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:
Live From TAHFM 2026: Facility Leaders & Conference Highlights
The episode recaps the Texas Association of Healthcare Facilities Managers (TAHFM) 2026 conference, highlighting the industry’s triple aging crisis—workforce, buildings, and infrastructure—and how the Healthcare Facilities Network is addressing it. Guests, including facility leaders Jim, David Trask, Joe Stockman, and TAHFM President Taylor Vaughn, discuss practical solutions such as AI‑driven data analytics, steam‑trap audits for energy savings, and the importance of robust CMMS data. They also share conference insights, from AI and energy‑efficiency trends to engaging formats like street interviews, scholarships, and a lively social program.
Does the Brain Really Make Its Own DMT? New Study Ignites Debate
A new study by Mikael Palner at the University of Southern Denmark examined rat brains ex vivo and found no detectable endogenous N,N‑dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in serotonin‑producing neurons, despite using MAO inhibitors to block degradation. This contrasts sharply with a 2019 microdialysis...
Establishing 5G Connectivity to Enable a Smart Regional Health System
Singapore’s National University Health System (NUHS) has signed a strategic agreement with GSMA Foundry to embed private 5G across its hospital cluster. The partnership will integrate 5G private networks with digital twins, XR, IoT and ambient AI to accelerate remote...
Cough Drops From Several Brands Being Recalled, FDA Says
On March 20, the FDA initiated a Class II recall of 15 cough‑drop products sold under five private‑label brands after an inspection of the Chinese manufacturer Xiamen Kang Zhongyuan Biotechnology revealed unspecified concerns. The affected items, many bearing lot 20241030 and expiring...
Medical Assistance in Dying: Thoughtful Planning at End of Life
Canada’s medically assisted dying (MAID) program is a tightly regulated service that lets eligible adults end intolerable suffering with physician‑administered medication. The law does not require a terminal diagnosis, but patients must have decision‑making capacity, a serious incurable illness, and...
Enough Will They-Won’t They! FDA Pushes for Permanent Rare Pediatric Disease PRVs
The FDA’s FY2027 budget request asks Congress to make the Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) Priority Review Voucher program permanent, ending its four‑year reauthorization cycle. A voucher lets sponsors shave FDA’s review time from ten to six months and can be...
Novo Nordisk Partners with OpenAI to Speed AI-Driven Drug Discovery
Novo Nordisk has struck a partnership with OpenAI to use generative AI for drug discovery, aiming to cut development timelines. The announcement lifted Novo’s stock 2.8% and intensifies its race with Eli Lilly for a share of the $100 bn obesity market.
Warren and Hawley Introduce Bill to Bar Vertical Integration of Insurers, PBMs and Providers
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley have introduced the Break Up Big Medicine Act, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit parent companies from simultaneously owning insurers, pharmacy‑benefit managers, providers or wholesalers. The measure seeks to dismantle vertically integrated health‑care giants...
FDA Receives sBLA for Zenocutuzumab Targeting NRG1‑Positive Cholangiocarcinoma
Partner Therapeutics submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application for Zenocutuzumab in advanced NRG1‑fusion cholangiocarcinoma, prompting the FDA to accept the filing and the NCCN to list the drug as a Category 2A/2B option. The move follows a phase 2 trial that showed...
Kailera Raises $625M in Major Biotech IPO
From @gwendolynawu: Kailera nets $625M in one of biotech’s biggest-ever IPOs https://t.co/SJWx2QBmSn $KLRA #biotech $LLY $NVO $GPCR $VKTX #IPO
7‑8 Hours Nightly Cuts Type 2 Diabetes Risk
This Is How Much Sleep You Need to Lower Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk https://t.co/UI9VyQiv3a https://t.co/ac9eBXPIBu
Biotech Insights - Spring 2026
The FDA’s post‑approval change framework now spotlights GLP‑1 products, exemplified by Wegovy’s tablet approval, and mandates reporting based on the change’s impact—major and moderate changes require supplemental NDAs, while minor changes go in the annual report. In parallel, the Federal...
