Latest news with #BrownUniversityHealth
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Partnership for Rhode Island names business advocate Catucci as new director
Catucci succeeds founding executive director Tom Giordano, who stepped down in April to become vice president of external affairs at FM Global (whose CEO is a Partnership member). 'Liz Catucci has built a strong reputation across Rhode Island as an effective advocate and voice for business,' Brown University Health CEO and Partnership Board Chairman John Fernandez said. 'Liz is the right leader for our organization as we look to be more highly involved in business attraction.' The bigger picture: For the Partnership, it's a savvy hire after an extensive search. Advertisement Catucci is one of the rare people within Rhode Island's political and business circles who is widely respected and well-liked. As the state heads into what is certain to be a contentious election year, she has the ear of Governor Dan McKee, the trust of General Assembly leaders, and credibility with both small and large businesses statewide. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The Partnership has played a behind-the-scenes role in several major policy initiatives in Rhode Island in recent years – it funded the Advertisement With federal funds drying up, the Partnership now wants to pivot to business development/recruitment in the state, which may include more advocacy at the State House than it has shown in the past. Catucci's experience at the Chamber will be an asset. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Dan McGowan can be reached at
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Doctors Think AI Shows Promise—But Worry It Will Mislead Patients
getty F or over a decade now, healthcare workers have had to deal with 'Doctor Google'—when patients turn to Google for medical advice instead of a professional. It's a practice that organizations including Brown University Health, Orlando Health and the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group have advised against, citing both the years of education and experience physicians have as well as the tendency for people to gravitate to worst-case scenarios. Today, Doctor Google has a new rival: ChatGPT. That's according to a new report from academic publishing company Elsevier, which also makes AI tools for doctors, such as research assistant Scopus AI and chemical discovery tool Reaxys. For the report, which will be released today, the company surveyed 2,206 doctors and nurses from 109 countries this past spring. This included 268 clinicians in North America, 1,170 in the Asia Pacific, 439 in Europe, 164 in Latin America and 147 in the Middle East and Africa. Eighteen declined to disclose their location. These clinicians were asked about the role they thought AI plays in healthcare today and its potential implications for the future. The company emailed a link to the survey to healthcare workers who had recently published books or journal articles, served on certain third-party panels or were otherwise known to Elsevier. The authors acknowledged that because it's not a randomized sample, these results are not necessarily generalizable. One of the biggest concerns the survey respondents had was regarding patient use of ChatGPT and similar tools. They reported that patients often arrive with preconceived—and sometimes wrong—ideas about their health issues because of what these tools provided. One major issue? These models are frequently wrong. For example, OpenAI's 03 and 04-mini models hallucinate—that is, makes up its own answers to questions—around 30 to 50% of the time, per the company's own recent tests. This creates an additional burden for healthcare workers, who are often already overwhelmed by their work and the amount of patients they see. In North America, 34% of clinicians who reported being time-strapped noted that patients have numerous questions. Globally, this number was about 22%. Even more concerning, Jan Herzhoff, president of Elsevier's global healthcare businesses and a sponsor of the study, told Forbes , is that patients may decide to skip the hospital altogether and rely solely on ChatGPT and other websites for advice. He said that over 50% of U.S.-based clinicians predict that most patients will self-diagnose rather than seeing a professional within the next three years, though it's not clear how often patients are skipping their doctor in favor of AI right now. Though healthcare workers may have concerns about their patients' use of AI, more are finding themselves using such tools. In the past year, the percentage of doctors and nurses who have used AI in a clinical setting jumped from 26% to 48%, the survey found. The survey respondents are also optimistic about AI's ability to streamline their workflows, though at the same time few say that their own institutions were using AI to effectively solve current problems. A majority of clinicians surveyed predicted that AI will save them time, provide faster and more accurate diagnoses, and improve patient outcomes within the next three years. Many startups are developing such tools, including K Health and Innovaccer, which have respectively raised $384 million and $675 million in total venture funding as of recent. According to PwC's Strategy& team, the AI healthcare market is expected to reach $868 billion by 2030. 'As an organization, we see AI as a tool to augment the capabilities of the clinician,' Herzhoff said. Not one that replaces them. Herzhoff himself is equally optimistic about AI in healthcare, especially for administrative tasks. Right now, the survey finds that doctors and nurses are using AI tools to identify potentially harmful drug interactions before writing a new prescription and or to write letters to patients. Of clinicians who've used AI, 50% use generalist tools like ChatGPT or Gemini frequently or always; only 22% use specialist tools with the same frequency. One reason for this might be how healthcare systems are deploying AI tools. Only about a third of clinicians said that their workplace provides sufficient access to digital tools and AI training. Only 29% said that their institutions provide effective AI governance. As more healthcare-focused AI tools are developed, ensuring that these new technologies are trained on high-quality, peer-reviewed material is another priority for those surveyed, with 70% of doctors and 60% of nurses saying this is vital. Herzhoff noted that while AI tools may help clinicians save time in the future, the effort they need to put in now to learn AI, particularly how to write detailed and useful prompts, presents a barrier. Already, 47% of clinicians report that being tired has impacted their abilities to treat patients. 'Paradoxically, they don't have the time, and they don't find the time to use these tools,' Herzhoff said. Although doctors and nurses look forward to using AI to speed up their day-to-day work, they are much more skeptical about using it to make decisions about patients. Only 16% said they were using AI in this way, while 37% expressed an unwillingness to use AI to make clinical decisions. 'AI should provide the information I need to make good decisions,' one doctor who responded to the survey said. 'I don't believe I should abrogate responsibility for clinical assessment to AI—I need to keep authority over the final outcomes.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UHC Medicare Advantage patients will lose coverage at Brown Health hospitals on July 1
