Today's Healthcare Pulse
Allogene Therapeutics CEO David Chang to step down
Allogene Therapeutics announced that chief executive David Chang will leave his role. The news was reported by STAT+ and echoed in a follow‑up piece covering broader pharma updates.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Boston Scientific invests $1.5B for 34% stake in MiRus
New Off-the-Shelf Conduit for CABG Shows Promise in First-in-Human Study
Vascudyne’s acellular tissue‑engineered vessel with external support (ATEV‑ESS) demonstrated early promise as an off‑the‑shelf conduit in a first‑in‑human study. Three patients with multivessel coronary disease received the device; two implants remained patent at 12 months with no thrombus or major adverse events, while one case was aborted due to length mismatch and another occluded after a year because of anastomotic distortion. The findings suggest ATEV‑ESS could become a viable alternative to saphenous vein grafts, eliminating the need for vessel harvesting.
NDIS Participants Work More and Feel Better After Accessing the Scheme
New analysis by the e61 Institute shows that people who join Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) work roughly two extra hours per week and earn about $50 USD more each fortnight within four years of entry. Participants also report a...
What Jefferson Health Hopes to Gain From NCQA Advanced Primary Care Pilot
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) selected Jefferson Health as one of four participants in its Advanced Primary Care pilot, aimed at shaping standards for data‑driven, team‑based care. Jefferson’s primary‑care network spans roughly 150 sites, 1,000 clinicians, and one...
Priority Health Appoints Brian Steele, DO, as Chief Medical Officer
Priority Health announced the appointment of Brian Steele, DO, as senior vice president and chief medical officer, effective April 6, 2026. Steele will oversee the health plan's clinical, pharmacy, and population‑health programs, aiming to deepen value‑based care and improve member...
One in Five Claims Denied Sparks Systemwide Frustration
When one out of five health insurance claims get denied, you can understand why patients, doctors, and hospitals get frustrated. https://www.kff.org/patient-consumer-protections/claims-denials-and-appeals-in-aca-marketplace-plans-in-2024/
Laser Eye Surgeons Should Be Vigilant for P. Lilacinum Infection
Three patients developed fungal keratitis after laser eye surgery at a New York clinic in December 2024, with Purpureocillium lilacinum confirmed in two cases. The infections prompted the clinic to halt procedures and triggered a health‑department review that uncovered incomplete...
STAT+: Drug Company Penalties for Paying Kickbacks to Doctors Failed to Dent Bottom Lines, Analysis Finds
A JAMA Network Open study examined 64 pharmaceutical kickback settlements from 2000 to 2025, uncovering $10.25 billion in penalties. The drugs at the center of those cases generated $458.6 billion in U.S. sales, meaning fines represented just 2.2 percent of related revenue. The...
ENR West 2026 California Owner of the Year: UC Davis
UC Davis has been named ENR West’s 2026 California Owner of the Year, recognizing its expansive capital program across academic and healthcare facilities. The university’s $7.5 billion Vision 2030 plan will culminate in the 14‑story California Tower, adding 909,000 sq ft and 334 new...
For Medical Devices, “Possible Use” Amounts To Infringement Only If The Use Is In Line With Medical Practice
The Munich Local Division dismissed Emboline’s infringement claim against AorticLab, confirming that a medical device can still infringe a patent if the patented use is technically possible. However, the court added that for medical devices the infringing use must align...
BioAge Labs Provides Business Updates
BioAge Labs reported full‑year 2025 results, highlighting positive Phase 1 data for its oral NLRP3 inhibitor BGE‑102, which achieved up to 86% reduction in hsCRP and strong suppression of IL‑1β, IL‑6, and fibrinogen. The company announced a Phase 2a cardiovascular risk trial...
How Hindsight Bias Distorts Clinical Medicine
The article warns that hindsight bias distorts clinical medicine by making adverse outcomes appear inevitable after the fact. Physicians often face ambiguous symptoms, limited data, and time pressure, yet retrospective reviews rewrite cases as if certainty existed from the start....
