Today's Healthcare Pulse
Abridge teams with Eli Lilly and Nvidia to expand AI scribe platform
Abridge announced a strategic investment from Eli Lilly and a partnership with Nvidia to build a foundation model for clinical conversations. The collaboration aims to broaden Abridge’s AI‑scribe services across more health systems and integrate with payers. The company already supports over 300 health systems.
Also developing:
CEOs Face Congressional Hearing on High Hospital Prices
Four hospital CEOs testified before the House Ways and Means Committee about soaring hospital prices, which have risen roughly 300% over the past two decades. Committee Chair Jason Smith highlighted that 2,000 of the nation’s 4,500 hospitals have merged, giving health systems control of about 90% of beds. CEOs, including HCA’s Sam Hazen, pointed to charity care levels and suggested stable insurance, revised Certificate of Need laws, and reduced administrative complexity as cost‑cutting measures. The hearing follows a week of congressional scrutiny on broader health‑care reforms.
Healthcare Needs Early Intelligence, Not Reactive Treatment
Healthcare’s version of “prevention” is often hilarious. “We noticed the problem after it became expensive. Good news: we have a brochure.” The body was dropping hints for years. Sleep. Stress. Food. Movement. Air. Labs. Wearables. Microbiome. Mood. But we built a system that waits...
ACA Market Dynamics Cost HCA $150M in Q1
HCA Healthcare posted a modest 0.6% rise in Q1 net income to $1.6 billion and a 4.3% revenue increase to $19.1 billion. A milder-than‑expected respiratory season slashed related admissions by 42% and ER visits by 32%, curbing volume growth. Storms disrupted markets...
Moderna Deploys Salesforce Agentforce Life Sciences to Unify Global Commercial Operations
Moderna has chosen Salesforce’s Agentforce Life Sciences platform to unify its global commercial operations. The solution will merge data from SAP, e‑commerce and regional systems into a single Customer 360 view, powered by IQVIA OneKey. AI‑driven agents will automate cycle planning,...
$739 Million Acquisition of XOMA Strengthens Ligand’s Biopharma Portfolio
Ligand Pharmaceuticals announced a $739 million acquisition of XOMA Royalty, expanding its royalty‑financing portfolio to over 200 assets. The deal adds more than 120 new royalty streams, including seven marketed drugs such as Vabysmo and Ojemda, and deepens exposure to oncology,...
Zimmer Biomet CFO Departs for New Job
Zimmer Biomet’s chief financial officer, Suketu Upadhyay, is leaving after seven years to become CFO of biotech firm Incyte. The orthopedics maker named controller Paul Stellato as interim CFO while it searches for a permanent replacement. In its first quarter,...
How High Pressure Destroys Relational Care in Nursing
Megan Diaz, a veteran RN, argues that relentless pressure in hospitals narrows nurses' perceptual range, eroding relational care. As bed turnover and discharge speed become primary metrics, clinicians resort to labeling patients rather than exploring underlying context. This shift sacrifices nuanced...
Ludi Announces Ludi Boost™: New AI-Powered Operating Model & Strategic Services Offering for Provider Workforce Management
Ludi, Inc. unveiled Ludi Boost™, an AI‑enabled compensation platform that bundles advanced technology with a strategic services team of more than 80 experts. The solution consolidates compensation data, governance and administration into a single system of record, promising faster program execution,...
Ashvattha Therapeutics Announces Presentations Highlighting Mechanism of Action for Migaldendranib in Diabetic Macular Edema and Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Ashvattha Therapeutics presented Phase 2 data on its subcutaneous nanomedicine migaldendranib (MGB) for diabetic macular edema and neovascular age‑related macular degeneration at ARVO. The two‑stage trial showed stable central subfield thickness for up to 12 weeks and maintained visual acuity without...
AtriCure to Participate in the 2026 Bank of America Securities Health Care Conference
AtriCure announced it will take part in the 2026 Bank of America Securities Health Care Conference, with senior management slated for a fireside chat on May 12, 2026. The session will be streamed live via the company’s investor website, giving...
Cellares and Cabaletta Bio Sign 10-Year Commercial Supply Agreement to Scale Rese-Cel
Cellares has entered a 10‑year commercial supply agreement with Cabaletta Bio to manufacture rese‑cel, the company’s autologous CAR‑T therapy for autoimmune diseases, using its fully automated Cell Shuttle and Cell Q platforms. The deal secures long‑term capacity to produce thousands of...