Review Panel Finds Anti‑amyloid Alzheimer Drugs Offer Little Benefit
Medical Review Group Questions Usefulness of Some Alzheimer’s Drugs Group says anti-amyloid treatments don’t offer noticeable benefits https://t.co/Z9tRQquyZX
Will Retatrutide Help Me Lose Weight or Look ‘Shredded’?
Retatrutide, an experimental triple‑hormone peptide, has shown more than 20% body‑weight loss in a 48‑week clinical trial, outperforming existing GLP‑1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Researchers say it works by modulating GLP‑1, GIP and glucagon pathways to suppress appetite and...
GLP‑1 Drugs Show Promise for Treating All Addictions
GLP-1 medications get at the heart of addiction: study Diabetes and obesity drugs show promise in treating and preventing all substance use disorders https://t.co/buHywnw9Wk https://t.co/0lunbQbjsb
Indian Wastewater Rife with Drug Resistance Genes
Researchers examined 447 wastewater samples from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, uncovering abundant antimicrobial‑resistance (AMR) genes that were strikingly similar across the four metros. The Nature Communications study highlights sewage as a critical hotspot where resistant bacteria proliferate and exchange...
Lunit's AI Breast Imaging Hits 330+ Sites, Powers 1 Million Annual Screenings
Lunit announced that its AI‑powered breast imaging suite is deployed at more than 330 screening locations across the Americas, processing roughly one million mammograms each year. The rollout includes a full‑scale enterprise deployment at Lexington Clinic and FDA clearance of...
Civic‑Tech Nonprofits Deploy $10 Million Fund to Diminish State Vendor Lock‑In
The Center for Civic Futures and the Recoding America Fund announced a $10 million funding round to help U.S. states overhaul Medicaid, SNAP and other benefits platforms, aiming to curb dependence on entrenched government‑tech contractors. Applications open for nonprofits, early‑stage firms...
OptumServe Wins $1.6 B Defense Health Contract to Oversee Military Care
OptumServe Health Services, the federal arm of UnitedHealth Group, was awarded a $1.6 billion Remote Health Reserve Program‑4th Generation Support Services contract by the Defense Health Agency. The 10‑year deal covers physical, dental, mental‑health and preventive care for active‑duty, reserve and...
Northwestern Engineers 3D‑Print Artificial Neurons That Communicate With Living Brain Cells
Northwestern University engineers printed flexible artificial neurons that generate realistic electrical spikes and successfully activated living mouse brain cells. The work, published in Nature Nanotechnology, showcases a new class of printable, low‑cost neural interfaces that could reshape neuroprosthetics and brain‑inspired...
Cala Secures FDA Clearance for Next‑Gen TAPS Wearable Targeting Tremor in ET and Parkinson's
Cala Health announced FDA clearance of its next‑generation kIQ Plus wearable neurostimulation system for essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. The device introduces new therapy modes and adaptive calibration, and will be showcased with clinical data at the American Academy of...
Medicare Payment Policy Changes for 2027: Key Signals From Kennedy Hearings
During House hearings on the FY27 budget, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined several Medicare payment reforms. He advocated for bundled payment models that include nutrition therapy, remote monitoring, and preventive services, while supporting legislation to expand coverage for...
Obesity Treatment Firm Kailera Upsizes IPO to Raise $625 Million
Kailera Therapeutics Inc., a clinical‑stage biotech specializing in obesity treatments, announced an upsized initial public offering. The company sold roughly 39 million shares at $16 each, raising $625 million, the largest U.S. biotech listing since 2021. The offering was priced at the...
RFK Jr. Shifts Tone on Vaccines in Congressional Hearing
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shifted his stance, stating the measles vaccine is safe and effective for most people and safer than contracting measles. He acknowledged the vaccine may have saved two Texas children who died earlier this year....