Concussions Predict Depression, Anxiety in Athletes
A Neurology study of 3,910 former college athletes found that those with three or more lifetime concussions exhibited significantly higher anxiety, depression, and related symptom scores five years after graduation. About 36% of participants reported at least one concussion, and...
CVS Reaches Insulin Pricing Settlement with FTC
CVS Health announced a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission concerning its insulin pricing practices. The agreement, negotiated by CVS’s pharmacy benefit manager Caremark, is modeled after the FTC’s recent deal with Express Scripts, a Cigna subsidiary. While the...
ACP Updates Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Guidance
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued version 3 of its outpatient COVID‑19 treatment guideline, focusing on antiviral therapy for high‑risk patients and retiring the guideline’s living status after four years of continuous review. It recommends nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) and molnupiravir...
Safety Similar Across Advanced Crohn’s Disease Therapies
Researchers analyzed real‑world claims data from 12,245 Crohn’s disease patients treated between 2016 and 2022 to compare safety outcomes across five advanced therapies, including TNF antagonists, vedolizumab, ustekinumab, risankizumab, and upadacitinib. Incidence rates for serious infections, major adverse cardiovascular events,...
Leeds Midwives Launch Weekly Drop‑In Support Group for New and Expectant Mothers
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has opened a free, midwife‑led drop‑in workshop called Meet the Midwives, running every Monday at the Leeds Baby Bank Hub. The service provides practical advice on housing, benefits, infant care and mental‑health support for pregnant...
CaryHealth and HealthDyne Partner to Power Scalable, End-to-End Direct-to-Patient Programs
Digital health company CaryHealth announced a strategic partnership with digital pharmacy services provider HealthDyne to reinforce its direct-to-patient platform. The collaboration leverages CaryHealth’s AI-driven prescription intake and patient support with HealthDyne’s nationwide, cold-chain‑enabled pharmacy infrastructure, creating a redundant, scalable fulfillment...
Ping An Healthcare Posts 366% Profit Jump, Revenue Up 13.7% in 2025
Ping An Healthcare and Technology Co. Ltd announced a full‑year net profit of RMB379.5 million, a 366% increase from the prior year, while revenue climbed 13.7% to RMB5.468 billion. The results highlight accelerating adoption of its telemedicine and digital health platform across...
Kintor’s KX-826 Meets Phase III Endpoints in Alopecia
Kintor Therapeutics announced that its oral JAK inhibitor KX-826 successfully met both primary and key secondary endpoints in a pivotal Phase III trial for alopecia areata. The double‑blind study enrolled 620 patients and showed statistically significant hair regrowth compared with...
STAT+: FDA Slams Soon-Shiong and ImmunityBio for Making ‘False and Misleading’ Claims About a Drug
The FDA sent a March 13 warning letter to ImmunityBio, a company controlled by biotech magnate Patrick Soon‑Shiong, after finding multiple false and misleading statements about its bladder‑cancer drug Anktiva. The agency highlighted that television ads and a podcast claimed the...
AI Scribes Significantly Improve Output, Clinician Satisfaction
A randomized trial of 22 oncologists and primary‑care physicians showed that eight weeks of using the Knowtex AI scribe increased average daily patient visits from 16.6 to 18.4 and boosted total fees per day by roughly $800. Clinicians reported an...
When the Call Goes Sideways: First Responders Recount Shocking Field Encounters on Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Anonymous’
‘Armchair Anonymous’ aired an episode where anonymous first responders recounted some of their most intense field calls, ranging from a helicopter crew treating a traumatic amputation to a Canadian firefighter rescuing a man trapped under a car. The stories highlighted...
Ocugen Heads to Phase 3 with Gene Therapy for Geographic Atrophy
Ocugen announced that its investigational gene therapy for geographic atrophy, a leading cause of vision loss in age‑related macular degeneration, will move into a Phase 3 clinical trial. The company reported mixed Phase 2 results, showing a favorable safety profile but inconsistent...