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A spokesperson for Brown University Health confirmed to 12 News on Wednesday that negotiations with UnitedHealthcare have ended, and UHC's Medicare Advantage plans will not be accepted at Brown Health's four Rhode Island hospitals starting July 1. Target 12 initially reported back in May that UHC had notified affected patients about the ongoing negotiations via a letter. According to a spokesperson for Brown Health, the hospital system had asked UHC to increase its reimbursement rate, as well as 'eliminate their administrative policies that deviate from traditional Medicare, such as unnecessary prior approval and utilization management, that cause frustration for patients and result in extra cost to our health care system.' 'Since both parties held firm in their positions, we mutually decided to end our Medicare Advantage hospital contract,' the Brown Health spokesperson said. 'We proposed extending our contract through the end of the year to provide Medicare Advantage members continued access to Brown University Health's hospitals while we negotiate,' a UHC spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. 'Unfortunately, the health system refused.' Both Brown Health and UHC emphasized that this change only applies to Hasbro Children's Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital, and Rhode Island Hospital. Physicians associated with Brown Health and the group's urgent care clinics will continue to accept UHC's Medicare Advantage plans through Dec. 31, 2025, as will St. Anne's Hospital and Morton Hospital in Massachusetts. Medicare Advantage is a type of health plan offered by Medicare-approved private companies as an alternative to original Medicare. Like Medicare, it is available for Americans 65 and older, as well as those with certain severe disabilities or illnesses. Federal data shows that about 60% of Rhode Island Medicare recipients utilize Medicare Advantage plans. In Rhode Island, they're offered by Aetna, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and UHC. (UHC has not answered repeated requests for comment on the number of patients who will be affected by the change.) Brown Health hospitals will continue accepting UHC's Medicaid and commercial health insurance plans, as well as Medicare Advantage plans from other providers. Starting July 1, treatments at Brown Health hospitals will be billed to UHC Medicare Advantage patients as 'out-of-network' care. However, a UHC spokesperson stressed that in an emergency, members should go to the nearest hospital even if it's not 'in-network,' as the company covers emergency visits at its in-network benefit level. Dr. Johnny Luo, a health insurance expert from Doctor's Choice, told 12 News there are ways to get a new insurance plan if needed. Outside of Medicare's open enrollment period, which lasts from Oct. 15 to Dec. 17, Luo said, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have been known to offer special election periods throughout the year on a case-by-case basis. Brown Health also encouraged UHC Medicare Advantage members to find out if they're eligible for 'continuity of care' protections by calling UHC Customer Service at 1-800-711-0646. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Some Medicare Advantage patients in RI may lose coverage at Brown Health Hospitals
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Patients enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage plan have been notified that they will no longer receive coverage at Brown University Health hospitals if the two sides don't strike a deal by July 1. The situation would affect coverage at Brown Health hospitals, including Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Newport Hospital, and The Miriam Hospital. Cole Manbeck, a spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare, said the potential loss of coverage would only affect the hospitals and not Brown University Health's physicians. Medicare Advantage plans are typically for those 65 years old or older, and for people with disabilities. United and Brown Health have been negotiating for several months, Manbeck said in an email. The contract is set to expire on June 30. 'Our top priority is to utilize the time remaining on our hospital contract to reach a long-term agreement that is affordable while maintaining our ability to continue offering the competitive benefits our Medicare Advantage members rely on,' Manbeck said. 'We hope Brown University Health shares our commitment to reach an agreement that provides continued network access to its hospitals for people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.' The loss of coverage would not impact Brown Health hospitals in Massachusetts, Saint Anne's Hospital and Morton Hospital. A spokesperson for Brown Health has not yet returned a request for comment. Tim White (twhite@ is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Sarah Guernelli (sguernelli@ is the consumer investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Free cervical, breast cancer screenings available this weekend
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Getting screened for cancer reduces both illnesses and deaths, according to the National Institutes of Health, but not everyone undergoes regular screening. From 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Brown University Health's Cancer and Community Health Institutes will be offering breast and cervical cancer screening to women who may not ordinarily have access to those services. The screening is free and open to the public, and no medical insurance is required to take part. It will include clinical breast exams, screening mammograms, pelvic exams and Pap tests. Brown Health said most results from those tests will be available the same day, and follow-up care will be provided as needed. Patients who take part will also be offered free transportation services, language interpretation, child care, lunch and parking. The screenings are primarily for those who are uninsured, although underinsured women are also welcome to request an appointment. Anyone who would like to participate can request an appointment by emailing womancare@ or calling (401) 444-8076. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
