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
U.S. News & World Report Debuts Best Home Health Agency Rankings
U.S. News & World Report unveiled its inaugural Best Home Health Agency rankings, assessing more than 12,000 Medicare‑certified providers. The analysis identified over 1,300 agencies that exceeded expectations and another 5,280 that met standard performance levels. Ratings are built on 16 quality measures drawn from CMS data and a patient‑experience survey, highlighting faster care initiation (99% on‑time) and superior mobility gains (93% improvement). U.S. News will refresh these rankings each year, offering a new benchmark for post‑acute care quality.
Study Finds that Telemedicine Visits Cost Far Less than Office Visits
A new JAMA Network Open study by the Perelman School of Medicine analyzed over 160,000 visits across five University of Pennsylvania Health System hospitals and found telemedicine episodes cost an average of $96 compared with $509 for in‑person visits, a...
Measles Outbreak Grows to 979 Cases in South Carolina
The South Carolina Department of Public Health announced that the measles outbreak has climbed to 979 confirmed cases, surpassing 900 for the first time in decades. The majority of infections are among unvaccinated individuals, with more than 850 cases lacking...
AHA Sends Letter Supporting FTC Chairman’s Position on Bringing Merger Challenges to Federal Court
The American Hospital Association (AHA) praised FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson’s call to shift merger challenges from the agency’s in‑house adjudicatory process to federal Article III courts. The AHA argues that court litigation would lend greater credibility to the FTC’s antitrust...
Solving Cancer Immunotherapy's Fuel Shortage with a Protected Sugar Source
UCLA researchers engineered T cells with two fungal proteins that let them import and metabolize cellobiose, a sugar tumors cannot use. This protected fuel restores T‑cell viability, cytokine production, and tumor‑killing capacity in glucose‑deprived environments. In mouse models of lung,...
CBO Projects Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to Be Solvent Until 2040
The Congressional Budget Office now projects that the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will remain solvent through 2040, pushing the solvency horizon 12 years farther than its 2025 estimate. The projection reflects lower-than-expected payroll‑tax collections, diminished interest earnings, and reduced...
Ultrasound Gives the Brain a Nudge in the Right Direction
Neuroscientist Soha Farboud demonstrated that focused ultrasound can instantly alter activity in the human frontal eye fields, biasing participants to look left or right in a computer task. The non‑invasive method delivers inaudible sound waves through the skull, reaching deep visual...
Valved Holding Chambers Vary Significantly in the Treatment of Young Children with Respiratory Distress
A new multicenter CHAMBER trial published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that valved holding chambers (VHCs) used for inhaled salbutamol in children aged 0‑3 produce markedly different clinical outcomes. Children treated with a higher‑delivery VHC had a 20% hospital admission rate...
AHA Urges Congress to Support Physicians, Access to Care in Statement for House Subcommittee Hearing
The American Hospital Association (AHA) urged Congress to expand Medicare‑funded residency slots by 14,000 over the next seven years and to modify visa rules so foreign‑trained physicians can serve in underserved areas without a mandatory home‑country return. It also called...
AF Common, Worsens Prognosis After Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Myeloma
A retrospective study of 801 multiple myeloma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation found that 8.7% developed atrial fibrillation post‑procedure. Age over 65, prior paroxysmal AF, and obesity were independent risk factors, with a median onset of 13 days. Post‑transplant...
MRI Safety Guidelines May Fall Short for Patients with Implanted Electrode Cuffs
University of Houston researchers warn that implanted nerve electrode cuffs can be unintentionally activated during MRI scans. Simulations show fast‑switching gradient fields and RF‑induced heating lower activation thresholds, sometimes below peripheral nerve stimulation limits. The findings suggest existing MRI‑conditional guidelines...
FDA Approves Drug for Adult and Pediatric Patients Aged 6 and Older with Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis
The FDA has granted approval for Dupixent (dupilumab) to treat allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) in adults and children six years and older, marking the first indication for this rare sinus disease. The approval follows a 52‑week trial that demonstrated significant...
Filkri Becomes Fifth FDA-Approved Neupogen Biosimilar
Accord BioPharma’s Filkri (filgrastim‑laha) received FDA approval as the fifth biosimilar to Amgen’s Neupogen. The indication set mirrors Neupogen’s, covering chemotherapy‑induced neutropenia, AML, bone‑marrow transplant, severe chronic neutropenia, and radiation‑induced syndrome. Approval was based on two randomized trials in healthy...
Sustained HIV Viral Suppression Restores Immune Potential: Victor Appay, PhD
New data presented at CROI 2026 show that people living with HIV who have maintained viral suppression for 25‑30 years on antiretroviral therapy regain robust HIV‑specific CD8⁺ T‑cell function. Using flow cytometry and single‑cell RNA sequencing, researchers found these cells display...
The Vascular Surgeon Shortage: Why Amputations Are Rising
The United States faces a critical vascular surgeon shortage that is directly fueling a rise in preventable amputations. Only about 5,800 vascular surgeons practice today, while the current demand exceeds 8,000 and is projected to reach 9,000 within a decade...