BPL-003
Great piece from @Shea_ARK "AtaiBeckley is advancing BPL-003—an intra-nasal formulation derived from 5-MeO-DMT—in treatment-resistant depression, with positive Phase 2b results supporting a Phase 3 initiation in the second quarter of 2026.[11] With FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation, BPL-003 has the potential...
Rocket's PRV Goes for $180M; Oruka Targets $500M Offering
New Jersey‑based Rocket Pharmaceuticals sold its pediatric‑disease priority‑review voucher for $180 million, setting a near‑record price for such assets. The cash infusion strengthens Rocket’s balance sheet as it advances late‑stage gene‑therapy candidates. Meanwhile, biotech firm Oruka Therapeutics announced plans to raise...
A Collective Cognitive Dissonance
The author challenges the common refrain that every Epic electronic‑health‑record (EHR) instance is fundamentally different, arguing that the real source of variation lies in the hospitals’ unique workflows, staffing, and local policies rather than the software itself. While customization is...
Humanizing the Ultimate Balancing Act
The article argues that aligning radiology, IT, finance, and operations in healthcare requires treating stakeholders as humans, not adversaries. It highlights that each function has non‑negotiable priorities—quality and safety for radiology, security for IT, margin for finance, and throughput for...
Integrating a Waste Walk Into Technology Adoption: A Primer
Medical imaging leaders often adopt new scanners, AI tools or PACS without fully understanding the underlying workflow problems, leading to under‑utilization and missed KPI targets. A waste walk—rooted in Lean methodology—offers a low‑cost, observational approach that maps the entire value...
Availity Introduces Availity Extend to Secure Healthcare Automation at Scale
Availity, the nation’s largest healthcare network, launched Availity Extend, a platform that lets payers, providers, and tech partners build automation and AI directly on its network. The solution leverages Availity’s existing connectivity and security framework, enabling workflows to run with live...
Natural Disasters Can Cause Another Crisis for Those Recovering From Opioid Addiction
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene are exposing a critical weakness in the U.S. opioid‑recovery system, leaving patients without essential medication like Suboxone. The storm forced patients to travel out of state and confront pharmacy shortages, illustrating how climate‑related emergencies...
Science in Space
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot conducted the DNA Nano Therapeutics‑3 experiment in the Kibo laboratory’s Life Science Glovebox aboard the International Space Station. The study explores DNA‑inspired assembly techniques to fabricate nanostructured cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and...
Clinical Utility of the AITIS Model for Test-Free Identification of Sarcopenia in Patients with Stage IV–V Non-Dialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease
The study validates the Artificial Intelligence to Identify Sarcopenia (AITIS) model as a test‑free screening tool for sarcopenia in 236 patients with stage IV–V non‑dialysis chronic kidney disease. Using only age, sex, height, weight and 20 self‑reported functional items, AITIS achieved...
Association Between the Non-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio and Carotid Plaque: A Retrospective Cohort Study
A retrospective cohort of 5,985 Chinese adults followed for an average of 2.2 years found that a higher non‑HDL‑C to HDL‑C ratio (NHHR) independently predicts incident carotid plaque. Participants in the top NHHR quartile experienced a 64% greater hazard of...
Prognostic Value of the Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) Index for Renal Function Progression in Patients with CKD Stages 3–4
A multicenter retrospective cohort of 53,607 Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3‑4 found the triglyceride‑glucose (TyG) index to be an independent predictor of renal function progression. Each 1‑unit increase in TyG was linked to a 10% higher hazard,...
Early Combined Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Support for Patients over 80 Years Old with Non-Operative Intestinal Obstruction
A retrospective study of 191 patients over 80 with non‑operative intestinal obstruction compared early combined parenteral and enteral nutrition (ECPEN) to delayed combined nutrition (DCPEN). After 1:1 propensity score matching, 79 pairs showed that ECPEN led to shorter total parenteral...
Development of an Intelligent Food Nutrition Recognition and Nutrient Intake Assessment System in Hospital Settings
Researchers at Peking University People's Hospital created an AI‑driven food nutrition recognition system for therapeutic hospital meals. The platform combines RGB‑D imaging, the Segment Anything Model for segmentation, and a SE_ResNet50_vd classifier, achieving 99.2% accuracy in food type identification. Volume...
BeOne Medicines Licenses Trispecific Antibody Targeting PD-1, CTLA-4 and VEGF
BeOne Medicines, the rebranded former BeiGene, announced a licensing and option agreement to acquire a trispecific antibody that simultaneously targets PD‑1, CTLA‑4, and VEGF. The experimental biologic originates from a Chinese biotech and is positioned for development in solid‑tumor indications....
