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:
System C: Potential Acquirers
CVC Capital Partners is selling System C Healthcare, a UK health‑tech platform, via Arma Partners. The company, now valued at roughly £800 million ($1.0 billion) after growing EBITDA from £12 million to £46 million ($58 million) and revenue to £130 million ($165 million), combines acute‑hospital EPRs with social‑care software and an Australian foothold. Its high‑margin, >90% recurring revenue model and AI‑ready data make it attractive to strategic buyers such as The Access Group, Civica, or large US hyperscalers. The deal reflects the broader consolidation of UK health‑IT as the NHS shifts toward integrated, AI‑driven care.
Chemed Corp Beats Q1 2026 Estimates, Raises Full-Year Outlook on VITAS Surge
Chemed Corp reported first‑quarter revenue of $657.5 million and adjusted EPS of $5.65, surpassing forecasts. The company raised its 2026 full‑year EPS guidance to $24.00‑$24.75, citing a 3.1% rise in VITAS hospice net patient revenue and a robust cash‑return program.
New AI Chatbot Uses Medical Protocols to Guide Patient Care Decisions.
UC San Diego researchers unveiled a multi‑agent AI chatbot that uses American Medical Association flowcharts to guide self‑triage. The system matches patient symptoms to protocol‑based questions, translating clinical language into lay terms. In over 30,000 simulated dialogues it chose the...
Capricorn Fund Sells $18.4 M of Waystar Stock, Highlighting Health‑Tech SaaS Valuation Concerns
Capricorn Fund Managers off‑loaded 692,554 Waystar shares worth $18.38 million in Q1 2026, reducing the healthcare‑SaaS provider to 0.17% of the fund’s U.S. equity portfolio. The sale comes as Waystar’s stock has fallen 32.5% over the past year, raising questions about...
Capitol Dispatch Weekend Digest
The Connecticut Senate approved a bill prohibiting private‑equity firms from acquiring or expanding control of state hospitals, effective October 2026. Simultaneously, the state’s insurance regulator fined the five largest health insurers for breaching mental‑health parity requirements. The state agricultural lab...
Medicare Practice Expense Cuts Will Hurt Patients
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a final rule for the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that trims practice‑expense inputs, lowering facility‑based physician payments by about 7%. The reduction does not reflect the true overhead costs independent clinicians...
Sanofi and Regeneron Win FDA Approvals as AbbVie Faces Rejection; Lilly Buys Kelonia
Sanofi and Regeneron received FDA approvals on Thursday, while AbbVie’s submission was turned down. In the same day, Eli Lilly announced a strategic acquisition of Kelonia, a gene‑therapy developer. The mixed regulatory outcomes and the deal highlight shifting dynamics in biotech...
The Step Count That Cuts Dementia Risk The Most (M)
A recent epidemiological study identified a specific daily step count that most effectively lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Participants who logged roughly 10,000 steps per day experienced up to a 30% reduction in dementia incidence compared with sedentary peers....
Misleading Review on E-Cigarettes Slammed
Health and academic experts in the UK have denounced a recent qualitative risk assessment that labeled nicotine‑based e‑cigarettes as “likely carcinogenic to humans.” They argue the review lacks robust epidemiological data and fails to compare vaping to smoking, making its...
CMS Posts January 2026 Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment Report: 75.3M, Down 4.2M Since December 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its January 2026 Medicaid and CHIP enrollment snapshot, showing 75.3 million total enrollees – 68.0 million in Medicaid and 7.2 million in CHIP. Adult Medicaid coverage accounts for 39.4 million, while children and CHIP participants total 35.9 million....
New Government Data Confirms Multiple Major Cancers Surged in Young Americans During the Mass mRNA Injection Campaign
The episode discusses newly released NIH National Cancer Institute data showing a 6.4% rise in overall cancer incidence among Americans under 50 between 2021 and 2023, with sharp increases in colorectal, brain, ovarian, small‑intestine, stomach, and breast cancers. Host and...
AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance
A resurgence of AIDS cases has emerged in Zambia after the Trump administration slashed U.S. HIV assistance, dismantling key prevention programs. In the mining town of Mpongwe, new infections surged to 28 per month in early 2026, far exceeding the...
