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:
CMS Announces 80-Hour Medicaid Work Requirement Amid Home Care Concerns
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an interim final rule mandating an 80‑hour monthly work requirement for adult Medicaid beneficiaries aged 19 to 64, with several exemptions. CMS projects the rule could reduce Medicaid enrollment by 3.1‑3.3 million people and save roughly $392 billion over ten years. Early adopters like Nebraska have already begun implementation, while a comment period runs until July 31. The rule has sparked concern that it will jeopardize health coverage for many home‑care workers and strain the long‑term services sector.
EXECUTIVE FORUM ON DIGITAL PATHOLOGY MANAGEMENT 2
The Executive Forum on Digital Pathology Management 2 gathered top clinicians and technology leaders to examine current digital pathology workflows, artificial‑intelligence applications, and data‑integration challenges. Opening remarks were delivered by Christopher Garcia, Mayo Clinic’s Chief Digital Innovation Officer, followed by insights...
RNA 'Cut-and-Patch' Tool Repairs Faulty Messages without Altering DNA
University of Hong Kong researchers unveiled RNA Segment Editing (RSE), a "cut‑and‑patch" platform that precisely removes and replaces faulty RNA segments in living cells without altering DNA. The tool leverages an engineered Cas13 enzyme to achieve segment‑level editing, a capability...
Neurological Long-Term Complications of E. Coli STEC-HUS
Shiga toxin‑producing Escherichia coli hemolytic uremic syndrome (STEC‑HUS) leaves most survivors with full recovery, but a notable minority develop lasting neurological injury. Cohort studies show roughly 70% of patients recover completely, while about 3% of children retain neuro‑symptoms a decade later and...
Healthcare Affordability and Financial Sustainability Concerns Test CFO Strategy
Healthcare CFOs are grappling with the dual challenge of keeping care affordable while preserving financial sustainability. A recent HFMA‑hosted panel highlighted that only 17% of CFOs are fully committed to affordability, yet all surveyed leaders now feel compelled to act....
AHA Urges CMS Not to Finalize Provisions in FY 2027 Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Proposed Rule
The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted comments to CMS on June 1 urging the agency not to finalize several provisions in the FY 2027 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system rule. The AHA argues that the proposed market‑basket update understates...
Policy Clarity Drives Hospitals’ M&A Surge
Hospital mergers and acquisitions surged to a six‑year high in 2026, with 22 deals announced in Q1, the strongest first‑quarter activity since 2020. The rise is driven by clearer policy guidance after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and related...
How Bandera Works With Partners to Expand Nursing Home Service Lines
Bandera Healthcare, an Arizona operator of Ensign Group, is expanding its nursing‑home service lines through strategic partnerships with health plans, hospitals, and community agencies. The company now offers bariatric care, behavioral health, in‑house dialysis, substance‑abuse recovery and other specialized services...
President Signs EO on Childhood Immunization Schedule
The President signed an executive order that revises the U.S. childhood immunization schedule, aiming to tighten vaccine requirements amid rising infectious‑disease threats. The CDC released a series of alerts highlighting a 2025 measles outbreak in Utah that has surpassed 660...
Massachusetts Attorney General Sues UnitedHealthcare, Alleges $100M MassHealth Fraud
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued UnitedHealthcare, accusing the insurer of manipulating health assessments to extract at least $100 million from the state Medicaid program, MassHealth. The allegations focus on the Senior Care Options plan, where United allegedly misclassified members into...
FDA's Stakeholder Push Fuels Pivotal Biomedicine Innovation
Laudable steps by FDA leadership in recent weeks to engage diverse stakeholders on advancing innovation for unmet needs. We’re at a pivotal moment in biomedicine—underscored by this week’s ASCO news—a unique chance to change the course of patient care. https://t.co/fJhG0X3Lxc
Clinical Workflow Automation: Where AI Is Making Real Inroads in Healthcare
Healthcare leaders are turning to AI‑driven clinical workflow automation to curb clinician burnout, fill staffing gaps, and speed up revenue‑cycle processes. Deloitte’s 2026 State of AI Report shows nearly 75% of health‑care organizations report efficiency gains from AI. Use cases...
