Today's Healthcare Pulse
FDA greenlights durvalumab combo for high‑risk bladder cancer
The FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) combined with Bacillus Calmette‑Guerin for BCG‑naïve, high‑risk non‑muscle invasive bladder cancer. The POTOMAC trial enrolled 1,018 patients and showed a 32% reduction in disease recurrence risk (hazard ratio 0.68, p=0.015). Durvalumab is given at 1,500 mg IV every four weeks for up to 13 cycles.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Apogee Therapeutics raises $1.3B royalty financing
Belly Fat Linked to Heart Failure Risk Even in People with Normal Weight
New research presented at the American Heart Association’s EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions 2026 shows that waist‑circumference and other measures of central obesity are stronger predictors of heart failure than body‑mass index, even among individuals with normal BMI. In a cohort of 1,998 African‑American adults followed for nearly seven years, higher visceral fat and elevated inflammatory markers were associated with a significantly increased risk of developing heart failure, accounting for up to one‑third of the risk relationship. The findings suggest that inflammation mediates the link between abdominal fat and cardiac dysfunction, and that waist measurements could improve early risk identification.
2,400 Kaiser Mental Health Professionals Strike in California Over AI Concerns
Around 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental‑health clinicians walked off the job in Northern California, protesting what they describe as a looming shift toward artificial‑intelligence‑driven therapy. The strike coincided with a one‑day walkout by more than 23,000 Kaiser nurses, highlighting broader workforce...
Inside One VC’s Litmus Test for Investable Healthcare AI Startups
Katie Jacobs Stanton, former Yahoo, Google and Twitter executive, transitioned into healthcare investing after a stint as CMO at Color Genomics. In 2019 she founded Moxxie Ventures, focusing on early‑stage AI‑driven health companies such as Dandelion Health, Pharos Health, Luminai...
How PreSeed Is Tackling the Sperm Donor Shortage
PreSeed Fertility launched a recruitment and matching platform to address the stark gap between the over 100,000 U.S. families searching for sperm donors and the roughly 1,500 donors currently registered. The service pairs families with a concierge specialist and provides...
Morning Headlines 3/20/26
A lawsuit alleges Google disseminated inaccurate crowdsourced medical advice at scale, prompting scrutiny from Texas officials and raising potential political fallout. Concurrently, the Fischman v. Epic Systems case highlights concerns over electronic health‑record (EHR) data handling and possible discovery tactics...
Former AHA Chair John Haupert to Retire
Former Grady Health System president and CEO John Haupert announced his retirement at the end of 2026, moving into an advisory role in 2027. Haupert, who has led Grady since 2011 and chaired the American Hospital Association in 2023, will be...
Study Estimates More than 155,000 Uncounted COVID-19 Deaths Occurred Early During Pandemic
A new peer‑reviewed study estimates that more than 155,000 COVID‑19 deaths were missed in the United States during the pandemic’s first year. By merging state mortality records with excess‑death statistical models, researchers identified a sizable gap between official death certificates...
CMS Accepting Comments on Data Collection Requirements for Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D Sponsors
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has opened a public comment period, ending May 11, on proposed revisions to data reporting requirements for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D sponsors. The updates, intended for contract year 2027, clarify...
The 3 Levels of Psychiatric Treatment: Biological, Psychosocial, Moral
The authors propose a three‑level framework for psychiatric care that integrates biological, psychosocial, and moral‑existential interventions. Biological treatment with medication corrects neurochemical disruptions, while psychotherapy addresses social and psychological stressors. The moral‑existential layer, delivered through the therapeutic relationship, fosters meaning,...
FDA Clears 2 New MR-Guided Breast Biopsy Tools
The FDA has cleared Mammotome’s Mammotome Prima MR Dual Vacuum‑Assisted Breast Biopsy System and its HydroMARK Plus MR biopsy site marker, marking the first in‑room MR‑guided biopsy solution. The system positions the vacuum‑assisted device beside the patient in the scanner, reduces...