Study Shows Implicity’s New Agnostic Cloud-Based AI Algorithm Further Reduces False Alerts Even After Manufacturer AI Filtering in Modern Devices
Implicity announced that its new manufacturer‑agnostic, cloud‑based AI algorithm reduced false‑positive alerts in AI‑equipped implantable loop recorders by 61.6% while preserving 98.3% sensitivity. The findings, presented at the Heart Rhythm Society 2026 meeting, stem from an analysis of 483 episodes...
'Eventually, It Becomes You': Inventors of New 'Living' Knee Replacement Describe Why This Tech Is Desperately Needed and How It...
Columbia University and the University of Missouri are developing NOVAKnee, a 3D‑printed, biodegradable knee implant seeded with stem‑cell‑derived bone and cartilage. The scaffold is designed to dissolve as new tissue forms, potentially offering a longer‑lasting solution than metal‑plastic prostheses that...
New Study Reveals That Daytime Naps May Be A Sign Of Serious Health Problems
New research published in JAMA Network, analyzing nearly 1,300 adults, finds that daytime naps lasting an hour or more are associated with higher all‑cause mortality, while short naps under an hour show no such risk. The study suggests the link...
Congress Stalls, Xylazine Spreads
Xylazine, a veterinary sedative, remains unscheduled under the Controlled Substances Act, allowing unrestricted importation despite its presence in roughly 25% of the U.S. fentanyl supply and its link to thousands of preventable amputations each year. The DEA has detected the...
High Nighttime Temperatures During Pregnancy Linked to Increased Autism Risk in Children
A new study of 294,937 mother‑child pairs in Southern California links extreme nighttime heat during early (weeks 1‑10) and late (weeks 30‑37) pregnancy to a 13‑15% higher autism risk by age five. Researchers measured weekly minimum temperatures at each participant’s...
Trump Is Going After Birth Control. Here’s Why.
The Trump administration’s Health and Human Services department issued new Title X guidance that pivots federal family‑planning funds toward childbirth and natural family‑planning methods, effectively sidelining hormonal contraception. The policy also threatens to cut funding for Planned Parenthood clinics that provide...
Measles Is Back. What Comes Next Will Be Worse.
Measles cases in the United States have surged to over 1,700 this year, a stark rise from the roughly 70 annual cases seen in the early 2000s, and three children died last year. Health officials warn the outbreak signals broader...
Hone Health Survey Shows 70% of Midlife Adults Feel More in Control of Health Than in Their 30s
Hone Health’s nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. adults ages 35‑65 reveals that nearly three‑quarters now feel more in control of their health than they did in their 30s. The data highlights a surge in proactive health behaviors across midlife, challenging...
Avista Capital Partners Acquires Bentec From Greyrock and Hermitage in Healthcare Deal
Avista Capital Partners has completed the acquisition of Bentec, a provider of specialty medical devices, from Greyrock Capital Management and Hermitage Capital. The deal adds a new platform company to Avista’s growing healthcare and life‑sciences fund, underscoring ongoing consolidation in...
Eli Lilly to Acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for Up to $7 Billion, Boosting In‑Vivo CAR‑T Portfolio
Eli Lilly agreed to purchase Kelonia Therapeutics for up to $7 billion, adding an in‑vivo CAR‑T platform to its cell‑therapy portfolio. The acquisition, pending regulatory clearance, underscores Lilly’s push into next‑generation immunotherapies and marks one of the largest biotech deals of the...
FDA Clears Regeneron's Otarmeni, First Gene Therapy to Restore Hearing
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for Otarmeni, the first gene therapy targeting inherited hearing loss caused by OTOF mutations. The one‑time treatment restored hearing in 16 of 20 pediatric trial participants and will be offered free of charge to eligible...
WGA Secures $321 Million Health Boost in Fast‑Track Deal with Studios
The Writers Guild of America closed a three‑week negotiation with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on April 4, securing a $321 million infusion into its health plan and a $280 million employer‑contribution pledge. The swift settlement, driven by new AMPTP...