From Lockdown to the Lab: Researcher Develops 'Decoy Molecule' To Slow Down Coronavirus
During the COVID‑19 lockdown, Ph.D. candidate Koen Rijpkema engineered decoy molecules that bind tightly to the coronavirus Mac1 enzyme, which normally dampens immune signaling. By mimicking the enzyme’s natural substrate, the decoys keep Mac1 occupied, allowing the immune system to detect...
Nurses with Higher Cultural Competence Don’t Always Perform Better – New Study
A new study of New Zealand nurses finds that higher cognitive cultural intelligence – the factual knowledge of cultural norms – is associated with poorer job performance and lower satisfaction. In contrast, nurses who excel in meta‑cognitive cultural intelligence, the ability...
Kennedy Says MMR ‘Safe For Most’ In Heated House Hearing
On April 16, 2026, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a House Appropriations subcommittee that the measles‑mumps‑rubella (MMR) vaccine is "safe for most people," marking a stark departure from his decades‑long anti‑vaccine narrative. The remark came amid pointed questioning...
Utah Becomes the New Center of U.S. Measles Cases
Utah now leads U.S. measles cases with nearly 600 infections, mostly children, since the outbreak began last summer along the Utah‑Arizona border. About one‑third of patients required emergency‑room care and 49 have been hospitalized. Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners rose to...
Choose the Right Design, Not One‑Size Truth
n=1 is can work for cancer and infectious disease, but often you need a clinical trial. We need to always be asking what the best tool is to get to truth. Don't assume that one experimental design is always correct. And don't...
Mitochondrial Transplantation Reverses Cell Degeneration
In terms of my top bets for rejuvenation-based therapies, mitochondrial transplanation has entered the chat Cell-type-targeted mitochondrial transplantation rescues cell degeneration https://t.co/izvDaRk7kz
Patients With Scarring Alopecia Value Expertise of Specialist Dermatologists
A new CAPAIR survey of 1,047 scarring alopecia patients shows that those who see hair‑specialist dermatologists (HSDs) report higher satisfaction and receive more aggressive therapy than patients seen by general dermatologists (GDs). HSDs were rated “excellent” for disease knowledge by...
Cellular Stress Drives Stem Cell Aging, Revealing Therapy Targets
Beyond Cell Death: The Hidden Drivers of Stem Cell Aging “The findings shed light on how cellular stress shapes stem cell aging and highlight potential pathways for developing therapies to counter age-related decline...” https://t.co/hBUchsNtQ4 https://t.co/6HyOSZZ6ZS
Trinity Health to Open $226M Replacement Hospital April 19
Trinity Health will open a $226 million, 174,000‑square‑foot replacement hospital in Brighton, Michigan on April 19, moving the Livingston Hospital from its Howell site. The new four‑story campus adds 56 acuity‑adaptable beds, eight operating rooms and expanded cardiac CT and women’s imaging...
Trump’s Nominee for CDC Director Likely to Be a Disaster for Vaccine Choice!!
President Trump has nominated retired Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schwartz oversaw the nationwide COVID‑19 vaccine rollout and previously enforced mandatory smallpox, anthrax and flu vaccinations for U.S. service members. Critics argue...
Sharp HealthCare Taps Apple Vision Pro for Surgical Innovation
Sharp HealthCare in San Diego has launched an IRB‑approved clinical study to evaluate Apple’s Vision Pro headset in cataract surgery. The feasibility and safety study will measure how spatial‑computing tools affect depth perception, workflow efficiency, and surgeon ergonomics. Conducted at Sharp...
Elon Musk Amplifies Baseless Claim About COVID-19 Vaccine
Elon Musk recently amplified a claim that COVID‑19 vaccines caused tens of thousands of deaths in Germany, a statement that FactCheck.org has debunked as baseless. The claim distorted official vaccine safety monitoring data, suggesting a mortality figure that no German...