The Rise of the Online Medical Assistant Program — And Why Recruiters Should Take Notice
Healthcare hiring is accelerating, and medical assistants are among the fastest‑growing occupations. Traditional community‑college pathways cannot keep pace with the rising demand driven by an aging population, physician shortages, and cost pressures. Accredited online medical assistant programs now offer rigorous...
FDA Backs Off Stricter Tanning Bed Rules with RFK Jr.'s Support
The FDA withdrew its long‑standing proposal to ban anyone under 18 from using indoor tanning beds, a rule first introduced in 2015. The decision came after Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly advocated for less government suppression of "sunshine," aligning with...
CMS Fraud Crackdown Raises ‘Broad Brush’ Concerns For At-Home Care Sector
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz is spearheading an aggressive fraud crackdown in the home‑based care sector, mirroring recent actions in the durable medical equipment (DME) market. Industry leaders, including the National Alliance for Care at Home, back the effort but...
How Lifepoint Health Is Addressing Incidental Findings at Enterprise Scale
Lifepoint Health partnered with AI‑driven Eon to launch the Eon Breast platform, extending incidental‑finding management across its 80‑hospital network. The solution consolidates screening and incidental alerts, enabling early detection of breast and other cancers and has been deployed in 53...
Frontline Honors Award Winner: Jean Verlus, Home Care Registered Nurse, VNS Health
Jean Verlus, a home‑care registered nurse at VNS Health, was named to the Frontline Honors Awards Class of 2025, recognizing his exceptional dedication and patient‑centered care. He recounts his personal journey into nursing, the misconceptions he faced about home care,...
How the Public Can CRUSH Medicare and Medicaid Fraud
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a new public‑idea portal under its Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare initiative. CMS Chief Operating Officer Kimberly Brandt invited citizens, providers, and industry experts to submit suggestions for strengthening...
Violence Against Health Care Workers: The Silence Must End
The article condemns the growing wave of violence against health‑care workers, underscored by the 2026 murder of nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota. It blends personal testimony from a retired nurse with a broader call for systemic change, arguing that assaults...
Enhancing the Clinical Utility of Emerging Anxiety Models Through Religion-Informed Adaptations
The letter highlights a critical gap in emerging anxiety‑disorder treatments: their limited applicability to religiously themed obsessive‑compulsive disorder, or scrupulosity. It proposes adapting Positive Affect Treatment and exposure‑based protocols with religion‑informed elements such as sacred savoring and faith‑based expectancy violation....
BIOTECanada Welcomes the Announcement of the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector Task Force
BIOTECanada has praised the federal government’s launch of the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector Task Force, signaling a strategic push to strengthen Canada’s biotech and pharma ecosystem. The task force is tasked with reviewing investment incentives, regulatory frameworks, and market...
ECU Health Gets Green Light for $138M Expansion
ECU Health in Greenville, North Carolina, received conditional state approval for a $138 million expansion of its medical center. The project will add five new operating rooms—four dedicated to C‑sections and one trauma suite—and renovate existing surgical spaces. The expansion is...
Hospital Ads Increase ED Visits, Medicare Spending: Penn Study
A University of Pennsylvania study links higher hospital advertising spend to increased emergency‑department visits and Medicare costs. A 10 percent rise in ad impressions—about 150 extra spots—adds nine admissions per 100,000 beneficiaries, indicating a 6 percent advertising elasticity. The research combines traditional...
First Surrogate Endpoint in Osteoporosis Clinical Trials with FNIH’s Dr. Tania Kamphaus — Episode 247
On December 2025 the FDA officially qualified dual‑energy X‑ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density scans as the first surrogate endpoint for fracture outcomes in osteoporosis trials involving post‑menopausal women. The qualification, achieved through a request from the Foundation for the National...
FDA Warns About Severe Worsening of Multiple Sclerosis After Stopping the Medicine Gilenya (Fingolimod)
The FDA has added a new warning to the Gilenya (fingolimod) label after identifying 35 cases where patients experienced severe disability following drug discontinuation. The worsening, which can occur 2 to 24 weeks after stopping treatment, often exceeds typical MS...