Manhattan Genomics Shuts Down Amid Cofounder Clash, Ending Designer‑baby Push
Manhattan Genomics, the New York‑based startup that aimed to edit human embryos to prevent disease, announced its abrupt shutdown after a co‑founder conflict. The closure underscores the financing and governance challenges facing deep‑tech biotech ventures, especially those targeting controversial germline...
Age and Genetics Drive Real-World CLL Treatment Choices
A French real‑world study of 282 treatment‑naive CLL patients shows clinicians split between fixed‑duration venetoclax‑based combos and continuous BTK inhibitors. Patients under 70 with mutated IGHV predominantly receive obinutumab‑venetoclax, while those over 75 with TP53 or 17p lesions favor second‑generation...
We’re Prescribing the Wrong First Treatment
The article argues that exercise is an underused first‑line treatment for teen depression, performing on par with antidepressants in many studies. Landmark trials like the SMILE study and a 2024 BMJ meta‑analysis show comparable remission rates and lower relapse when...
I Was Treated for Tuberculosis While Millions Were Robbed of Care
The author recounts a personal encounter with tuberculosis after a positive test in March 2025, following immunosuppressive treatment for arthritis. She reflects on historical TB care, noting 1930s practices of treating patients outdoors on iron beds, and contrasts that with...
Repeated Doses of Psilocybin Show Promise for Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A randomized clinical trial found that weekly high‑dose psilocybin significantly reduced obsessive‑compulsive symptoms in treatment‑resistant patients. Fifteen adults received up to four doses over eight weeks, with 73 % achieving at least a 35 % drop in Yale‑Brown scores and 40 % attaining...
Calif. City to Raise Ambulance Transport Rates, Add New Unit Amid Rising Costs
Laguna Beach City Council approved a roughly 10.3% inflation‑adjusted increase to its in‑house ambulance transport rates, raising the basic life support fee to $3,088.40 and the advanced life support fee to $3,529.60. The hike is intended to offset higher fuel, medical‑supply...
I Test for 50+ Cancers Every Year. Here's What's Actually Worth It.
Multi‑Cancer Early Detection (MCED) blood tests now screen for 50+ cancers in a single annual draw, promising earlier diagnosis than traditional organ‑specific screens. The FDA‑cleared Galleri test leads the market, showing about 70% sensitivity for early‑stage disease but also a...
A Look at the Latest Developments at the CDC
The CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service marked its 75th anniversary with a conference showcasing fellows’ investigations into measles, strep A, diphtheria, botulism and overdose outbreaks, confirming the program survived last year’s proposed cuts. At the same time, interim director Jay Bhattacharya blocked a...
The Relationship Between Nutrition Status Indicators and Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
A cross‑sectional analysis of 285 hospitalized type 2 diabetes patients in Hebei found that 62% were vitamin D deficient (25‑hydroxyvitamin D < 20 ng/mL). Lower total protein levels were significantly linked to higher odds of deficiency, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.933 per gram‑per‑liter increase....
Maternal Serum Ferritin Across Gestation and Risk of Small-for-Gestational-Age: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
A longitudinal cohort of 17,451 Chinese pregnancies found that elevated maternal serum ferritin in the third trimester is linked to a higher incidence of small‑for‑gestational‑age (SGA) infants. Women with ferritin ≥18.1 ng/mL at 29‑31 weeks had a 42% greater adjusted odds of...
Vitamin D Status and Site-Specific Fracture Pattern Associations in Older Adults with Fragility Fractures: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2543 Patients
Researchers analyzed 2,543 patients aged 60 and older hospitalized for fragility fractures in China. They found that 35.9% were vitamin D deficient and 44.2% insufficient, with deficiency linked to older age, female sex, winter admission, and prior cerebral infarction. Serum 25(OH)D...
The Stanford Professor Behind an FDA-Cleared Cardiac AI Wants $1 Billion for His Next Company
Stanford associate professor James Zou is reportedly raising about $100 million at a $1 billion target valuation for his new startup Human Intelligence, which will apply AI across the entire biomedical discovery pipeline. Zou’s portfolio includes the FDA‑cleared cardiac‑AI EchoNet, a Nature‑published...
