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Tampa General and USF Health developing AI tools to detect pain in infants

Hospital patients often rate pain on a scale of 1 to 10. That’s not an option for Florida’s tiniest patients — infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit who often struggle to breathe, feed and regulate their own temperature.

Tampa General and the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine are developing new technology that leverages artificial intelligence to detect real time pain in newborns. The research is in collaboration with the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

“There are many challenges in managing pain in non-verbal and vulnerable preterm infants,” said Dr. Thao “Tina” Ho, associate professor of pediatrics at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and practicing neonatologist at TGH.

The system uses noninvasive sensors and cameras to record facial expression, body motion and crying sounds before and after a procedure to pinpoint pain in real time. The new AI system aims to deliver a standardized, continuous and objective assessment.  The enhanced access to information enables providers to more accurately treat conditions.

“This study will develop a reliable system to detect pain continuously by interpreting the infant’s physical movements, facial expressions, heart rate and respiratory rate all together,” Ho explained. “This will allow the infant’s bedside nurses to respond timely to their pain to optimize their comfort and minimize medication exposure.”

Bean Introduces Bill Improving Healthcare Cost Transparency

Specifically, Rep. Bean's Apples to Apples Comparison Act requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to improve accuracy in listing costs and potential outcomes of healthcare policies, such as Medicare Advantage (MA) and Fee-For-Service (FFS).

The difference between the two is that MA plans bear the full risk of providing Medicare benefits within the capitated payment. In other words, the healthcare plan is more coordinated. Fee-for-service systems, by contrast, pay providers based on the number of services they perform, regardless of the relative appropriateness of those services.

However, Rep. Bean noted that the difference in costs is not always clear, and with Medicare spending already reaching $1.3 trillion in 2025 alone, ensuring plans are presented accurately is critical.

"Healthcare decisions are complicated enough, and seniors shouldn't have to compare apples to oranges in order to make good choices," the Florida Congressman said in his press release, adding, "The Apples-to-Apples Act ensures that seniors have accurate and comparable information when choosing which Medicare program works best for their lifestyle and budget."

Representative Kevin Hern (R-OK), the bill's cosponsor, said, "Greater transparency is needed in all aspects of the healthcare market because transparency helps patients."

New tax break for auto loans could save some buyers thousands of dollars. But will it boost sales?

The vehicles must be new, not used. They must be assembled in the U.S. And the loans must be issued no sooner than this year, to list just a few qualifications.

Millions of people receive a federal tax deduction for the interest they pay on home loans. Under President Donald Trump’s new tax-cut law, many people for the first time also could claim a tax deduction for interest on their vehicle loans.

The new tax break will be available even to people who don’t itemize deductions. But there are some caveats that could limit its reach. The vehicles must be new, not used. They must be assembled in the U.S. And the loans must be issued no sooner than this year, to list just a few qualifications.

Here are some things to know about the new auto loan interest tax deduction:

Trump pledged while campaigning last year to make interest on car loans tax-deductible. He said it would make car ownership more affordable and “stimulate massive domestic auto production.”

The idea made it into the big tax-cut bill passed by Congress, which Trump signed into law July 4.

The law allows taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 of interest payments annually on loans for new American-made vehicles from 2025 through 2028. It applies to cars, motorcycles, sport utility vehicles, minivans, vans and pickup trucks weighing less than 14,000 pounds, a threshold referred to as light vehicles. But it only applies to vehicles purchased for personal use, not for fleets or commercial purposes.

CNBC rankings: Florida jumps 2 spots to No. 3 in best states for business analysis

The Sunshine State has again ranked in the top 5 for best places to do business, according to CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business rankings.

This year, Florida moved up two spots, from No. 5 last year to No. 3, driven largely by the state’s booming economy.

Florida ranked first in the nation for its economy, and second for its workforce. Also driving its strong showing is the state’s access to capital, at No. 3 in the nation.

But Florida has room for improvement when it comes to cost of living. The state earned an “F” in that category and landed at No. 48 in the nation. Costs in Florida are elevated largely due to the ongoing insurance crisis plaguing the hurricane-prone state, as well as strong population growth creating a supply crunch.

The state’s education system also ranked fairly low, at No. 29 in the nation. North Carolina earned this year’s top overall ranking for business, followed by Texas at No. 2. The Lone Star State lost ground on quality of life, ranking second-to-last in the nation.