NB to Broaden Role of Midwives, Enable Midwifery Student Training
The New Brunswick government introduced Bill No. 25 to amend the 2008 Midwifery Act, broadening midwives’ scope to cover the full child‑bearing continuum and permitting student midwives to gain supervised clinical experience. The legislation also restructures the Midwifery Council by adding...
University of Missouri System Names Marketing Chief
University of Missouri System has appointed Jody Mitori as its chief marketing and communications officer. Mitori, who most recently served as executive director of strategic communications at Washington University School of Medicine and previously held five years of marketing leadership...
Trust in Healthcare Is Already Eroding in the UK.
A Somali doctor warns that the UK’s hostile‑environment policies and NHS‑Home Office data‑sharing are eroding trust among Somali migrants, prompting avoidance of primary, mental health and vaccination services. The letter cites stark disparities: only 14% of Somali respondents accessed needed...
T50.B25x - New ICD-10 Code for COVID-19 Vax Injury Thanks to React19
A new ICD-10 diagnosis code, T50.B25x, has been introduced to capture injuries linked to COVID‑19 vaccinations. The code is not yet reflected on the official ICD‑10 database, suggesting a brief rollout lag. Advocacy group React19 is credited with prompting the...
Is Omitting Data From a COVID-19 Study Conclusion a Lie?
The OpenSAFELY cohort study examined Pfizer vaccination in English children aged 5‑15, finding virtually no COVID‑related deaths and fewer than seven critical‑care admissions during an early‑pandemic window. Vaccine impact was limited to modest, short‑term reductions in infection and a slight...
Gene Therapy Delivers Real Results Amid Hype
Katrine Bosley: There's no question “hopes and aspirations” got ahead of the pace of any new science on gene editing #STATBreakthrough Seng Cheng: “The promise of gene therapy is correct. I think it has made that promise. and that's demonstrated by...
Providence Explores Sale of Health Plan
Providence, the 51‑hospital system, announced it is evaluating strategic options for its insurance subsidiary, Providence Health Plan, including a possible sale. The move comes as the plan reported a $102 million loss on $2.5 billion revenue last year and a dip to...
Critical Access Hospital Builds Epic Hub for Rural Providers
Aspen Valley Health, a Colorado critical access hospital, has become an Epic host for other rural providers through Epic’s Community Connect program. After abandoning a large‑system partnership in 2017, the hospital implemented Epic independently and now ranks near the top...
Aligning Hub Services and Field Reimbursement Teams for Better Patient Support
CoverMyMeds senior manager Kimberly Howard explains that aligning hub services with field reimbursement teams creates a seamless patient‑support workflow. Hubs handle benefit investigations while field reimbursement managers guide providers through prior‑authorizations, and shared data bridges the two functions. When manufacturers...
Fitch Upgrades Tenet’s Credit Rating
Fitch Ratings upgraded Tenet Healthcare’s credit rating to BB from BB‑, citing a stronger competitive position and improved liquidity. The for‑profit system posted double‑digit revenue growth in its high‑margin ambulatory surgery segment and sold 14 hospitals, funding a $2.1 billion debt...
Early Experiments May Mislead; Models Need Validation
Jane Grogan from $BIIB again, on the fundamental challenge of drug discovery: do you believe what early experiments tell you? "We need to understand when [models] can be predictive and when they help at answering our hypothesis... “If you...
How Concierge Programs Can Strengthen Revenue, Retention and Patient Satisfaction
Health systems face a "perfect storm" of falling reimbursements, rising costs and physician burnout, prompting leaders to seek new revenue streams. Keith Elgart of Concierge Choice Physicians explained that flexible, hybrid concierge programs can generate additional income while fitting into...
![Why Early Detection Matters: Transforming Lung Cancer Care [PODCAST]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://kevinmd.com/wp-content/uploads/unnamed-2-7.jpg)
Why Early Detection Matters: Transforming Lung Cancer Care [PODCAST]
Early detection of lung cancer, especially through low‑dose CT screening, can cut mortality by 20% and prevent one death per 320 screened. Yet only 18% of eligible U.S. patients undergo screening, due to awareness and access barriers. Eli Lilly’s senior oncology...