Sandoz Files Anti-Dumping Complaint Over Chinese Amoxicillin Imports
Swiss generic drugmaker Sandoz lodged a draft anti-dumping complaint with the European Commission on May 28, alleging that Chinese imports of amoxicillin active pharmaceutical ingredients are being sold at unfairly low prices. The move seeks to protect the only remaining...
GRAIL’s PATHFINDER 2 Shows Galleri Test Boosts Cancer Detection 6.5‑Fold at ASCO 2026
GRAIL announced at the 2026 ASCO meeting that its Galleri multi‑cancer early detection test increased cancer detection 6.5‑fold when combined with standard screenings in a 35,878‑person PATHFINDER 2 trial, with 71% of newly found cancers diagnosed at stages I‑III. The results reinforce...
GLP‑1 Drugs Cut U.S. Obesity Rate as Ozempic Use Surges
Prescriptions for GLP‑1 drugs such as Ozempic rose from 1,884 to 8,819 per 100,000 adults between Q2 2021 and Q1 2026, coinciding with a decline in adult obesity from 42.3% to 40.7%. The shift shows promise, yet high costs and insurance gaps...
Micronix Launches Pocket‑Sized Spectrophotometer Matching Lab Accuracy
Kumamoto University licensed its patented nanophotonic sensor to Micronix Co., which has released the battery‑powered POTA spectrophotometer. The handheld device shrinks traditional lab equipment by 99% yet delivers comparable accuracy for protein, glucose and cytokine assays, opening point‑of‑care diagnostics for...
Waypoint Bio Raises $20M Series A
Waypoint Bio, an AI‑native biotech based in New York, closed a $20 million Series A round led by Amplify Partners. The financing brings new board member Elliot Hershberg and adds General Catalyst, Time BioVentures, Mitsui Global Investments, and Lux Capital among others. The...
Intuitive Elevates Taylor Patton to Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer
Intuitive Surgical promoted veteran executive Taylor Patton to chief commercial and marketing officer effective July 1, succeeding Henry Charlton. Patton, who previously led the endoluminal business and launched the Ion lung‑biopsy robot, will oversee global commercial expansion as competition in robotic...
Proxy Access to Health Data Remains Unsolved Challenge
Patient access to health data is becoming table stakes. Proxy access (for parents, caregivers, adult children) is the next unsolved quest. The health system side makes it look easy. It isn't, everywhere else. https://t.co/XQxZ7TeG8F
Idvynso, Merck’s Once-Daily HIV Pill, Wins FDA Approval
The FDA has granted approval to Merck’s Idvynso, a once‑daily fixed‑dose tablet combining doravirine and islatravir, for adults with HIV‑1 who are already virologically suppressed. The drug offers a two‑drug, tenofovir‑free regimen and is the first non‑INSTI option to demonstrate...
The Threat Landscape Is Evolving. How Can Healthcare Organizations Protect Themselves?
Cyber attackers targeting healthcare have accelerated, now moving from initial breach to lateral spread in under 30 seconds, according to CrowdStrike’s Global Threat Report. This speed compresses detection and response windows, making traditional defenses inadequate. The threat ecosystem has converged,...
Approaches to Rural Healthcare Need a Reality Check
Rural healthcare leaders often assume patients lack basic connectivity, but CNO Holly Davis argues that smartphones, telemedicine platforms, and emerging satellite internet services have dramatically narrowed the digital divide. While these technologies enable virtual visits and remote monitoring, persistent funding...
Oracle Health Powers Nova Scotia's One Record Initiative
I’m proud of the work @OracleHealth teams are doing to support @nsgov and @HealthNS's One Person One Record project. With Oracle's unified, integrated clinical platform, we can improve the quality and accessibility of care for Nova Scotians. https://t.co/2rsPSQCBoA
Biotech IPO Market Strengthens in 2026, but Quality Bar Remains High
Cooley partners Charlie Kim and Div Gupta told BioXconomy that biotech IPO activity is picking up in 2026, with a noticeable rise in deal volume and higher median valuations. They highlighted that investors are still demanding rigorous data packages and...
Registry Maps ‘Fragmented’ Health AI Policy Landscape
Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai introduced the Health & AI Policy Index (HAPI), a comprehensive registry that aggregates U.S. state, federal, international and voluntary health‑AI policies. An analysis of 240 policies from 2016‑2025 shows the governance landscape is...