Economic Deprivation Led to Fewer Days at Home After Hip Fracture
A JAMA Network Open study of 52,012 Medicare hip‑fracture patients found that those living in the most economically deprived ZIP codes spent 23 fewer days at home during the year after surgery compared with peers in affluent areas. Mortality rose...
Med Ad Views Episode 07: Med Ad News 2026 Marketer on the Rise Recipient Dipa Sapre
Dipa Sapre, director of obesity HCP strategy at Novo Nordisk, was honored with the 2026 Marketer on the Rise Manny Award. In a Med Ad Views podcast, she discussed her career path across major pharma firms, the award‑winning obesity launch, and...
Empassion, Karoo Health Partner on Cardiac-to-Hospice Transitions
Empassion Health and Karoo Health announced a strategic partnership to smooth the transition from cardiac management to palliative and hospice care. The collaboration addresses the “gap” where patients with advanced heart disease are not yet eligible for hospice but traditional...
Superior Health Holdings Acquires Compassion Homecare and Sans Bois Hospice, Expanding Into Oklahoma
Superior Health Holdings, backed by Renovus Capital Partners, announced the acquisition of Chant Healthcare, the operator of Compassion Home Care and Sans Bois Hospice in southeastern Oklahoma. The deal gives Superior an immediate footprint across 11 counties, adding home health, hospice,...
AACR 2026: Combo Therapies by Moderna, Marengo Show Promise in Skin, Breast Cancer
Combination regimens dominated AACR 2026, with biotech firms showcasing new cocktail data across multiple tumor types. Marengo Therapeutics reported that its dual‑T‑cell agonist invikafusp alfa combined with Gilead’s ADC Trodelvy produced complete or partial responses in 40% of heavily pretreated...
Provider Data Management - A Niche but Important Problem | Out-Of-Pocket
CertifyOS tackles the chronic problem of inaccurate provider directories by aggregating data from rosters, CAQH, NPPES, state boards and the providers themselves into a unified, AI‑enhanced golden record. The platform normalizes disparate feeds, tracks changes with audit logs, and offers...
KLAS Finds Provider-Payer Collaborations Focused on Value-Based Care Workflows
KLAS’s 2026 Points of Light report shows that nearly 80% of award‑winning provider‑payer collaborations now target value‑based care workflows, up from 48% in 2025. The shift signals that basic interoperability has become a baseline, with success measured by financial and...
Sensitive Data as Venn Diagram
Healthcare data is split into "Normal" (non‑sensitive) and "Restricted" (sensitive) categories. Sensitive records receive specific sensitivity codes in the FHIR Resource.meta.security tag, creating a Venn diagram of overlapping topics such as Sexual Health, Mental Health, and Substance Use. The tags...
Microplastics Found in Most Human Brains, Concentrated Near Tumors
Microplastics and nanoplastics have been detected in nearly all human brain samples, including healthy tissue, with higher concentrations observed near tumors, raising new questions about their potential impact on brain health. microplastics
Google Exec Argues Safer LLMs, Not Bans, Aid Mental Health
Google executive defends potential of LLMs for mental health. “It can seem sometimes like shutting something down is a way of preventing harm,” Megan Jones Bell told STAT. “We believe that making our product experience safer and more helpful and...
Executing Biologics Technology Transfer Through Integrated Operating Models
The article advocates replacing the traditional sequential biologics tech‑transfer model with an integrated operating model that colocates development, manufacturing, MSAT and quality teams. By running small‑scale experiments and large‑scale runs concurrently, organizations can observe scale‑dependent effects in real time and...
Integrated Academic-Community Tumor Board Enhances Precision Medicine
Implementation & Utility of an Integrated Academic-Community #PrecisionMedicine Molecular Tumor Board [MTB] [Jul 5, 2017] @meburkard et al. @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/HOWIx826Lm https://t.co/1JmBdW6K5c
First-Year Lessons Coordinating an Oncology Precision Medicine Clinic
Coordinating an Oncology #PrecisionMedicine Clinic w/in an Integrated Health System: Lessons Learned in Year 1 [1/28/19] @mtmdphd Godden, Wham @antonyruggeri @mullane_michael Wilson @shamsvirani Weissman, Ramczyk, Vanderwall @JimW9200 @Aurora_Cancer @JPCRR https://t.co/bxgjOfLhwk https://t.co/4pR7nFLzGW
Turn on, Tune in, Cash Out … The US Right Used to Fear Psychedelics. Now It Wants to Sell Them...