Why AMA Data Shows Physician Burnout Is No Longer a ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Crisis
New AMA data shows U.S. physician burnout continues to decline, reaching 41.9% in 2025, down from 48.2% in 2023. However, the improvement is uneven, with emergency medicine, urology and oncology still hovering near 50% burnout rates, while specialties like infectious...
Trump Nominates New CDC Director Amid Push For MAHA Image Makeover
President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general from his first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schwartz is known for steering clear of high‑profile vaccine controversies, positioning her as a...
UW Health Inks Deal to Become Packers’ Official Healthcare Partner
UW Health, a Madison‑based health system, signed a multiyear deal to become the Green Bay Packers’ official healthcare partner. The agreement includes permanent signage at the stadium’s north gate, logo patches on practice jerseys, and presenting sponsorship of the Packers...
AHA Announces Carolyn Clancy, John A. Hartford Foundation as Recipients of 2026 Award of Honor
The American Hospital Association (AHA) will present its 2026 Award of Honor to former AHRQ director Dr. Carolyn Clancy and the John A. Hartford Foundation at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes leaders who have driven major health‑policy...
Weight Loss, Obesity Drugs Bring Potential New MASLD, MASH Treatment Strategies
A new review in *Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism* shows that GLP‑1, GIP and glucagon‑based drugs, originally approved for obesity and diabetes, also improve liver outcomes in metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its progressive form MASH. A recent meta‑analysis...
Data Highlights Gaps in Finding In-Network Mental Health Coverage
The Kennedy Forum's Mental Health Parity Index reveals that members of the four largest U.S. commercial insurers—Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare—face lower reimbursement rates and fewer in‑network providers for outpatient mental health and substance‑use‑disorder services compared with outpatient physical...
California Hospital CEO Steps Down
Sandra Anaya will step down as CEO of Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe, California, after nearly 13 years of service, with her last day set for April 23. The departure occurs amid a 180‑day emergency department stabilization plan approved in...
Wisp, Visby Partner to Expand Access to At-Home STI Test
Wisp has partnered with Visby Medical to offer Visby’s at‑home PCR test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. The palm‑sized test costs $149.99, delivers results in 30 minutes via a mobile app, and is FDA‑authorized. Positive results trigger free virtual follow‑up...
Re: BMA to Push for Private Practice as NHS Failings Prompt More Patients to Pay for Care
The British Medical Association is urging greater support for private general practice as NHS shortcomings push more patients to pay for care. A recent letter highlights that private medical insurance typically excludes independent GPs, limiting genuine patient choice. The author...
CMS Updates LEAD Model Request for Applications; Will Host Office Hour for Applicants
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an updated request for applications (RFA) for its Long‑term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) Model, with submissions due by May 17, 2026. To help prospective participants, CMS will host a virtual office hour...
How CHS, HCA, Tenet, and UHS’ CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratios Ranked in 2025
In 2025 the CEO‑to‑worker pay ratios at four major for‑profit health systems diverged sharply. HCA Healthcare posted the widest gap at 420‑to‑1, while Tenet Healthcare’s ratio jumped to a staggering 711‑to‑1. UnitedHealth Services (UHS) held steady at 283‑to‑1, and Community...
Erica Schwartz Selected as New Nominee to Lead CDC
President Biden nominated former Navy Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pending Senate confirmation. Schwartz, who currently serves as CDC’s chief of staff and previously led the agency’s Office of...
RFK Jr.’s New Normal
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., long known for anti‑vaccine rhetoric, faced a tense hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee, where he largely avoided repeating discredited claims. The White House has urged him to stay...
RFK Jr. Says He’ll Reform Preventive Task Force: 4 Hearing Takeaways
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to overhaul the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) during a Ways and Means Committee hearing. He pledged more frequent meetings, greater transparency, and the addition of new members with a clear...