some nurses to leave hospitals.

International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety

 in June that workplace violence has risen since the arrival of COVID-19.

“It seems to be a problem that has only gotten worse in the pandemic,” Hamilton said.

Even before the pandemic, violence in healthcare was a significant problem. Healthcare workers accounted for nearly 3 out of 4 injuries (73%) sustained in workplace violence, according to a 2018 U.S. Labor Department study. But healthcare leaders say the violence in hospitals has worsened in the pandemic.

Some hospitals are turning to metal detectors to screen for weapons, and armed security and police.

Those measures have benefits in some cases, but they may not be appropriate for every hospital and could add to tension in communities, Skog said. Such solutions should be employed on a case-by-case basis.

However, emergency physicians would like hospitals and health systems to be more aggressive in pursuing charges when staff are assaulted. They also should conduct rigorous examinations of their operations and see where security should be improved, Kang said.

The emergency physicians’ group pointed to legislation in Congress that could bolster protections for healthcare workers.

U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean, a Pennsylvania Democrat and Larry Bucshon, an Indiana Republican, introduced the bipartisan Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act in June. Bucshon is a medical doctor. The legislation would impose 

tougher penalties on those who attack and intimidate health system employees

Lawmakers note that there’s no federal law granting specific protections for healthcare workers. The bill is modeled after similar protections for airline and airport employees.

The American Hospital Association, which has endorsed the House bill, has been pushing for greater protections for healthcare workers. The AHA sent a 

 to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in March and urged him to support enhanced protections for hospital workers similar to airline and airport workers.

Rick Pollack, president of the hospital association, noted that healthcare workers have been attacked more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The surge in assaults against the health care workforce cannot continue and we must do everything we can to protect them,” Rick Pollack, president of the hospital association, said in a statement.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., has introduced 

 directing the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to require 

healthcare and social service organizations to create workplace violence prevention plans

. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar bill sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., last year.

The rise in violence affects all of emergency medicine, Skog and others said.

“This is not just a physician problem,” he said. “This is a whole emergency department staff problem.”

The American College of Emergency Physicians reports a sharp increase in attacks. Doctors say assaults have spiked in the pandemic and want hospitals and government leaders to take action.

Most emergency physicians say violence is rising

More doctors are experiencing burnout, and it’s becoming a matter of serious concern for healthcare leaders.

Physician burnout has reached a new high, according to a 

. Researchers reported that 63% of physicians had experienced burnout in 2021, compared with 38.2% in 2020. The American Medical Association teamed with researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the study.

 hosted a virtual roundtable Thursday with several healthcare leaders. Alan Weil, 

 editor-in-chief, asked the participants, all physicians, on addressing burnout.

Some of the members stressed one point early in the discussion. They focused more on the need to make structural changes, in organizations and health policy, than in strengthening doctors.

“The problem isn’t a deficit of resiliency in individual physicians,” said Christine Sinsky, the AMA’s vice president of professional satisfaction.

Policy makers are paying closer attention to the well-being of doctors and other healthcare workers. President Joe Biden signed a law this year directing grants to healthcare organizations to address burnout and mental health. Health groups pushed for the bill, dubbed the Lorna Breen Act, after an emergency physician died by suicide in April 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

A panel of physicians said it’s not about building more resilience. Health organizations need to offer resources and reduce burdens that are taxing their physicians.