Children’s hospitals prepare for surge in admissions amid shortage of RSV drug A supply shortage means a drug that can prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants won’t have a major immediate impact, children’s hospitals said, and they are preparing for a… nweixel The Hill

“Widespread access [to the new antibody drug] will take time across many sectors of the pediatric population and won’t have as great an impact on volumes this immediate respiratory season,” the Children’s Hospital Association said in a statement.

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Tiny, Rural Hospitals Feel the Pinch as Medicare Advantage Plans Grow - KFF Health News More than half of seniors are enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans instead of traditional Medicare. Rural enrollment has increased fourfold and many small-town hospitals say that threatens their viability. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

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Prepandemic ICU performance related to lower COVID mortality rates Caiaimage/Martin Barraud/iStock CIDRAP

... in Chest, a review of intensive care units (ICUs) across 10 Brazilian states shows that those with lower mortality rates pre-pandemic saw lower COVID-19 death rates.

Moreover, efficiently managed ICUs also saw lower mortality from the novel coronavirus, suggesting that hospital management is directly linked to patient outcomes.

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Kaiser Permanente reaches tentative agreement with workers After a historic strike, healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions have reached a tentative agreement. Brittany Trang STAT

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75,000 members of the union, which spans seven of the states plus Washington, D.C. in Kaiser’s nationwide health care network, went on strike last week from October 4 through the early hours of October 7. ...