The Vitamin Deficiency Linked To Chronic Headaches
A Finnish cohort of 2,601 men revealed that 68% were vitamin D deficient, and those with the lowest levels faced twice the risk of chronic headaches compared to men with higher concentrations. The study also noted a seasonal pattern, with headaches...
Could Data From 100 Million Species Help Cure Disease? One Startup Is Betting on It
Basecamp Research announced the launch of its Trillion Gene Atlas, a project to collect and model genomic data from over 100 million species, expanding known genetic diversity a hundred‑fold. Backed by $85 million in venture funding, the initiative partners with Anthropic, Ultima...
China Produces Triple U.S. PhDs, Boosting Biotech Innovation
$BIIB’s Jane Grogan on the impact of China on biotech innovation. “There's three times more PhDs that have been given last year in China than in the US. ... That's a lot of bright young things out there who are going...
Breakthroughs Take Years, Then Appear Overnight
$BMY chief scientist Robert Plenge: says there is “a joke” drug developers often repeat. “It's an overnight sensation a decade in the making. These things can actually be going on for a very long time, and then suddenly the field catches...
FDA Drug Safety Communication: Updated Information on 32 Mg Intravenous Ondansetron (Zofran) Dose and Pre-Mixed Ondansetron Products
The FDA announced that the 32 mg intravenous dose of ondansetron (Zofran) will be withdrawn from the market due to its association with QT‑interval prolongation and the risk of Torsades de Pointes. The agency is coordinating a voluntary recall of all...
ER Doctor Recounts Bizarre Case of 9‑year‑old Bullet
Emergency physician Graham Walker, MD shares the most bizarre story from his 20 years in the ER. The mystery? A 9-year-old bullet. This week on Lifers with @chrissyfarr
FDA’s Post‑Prasad Path: Six Drugmakers, Six Months
This week's Biotech Scorecard newsletter: Six drugmakers, six months: Charting the FDA’s course in the post-Prasad era $REPL Pierre Fabre $ATRA $QURE $CAPR $RGNX https://t.co/sGa7G6YTDn
Covid-19 Inquiry Highlights Mental Health Impact on Health Workers
The UK Covid‑19 Inquiry’s Module 3 report exposes the profound mental‑health toll on NHS staff, revealing that 69 % of intensive‑care workers met criteria for moderate or severe functional impairment during the January 2021 surge. The inquiry links this impairment to presenteeism, heightened...
Verily Secures $300M, Ends Alphabet’s Majority Control
Major scoop from @ShelbyJLiv: Verily has raised $300M, ending Alphabet's majority control over the company https://t.co/6kjuC2FND7
Stress Triggers Skin Inflammation via Newly Identified Neural Circuit
New @ScienceMagazine Discovery of a circuit that connects stress and skin inflammation https://t.co/Dkmmcs96JT https://t.co/chrXyKrG2N https://t.co/7nOPn9fCoU
Where AI Can Make the Biggest Impact in Healthcare
Intel’s latest discussion highlights AI‑powered care navigation as a solution to fragmented patient journeys, especially for complex diagnoses. The conversation, featuring Digital Medicine Society CEO Jennifer Goldsack and Intel’s Alex Flores, underscores how legacy IT systems and data silos impede...
Higher GLP‑1 Doses Show Cardiac Safety Signal
This definitely looks like a cardiac safety signal at the higher doses. The GLP-1's all slightly increase pulse rate as a starting point.
Hospital Waiting Lists in Wales See Record Drop
Hospital waiting lists in Wales fell for an eighth consecutive month, with 713,048 patient pathways recorded in January – roughly 28,000 fewer than the previous month. The decline follows a £120 million Welsh government investment that added 187,000 outpatient appointments and...
Four Biomarkers Can Meaningfully Assess Coronary Artery Disease Risk
The 4 biomarkers to meaningfully assess a person's risk of coronary artery disease @rayshafarah @aklfahed @pnatarajanmd @JACCJournals @uk_biobank https://t.co/CPfBPVRENq https://t.co/xTlj2ykr45