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust Deploys an AI App to Support Staff Wellbeing and Reduce Absence.
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has introduced Aria, an AI‑driven mental‑health platform, to give staff 24/7 confidential support. The app aims to curb burnout‑related sickness absence, a major driver of lost workdays in the NHS. Early usage shows...
Lessons From the Last Health Tech Revolution
Farzad Mostashari, former US national coordinator for health IT, reflects on the chaotic rollout of electronic health records (EHR) and draws parallels to today’s AI hype in healthcare. He argues that the last health‑tech revolution exposed systemic flaws—interoperability gaps, clinician...
CMS Considering Automatic Enrollment in a Medicare Advantage Plan
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is weighing a policy that would automatically enroll seniors into a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, shifting the default from traditional fee‑for‑service Medicare. CMS officials say beneficiaries could still opt out or select a...
DOD Rejects Malpractice Appeal in 26-Year-Old Soldier’s Cancer Death
The Defense Health Agency’s Military Medical Malpractice Claims Appeals Board denied the family’s lawsuit over the death of Specialist Maria Martinez, ruling the Pentagon bears no liability. The board concluded that even a five‑month earlier diagnosis would not have altered...
FDA Warns ImmunityBio over Misleading Podcast with Patrick Soon-Shiong
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to ImmunityBio after a television ad and a podcast featuring billionaire biotech entrepreneur Patrick Soon‑Shiong suggested that the company’s bladder‑cancer drug Anktiva could cure or prevent all cancers. The FDA said...
AI Scribes Cut Docs' Work, Spark New Burnout Crisis
Ambient AI scribes are the biggest breakthrough in clinical documentation in a decade. They will absolutely cure the charting backlog. But they will introduce a much more dangerous form of physician burnout. Dr. Dike Drummond explains the incoming crisis. Right now, clinical...
New Research Shows Cannabis Compounds May Boost Liver and Heart Health
Researchers at HU School of Pharmacy found that the non‑psychoactive cannabinoids cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) can remodel liver metabolism, enhancing energy storage and lysosomal function. In mouse models of metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), both compounds lowered...
A Much More Sensitive Fentanyl Detection Strip, Thanks to Physics
University of California, San Diego researchers introduced a physics‑based model that quantifies the sensitivity limits of competitive lateral flow assays (cLFAs). By applying the model, they engineered fentanyl test strips that are roughly 100 times more sensitive than existing commercial...
How to Choose a Tech-Advanced Dental Implant Specialist: What to Look For
The article provides a practical checklist for patients seeking a dental implant specialist who leverages digital tools such as 3D imaging, AI‑driven treatment planning, and guided surgery, with a focus on Miami practices. It highlights the importance of advanced imaging,...
AIMHI Announces 2026 Excellence in EMS Integration Award Winners
The Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration announced the winners of its 2026 Excellence in EMS Integration Awards. Recipients include Sonoma County Fire District EMS, Rep. Mike Carey, Medic Keep the Beat Foundation, Prisma Health Ambulance Service, Justin Duncan, and...
KeyCare Deploys NVIDIA Nemotron to Power AI-Driven Clinical Intake at Scale
KeyCare, the nation’s only Epic‑based virtual care group, has launched NVIDIA’s Nemotron large language model in production to power its AI‑driven patient intake agent. The agent, embedded in KeyCare’s virtual waiting room, captures and summarizes clinically relevant Epic data before...
Alnylam Advances Future of ATTR-CM Care Through Strategic Collaboration with Viz.ai and Support for the American Heart Association
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announced a strategic partnership with Viz.ai to develop an AI‑enabled care pathway for earlier detection of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR‑CM), launching the AWARE study in five health systems. The company also pledged support for the American Heart Association’s...