Navigating the Shift to Bulk Data and AI
In this episode of Out of the Fire, co‑founder Ron Yerwong of DeFacto Health discusses the rapid evolution of the CMS National Provider Directory (NPD) and the shift toward bulk data and AI‑ready formats. He highlights how CMS is moving...
6 Newly Formed Health Systems
Six new health systems debuted across the U.S. after mergers, bankruptcy exits, and nonprofit turnarounds. The entities range from Memorial Health System of Southwest Oklahoma’s 464‑bed merger to Hudson Regional Health’s $120 million‑backed restructuring of four New Jersey hospitals. Centralus Health...
New York Health System to Shutter ASC Amid Declining Patient Volume
Catholic Health System announced it will close the Sterling Surgical Center in Orchard Park, New York, citing a sharp drop in patient volume over the past year. The outpatient facility, which once performed about 8,600 surgeries annually with a staff of 28,...
Northwell Built a Medical School without Grades or Class Rank. Here’s Where It Stands, 15 Years In
The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine, launched in 2011 by Hofstra University and Northwell Health, abandoned grades and class rank, replacing traditional exams with essays, oral assessments, and high‑fidelity simulations while immersing students in clinical work from day...
Cancer Is Now a Story of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly – but Also Hope | Devi Sridhar
At the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, a new oral drug, daraxonrasib, doubled five‑year survival for pancreatic cancer patients in a 500‑person trial, offering a rare breakthrough for a disease with historically poor outcomes. A concurrent head‑and‑neck cancer vaccine,...
Proposed Changes to CalAIM Could Impede the State’s Efforts to Address Homelessness
The Governor’s May Budget Revision proposes limiting California Advancing and Innovating Medi‑Cal (CalAIM) eligibility for Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services (HTSS) to an initial six‑month period. For nearly five years, Medi‑Cal payments have funded case management, lease compliance, and health‑care...
New Peptides Slip Into Cells to Block Hard-to-Target Proteins
Researchers at EPFL’s Laboratory of Therapeutic Proteins and Peptides have created a high‑throughput platform to discover membrane‑permeable cyclic peptides. By synthesizing and screening a library of 15,360 fully random, sub‑1000‑Dalton peptides, they identified peptide 30 (890.6 Da) that penetrates cells and blocks...
Potential Big Impact If Firms That Own Pharmacy Benefit Managers Must Break Up
A bipartisan "Patients Before Monopolies Act" would bar health insurers that own pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from also owning retail pharmacies, giving firms like Cigna, CVS Health and UnitedHealth a year to divest. The proposal targets specialty pharmacies, which now...
HCA Hospital in Tennessee Names COO
HCA Healthcare announced that Sam Younger, PhD, MSN, will become chief operating officer of TriStar Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, effective June 1. Younger previously served as COO of TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green, Kentucky, also an HCA facility....
Smart Drug that Strips Cancer Cells of ‘Invisibility Cloak’ Can Shrink Tumours by 30%, Trial Shows
Researchers at Oxford’s Greywolf Therapeutics reported that the oral drug GRWD5769, when paired with cemiplimab immunotherapy, caused tumor shrinkage in 26 of 83 heavily pre‑treated patients across six common cancer types. Fifteen of those patients saw reductions of at least...
The Link Between HIV and Chronic Pain
Over half of people living with HIV suffer chronic pain, a condition that remains hard to treat. A new study in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that the HIV envelope protein gp120, when injected into the mouse spinal cord, boosts...
Prescription Drug Prior Authorization: Costs to Pharmacies and Physicians
A systematic review of 14 U.S. studies quantifies the labor costs of prescription‑drug prior authorizations (PAs) in outpatient settings. Health‑system pharmacies spend 15‑24 minutes per PA, costing $15‑$63, while physician practices require 25‑64 minutes, costing $16‑$49. The analysis highlights substantial...
Epic Integrates Firearm Injury Risk Screening Tool From Northwell Health
Northwell Health’s NIH‑funded "We Ask Everyone" firearm injury risk screening tool has been embedded in Epic’s electronic health record platform. The digital module identifies patients at risk, provides free gun locks, and connects them to hospital‑based violence‑intervention services while capturing...
