The healthcare industry isn’t exactly known for being the greenest, with some data suggesting the sector contributes to 4.4% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—particularly in the US, which produces 546 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, making up about 7.6% of the country’s total carbon output, according to a September 2019 study.

But with federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), some hospital systems are able to make green moves while benefiting from tax breaks, Modern Healthcare reported.

Though hospital systems seem to be financially going through it lately (see Steward Health Care), IRA tax credits can cover up to 30% of “qualifying investments in wind, solar, energy storage, and other renewable energy projects,” according to the Department of Treasury, with additional benefits available for systems in low-income areas or those that use clean energy materials manufactured in the US. These funds can be further bundled with state or federal grants, according to Modern Healthcare, and are used for everything from implementing solar energy to setting up electric vehicle charging stations in parking lots and switching to more eco-friendly lighting.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Modern Healthcare that the federal government has seen increased interest from healthcare providers about how to leverage their tax credits for energy-related projects.

Keep reading here.—NO

Mental health challenges should never go unaddressed, especially when it comes to your employees.

Fortunately, Calm Health is here to help. They offer quality mental health programs and evidence-based tools for businesses looking to engage their people on the wellness level.

These are mental health programs written by psychologists with active and passive monitoring, support recommendations, and dynamic screening that sees a 93% completion rate.

The initial result? 37% of users who had a 10+ anxiety or depression score in the screening later engaged in therapy.

Meet your people where they are.

One of the lingering challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is the toll it took on mental health—especially among children.

Between 2016 and 2020, the number of children between ages three and 17 years old who have been diagnosed with anxiety grew by 29%, and the number of children diagnosed with depression increased 27% during that same period.

However, a recent study from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, published in JAMA Pediatrics on August 19, found that there may not be enough beds to address the mental health crisis. Using data on hospitals with inpatient psychiatric care in the American Hospital Association Survey Database, the researchers analyzed inpatient pediatric psychiatry capacity state by state between 2017 and 2020.

The study found there was “no significant” change in the number of hospitals nationwide that have pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds—398 to 400 between 2017 and 2020—nor the number of actual beds across the country—11,107 to 11,276 in the same time frame.

Keep reading here.—CM

“It’s not us; it’s you.”

As Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment grows, hospitals are breaking up with MA insurance plans. Becker’s Healthcare reported that, so far in 2024, at least 17 systems ended a contract with an MA insurer.

But even as hospitals back away, patients have embraced MA. KFF reported that 32.8 million people are currently on an MA plan—that’s 54% of the eligible Medicare population, and the figure could jump to nearly two-thirds by 2034 according to the Congressional Budget Office. In 2014, only 31% of the Medicare population had Medicare Advantage.

Yet analysts warned in an August 15 report from S&P Global Ratings that this growth may hurt hospitals’ credit quality by shrinking their cash flow and operating margins.

“It’s not to say that, in and of itself, [credit] ratings are changing because of this issue. They’re not,” David Peknay, healthcare director for S&P Global Ratings, told Healthcare Brew. “It adds another issue that providers have to contend with.”

Keep reading here.—CC

Go ahead, buck tradition. If typical healthcare roles aren’t your thing, you might wanna check out the latest episode of Game On! by Indeed. Michael Metzner—a physician turned producer for Grey’s Anatomy—discusses his career, dishes out advice, and offers insight on nontraditional healthcare roles. Check it out.