President Donald Trump, flanked by RFK Jr and podcaster Joe Rogan, signed an executive order on April 18 to accelerate federal approval of psychedelic‑based medicines, with a particular focus on ibogaine. The move marks a dramatic reversal from the 1960s, when the U.S....
Overcoming Barriers to Community Oncology Precision Medicine
Implementing #PrecisionMedicine Programs and #ClinicalTrials in the Community-Based Oncology: Practice: Barriers and Best Practices - @JLErsek @lorablk @mtmdphd & @EdKimMDLCI #ASCO18 Education Book https://t.co/ahsmfePatk #NCORP
PurIST Classifier Validated for Tailored Pancreatic Cancer Therapy
Real-World Validation of the Purity Independent Subtyping of Tumors Classifier for Informing Therapy Selection [PurIST @TempusAI] in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma [Sep 4, 2025] @stephwen et al. @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/R24DErvaB4 #pancsm #PrecisionMedicine https://t.co/KNJHtWovqT
Biliary Cancer Subtypes Show Distinct Immune Signatures
Clinical, Genomic, and Transcriptomic Data Profiling of Biliary Tract Cancer Reveals Subtype-Specific Immune Signatures [Jun 8, 2022] @kabir_mody et al. @MarkYarchoan @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/IN6UsL5jvN #hpbcsm #PrecisionMedicine https://t.co/p3BzJ82oxA
BRAF Class II/III Mutations Represent Unmet Clinical Need
Real-world clinical genomic analysis of Pts w/ BRAF mutated cancers identifies BRAF class II & III as a population of unmet medical need [3/7/22] Severson etal #ESMO2240P @TempusAI https://t.co/s5PEBEczlv @Annals_Oncology DOI: https://t.co/c3wxWyUuX0 #PrecisionMedicine #caxtx
ASCO Endorses Somatic Genomic Testing for Advanced Cancers
Somatic Genomic Testing in Patients With Metastatic or Advanced Cancer: @ASCO Provisional Clinical Opinion [Feb 17, 2022] @CDebyaniPhD et al. @JCO_ASCO https://t.co/hfHUBS3Unx #PrecisionMedicine https://t.co/GwYOMRD1hh
BRAFV600E‑mutated Pediatric Gliofibroma Shows Fleeting Therapy Response
Rare Pediatric Invasive Gliofibroma Has BRAFV600E Mutation and Transiently Responds to Targeted Therapy Before Progressive Clonal Evolution [Mar 27, 2019] @KanevaMD et al. @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/oNbfrK7EZr #PrecisionMedicine #btsm https://t.co/V7k9vEiqKm
KRASG12C Mutations Linked to Distinct Immuno‑oncology Biomarkers
Landscape of KRASG12C, Associated Genomic Alterations, and Interrelation With Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers in KRAS-Mutated Cancers [Mar 23, 2022] @SalemGIOncDoc et al. @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/iehC82lyA4 #ImmunoOnc #PrecisionMedicine @TempusAI https://t.co/wZzfdnBoXU
Comprehensive Genomic Panel Broadens Community Oncology Treatment Options
Unique Features of a Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Panel: Expanding Treatment Options in a Value-Based Community Oncology Network [Mar 9, 2026] La Porte et al. @DrEzraCohen @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/tDi3kbxdvX #PrecisionMedicine #hemeonc @TempusAI https://t.co/6QKo7c3oH2
FDA Accuses Amgen of Data Manipulation; Erasca Falls
FDA claims Amgen drug data were ‘manipulated’; Erasca slides despite ‘home run’ results https://t.co/UbftjXwEwa $AMGN $ERAS - 53% $RCKT $JANX
Hospital CEOs Flaunt Lobbying Clout in Congressional Testimony
Hospital CEOs are currently testifying in front on Congress. @ahahospitals just held its annual meeting, and @_daniel_payne caught this extremely candid quote from Chuck Schumer showing just how much lobbying power hospitals have. https://t.co/suwZZjZePb https://t.co/IHVq3JrVEF
AI Reads Retinal Images to Screen Multiple Diseases
What superhuman vision can detect from the retinal photo, which human eyes cannot, is stunning. A new foundation AI model screening for diabetes hypertension, hyperlipidemia, gout, osteoporosis, and thyroid disease @NatureMedicine https://t.co/GhKvUqz4Vy https://t.co/iKcXCbLceu