Vandalia Health CFO Begins New Role as CEO
Jeff Sandene, previously executive vice president and CFO of Vandalia Health, assumed the role of president and chief executive on June 1. The promotion, originally slated for July after Dave Ramsey’s retirement, was accelerated when Pat Keel was appointed as the...
Arkansas Children’s Taps Chief Research Officer, Institute President
Arkansas Children’s announced that Dr. Tamara Perry will assume the role of senior vice president and chief research officer, effective July 1, while also becoming president of the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. Perry, a longtime employee with nearly two decades at...
Ahead of Becker’s ASC: Kathy Saunders on Denials, Underpayments and Scaling RCM in Orthopedics
Kathy Saunders, SVP of revenue cycle management at Redefine Healthcare, explained how denials, underpayments and staffing pressures are reshaping revenue cycle management for orthopedics groups using athenahealth. She highlighted that the Adonis analytics platform enables proactive, batch‑level denial detection and...
Novartis Boosts Radioligand Therapy with Pluvicto Success and Actinium-225 Early Data
Novartis unveiled Phase 3 subgroup results showing Pluvicto cuts radiographic progression or death by 28% in metastatic hormone‑sensitive prostate cancer, while early data from its actinium‑225 radioligand demonstrated PSA halving in over half of patients previously treated with Pluvicto. The findings,...
Pro Medicus Secures $18.5M Renewal with Allegheny Health Network, Stock Jumps 9%
Pro Medicus Limited’s U.S. arm, Visage Imaging, has signed a five‑year A$28 million (≈$18.5 million) renewal with Allegheny Health Network. The deal adds the Visage 7 Workflow platform across AHN’s 15 hospitals and 300 clinical sites, sending Pro Medicus shares up 8.9% on...
Health Sector Council Issues Framework to Govern AI Cybersecurity Risk
The Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) Cybersecurity Working Group has published the Health Industry AI Cyber Governance Framework Implementation Guide, a dedicated roadmap for managing AI‑related cyber risks in healthcare. The guide targets threats such as data poisoning, model drift,...
Servier Reports 44‑month Median PFS for VORANIGO in IDH‑mutant Glioma at ASCO
Servier presented extended Phase 3 INDIGO results at the 2026 ASCO meeting, showing a median progression‑free survival of 44.1 months for VORANIGO in grade 2 IDH‑mutant glioma. The data, based on over three years of follow‑up, also highlighted a 72% seizure‑rate reduction and...
Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and FFS Targeted Medicaid Practitioner Payments Proposed Rule Summary
On May 22, 2026, CMS issued a proposed rule to implement section 71116 of Public Law 119‑21, the Working Families Tax Cut, modifying payment limits for State Directed Payments (SDPs) in Medicaid managed care. The rule expands the revised cap...
Rural Hospitals Are Collapsing Under Administrative Burden That AI Alone Cannot Solve
More than 180 rural hospitals have shut since 2005, and providers spend over $25 billion annually on claims adjudication, with roughly $18 billion tied to claims that are eventually paid. The repetitive, manual work required to correct, resubmit and appeal denied claims...
The Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Blood-Based Biomarkers With Depressive Symptoms
Researchers examined blood‑based biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 12,000 community‑dwelling seniors from the ASPREE trial to determine links with depressive symptoms. In fully adjusted models, only plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) remained significantly associated with higher CES‑D‑10 scores,...
C2N Diagnostics and SouthGenetics Partner to Enable Broader Access to Precivity® Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment in Latin America,...
C2N Diagnostics and SouthGenetics announced a partnership to bring C2N’s Precivity® blood‑test portfolio to nine Latin American and Caribbean markets, including Argentina, Mexico and Colombia. The tests detect amyloid‑related biomarkers, offering a scalable alternative to PET imaging for Alzheimer’s disease...
Sermo Barometer Finds Nearly Half of Physicians Report Patients Are Using Non-FDA Regulated Peptides
Nearly half of U.S. physicians say patients have used non‑FDA‑approved peptides in the past year, driven largely by weight‑loss and anti‑aging goals. The 45th Sermo Barometer, surveying 507 doctors, found 48% disclosed patient peptide use, while 81% demand a clear...