Karyopharm’s Mixed Myelofibrosis Data; Rezolute to Seek FDA Approval Despite Trial Failure
Karyopharm reported mixed results from its Phase 3 SENTRY trial of selinexor in myelofibrosis, achieving a statistically significant reduction in spleen volume but raising safety concerns. The data fell short of expectations for overall survival benefit. Meanwhile, Rezolute announced it will...
Introducing a Noninvasive Test for Endothelial Function
I’m excited a new noninvasive way to evaluate endothelial function. Stay tuned for a deeper dive as I test it on myself. https://www.vendys2.com/drlufkin VENDYS_2
Syncope Case Studies: Real Failures, Real Consequences
Two recent lawsuits illustrate the deadly cost of ignoring vasovagal syncope during phlebotomy. In Georgia, a medical assistant left a truck driver upright on an exam table despite dizziness, resulting in a broken neck and a $15 million verdict for lifetime...
Governance by Ideological Whim Meets the Rule of Law
A federal district court in Massachusetts issued a temporary stay halting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sweeping overhaul of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The judge ruled the changes violate the Administrative Procedure Act because Kennedy replaced career experts...
Health Tech Proves Resilient Amid SaaS Market Turmoil
Amidst the SaaS bloodbath fears, is health tech actually safer than people think? I sat down with @SeanDuffy (CEO of @OmadaHealth) and Stephanie Davis (Healthcare Industry Analyst) to dig into what's really happening in the markets and what it means for...
AI-Driven Oracle Solutions Cut Costs, Boost Healthcare Profitability
Oracle’s clinical, financial, or operational solutions to lower care costs and improve profitability. https://t.co/MbG4q9k5EM Learn how our AI-powered solutions can help your organization streamline operations and enhance care delivery. https://t.co/rLxc2XEx47
OnMed Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026
OnMed has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2026, earning a No. 14 ranking in North America. The company’s AI‑enabled CareStation™ platform has expanded into rural states, schools, an airport hub, and Puerto Rico over the...
U.S. Power Cut Threatens Cuban NICU Babies' Lives
The U.S. continues to attempt to kill more babies. The American govt is 100% culpable for this suffering and could end it at any time
NEMT Must Adopt Closed‑Loop Interoperability for True Modernization
Trip intake in one system. Fulfillment in another. Claims somewhere else. That’s not modernization. Why NEMT needs closed-loop interoperability: https://t.co/xVhBAUMx5u @KinetikHealth #NEMT #HITSM
Seven T Cell Engager Companies You Should Know About
T‑cell engagers are bispecific antibodies that redirect T cells to destroy cancer cells and are being explored for autoimmune disorders. Seven companies are leading the field: Adaptin Bio secured FDA IND clearance for APTN‑101 in glioblastoma; Candid Therapeutics merged with...
Clinician Trust Drives AI Adoption, Not Accuracy Claims
99% accuracy sounds impressive. But belief happens when clinicians see it firsthand. Trust is the real implementation strategy. Full interview: https://t.co/YKdRTovquF @HealthCatalyst #clinicalimprovement #HITSM https://t.co/UpRxxGdPEK
Free Market Could Make Ozempic Affordable for Millions
The free market (no government-granted patent monopolies) will make Ozempic affordable for tens of millions of people https://t.co/SYl5M82mux
It’s Not ‘Racism’, It’s Statistics…
CVS has begun locking darker foundation and concealer shades behind anti‑theft devices, citing shoplifting data rather than racial intent. Retail theft in the U.S. surged 19 percent year‑over‑year, with projected losses near $48 billion for 2026, prompting chains to protect high‑risk items....
Radiologists and AI Struggle to Spot Deepfake Scans
The majority of radiologists and 4 LLMs were unable to differentiate synthetic, deepfake scans from real ones https://t.co/aAJhP0cpfG @RSNA https://t.co/q0wdIKicK6
Safeguarded AI Beats Physicians, Not Raw Models
The real way to use AI for medicine is to build safety, accuracy and triage on top of the big models like OpenAI. Using these models directly can be harmful. With appropriate safeguards Ai performs much better than the median...