GLP-1 Drugs Linked to Cognitive Impairment, Though the Reason Why Probably Isn’t What You Expect
A retrospective analysis of nearly 65,000 type‑2 diabetes patients over ten years found that users of GLP‑1 agonists such as semaglutide experienced cognitive impairment at twice the rate of non‑users (2.6% vs 1.3%). Researchers attribute the higher incidence to a...
APOE4 Raises Alzheimer Risk, but Lifestyle Can Shift Outcomes
APOE Status and Dementia Risk... APOE4 is the strongest common genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's. About 25% of the population carries at least one copy. It's a risk modifier... not a guarantee. And the levers that change the trajectory are...
Thyroid Hormones Correlate
Associations of Thyroid Hormones and Resting Heart Rate in Patients Referred to Coronary Angiography https://t.co/aOvAW52tQ6
Is No One Doing Baby Aspirin for Heart Disease Prevention Anymore?
New Epic Research data shows daily low‑dose aspirin use for primary cardiovascular prevention has halved in the U.S. since 2018. The proportion of adult patients with a recorded baby‑aspirin prescription fell from about 7.2% to 3.2%, with the oldest cohort...
Influenza Pioneer Nancy Cox Passes, Legacy in Global Surveillance
The world of influenza science has lost one of its giants. Nancy Cox, who led #CDC's flu division for years & worked assiduously to improve global flu surveillance, died Thursday. I learned a ton from Nancy Cox. RIP. https://t.co/vNBuYpFSpU
Doctors Won't Be Replaced: Embrace Blended Intelligence
“Will AI replace doctors?” I hear this question a lot, but I think the answer is no. AI is amazing at pattern recognition. But medicine is also about judgment, context, human connection. That’s on us. The future is "Blended Intelligence,"...
What Does 17 Pharma MFN Deals Are Underneath the Press Releases: The Real Primary Source Stack, the GLP1 Numbers, TrumpRX...
A White House‑driven most‑favored‑nation (MFN) pricing initiative has secured agreements with 17 major pharmaceutical companies, representing roughly 86% of the U.S. branded drug market. The deals, reconstructed from demand letters, rolling announcements and third‑party reports, lock Medicaid and direct‑to‑consumer (TrumpRx)...
Seeking Tools to Boost Post-Stroke Short-Term Memory
#gamers #cognitive #neurology Can you suggest anything to help my friend Brenda @bsuecannon? She wants to buy s/thing to help her husband improve his ST memory that was impaired from a recent #stroke. Thx.
GLP‑1 Drugs May Trigger New Restrictive Eating Disorders
"There is also compelling preliminary evidence suggesting that the use of these drugs [GLP-1] could exacerbate and lead to new diagnoses of restrictive eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa." @NEJM today https://t.co/PeTLgyRXiL
Future-Ready Care and Cashflow: From Lockbox Processing and AI Data Annotation to PT Certifications and Modern Orthopedic Services
Healthcare operators are modernizing revenue‑cycle and clinical workflows by adopting lockbox processing, AI‑driven data annotation, and standardized PT certifications. Faster lockbox deposits tighten cash flow, while high‑quality annotated datasets improve machine‑learning accuracy for diagnostics and triage. Certified physical therapists deliver...
GLP‑1 Weight Loss Drugs Lower HRV, Raise Heart Rate
Reducing body weight with GLP-1 agonists isn't a free lunch: negative impacts on HRV, RHR GLP-1 receptor stimulation depresses heart rate variability and inhibits neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons https://t.co/4QNy141TtK
NVO Shows Fewer AEs; LLY Wins on Lower COGS
The $NVO drug has fewer AEs (based on comparative discontinuation rates) - only real advantage $LLY has here is much lower COGS (small molecule vs poorly absorbed peptide).
Bohol Steps up Campaign vs Rabies, Reviews Ordinance
The Provincial Rabies Council of Bohol is revising Ordinance No. 2007‑012 to tighten animal registration, vaccination and movement rules after a surge of 10,288 human‑animal bite cases in Q1 2026, most from cats. The province is expanding its Animal Bite Treatment Center...
Aid Cuts Spark HIV Resurgence and Human Cost
HIV now returning. This carefully details the system breakdowns after aid cuts, the local actions for resilience, what still had to be sacrificed, then the human consequences. https://t.co/RUspAMsUm8