Verified Clinical Benefit | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
The FDA has granted traditional approvals to ten oncology drugs that originally received accelerated approval after post‑marketing studies verified clinical benefit. The list includes agents such as Braftovi, Epkinly, and Padcev, with conversion dates ranging from 2022 to 2026. These...
Addus Re-Ignites Hospice Acquisition Engine
Addus Homecare reported a 33.3% year‑over‑year rise in adjusted EBITDA to $50.3 million in Q4 2025, driven by a 25.6% jump in total service revenue to $373.1 million. Hospice services generated roughly $70 million, representing 18.8% of quarterly revenue, with daily census climbing...
Engineered Bacteria Can Consume Tumors From the Inside Out
University of Waterloo researchers have engineered the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium sporogenes to eat solid tumors from the inside out. By inserting an oxygen‑tolerant gene and coupling it to a quorum‑sensing circuit, the bacteria survive at the tumor periphery only after...
How to Enhance Mental Healthcare Access for Rural Children
A University‑run telepsychiatry program in North Carolina screened 44,000 rural children, diagnosing 1,000 with anxiety or depression and connecting 300 to child psychiatrists. The initiative slashed typical six‑month referral waits to under a month by embedding master‑level clinicians in primary‑care...
Holding Out Hope for HF Shunts, Even After an FDA Panel’s Doubts
The FDA Circulatory System Devices Panel rejected the V‑Wave interatrial shunt, citing a neutral primary endpoint in the RELIEVE‑HF trial despite promising subgroup results in HFrEF patients. The trial showed no overall reduction in mortality, hospitalizations, or quality‑of‑life measures, and...
CMS RFI Offers View of How AI Could Impact Medicare Experience
CMS has issued a Request for Information to explore AI solutions that could transform Medicare’s digital and voice interactions. The agency aims to use predictive analytics, chatbots, virtual assistants, and AI‑driven call‑center tools to deliver personalized plan recommendations and 24/7...
Q&A: Financial Lessons From Northwell’s ACO
Northwell Health, a long‑time participant in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, has generated shared savings while treating about 90,000 attributed beneficiaries and is gearing up for downside risk in 2027. The system focused on care coordination, especially mental‑health screening and...
What Makary’s Plan For Expanding OTC Drug Access Could Mean For Safety
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary argues that any drug deemed safe, non‑addictive and not prone to misuse should be sold over the counter. He cites anti‑nausea medicines, hormonal contraception and common analgesics as candidates, while urging regulators to abandon a paternalistic...
The Shadow Ledger: Uncovering the Financial Cost of Nursing Turnover
A new analysis reveals the massive hidden cost of nursing turnover, dubbed the “shadow ledger,” with replacement expenses averaging $61,110 and annual hospital losses up to $5.7 million. The piece quantifies related waste, including $18.27 billion in workplace‑violence costs and billions in...
EqualityMD’s Pre-Insurance Strategy to Reduce Care Avoidance and Lower Healthcare Costs
In this episode, Unity Stokes chats with Justin Ayers, CEO of EqualityMD, about the company’s shift from a direct‑to‑consumer, membership model to a B2B/B2B2C platform that offers employers an insurance‑free telehealth solution with culturally competent clinicians and free prescriptions. Ayers...
Exa Capital Acquires Health Care Workforce Platform StaffReady
Exa Capital has acquired StaffReady, a SaaS platform that manages clinical workforces across hospitals, labs, and pharmaceutical testing firms. The platform streamlines staff scheduling, compliance, and inspection readiness, helping health‑care organizations reduce operational bottlenecks. StaffReady will remain independent with its...
Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: Novo Nordisk Announces Price Reductions for GLP-1 Products
Novo Nordisk announced steep price cuts for its GLP‑1 diabetes and obesity drugs, aiming to broaden patient access amid intensifying pricing scrutiny. AbbVie is committing $380 million to expand API manufacturing capacity, reinforcing supply‑chain resilience. Bora Pharmaceuticals and GSK sealed a...
At HIMSS26, eClinicalWorks Will Introduce New AI API Tool for EHRs
At HIMSS26, eClinicalWorks will launch the AI API Workbench, a platform that lets developers create custom autonomous AI agents for electronic health records. The company is positioning AI as an active participant in daily operations, with tools like healow Genie...
Thermogeneration by White Fat Could Be Used to Treat Obesity
Researchers at Cornell uncovered a previously unknown thermogenic pathway in white adipocytes, where free fatty acids induce proton leakage through the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier (AAC). This AAC‑mediated uncoupling mirrors brown‑fat heat production without involving UCP1. In mouse models, enhancing intracellular...
Altais Cuts Prior Authorization Review Time by 45% and Reduces Manual Errors by 54% with Autonomize AI
Altais Health Solutions and Autonomize AI announced a clinician‑led partnership that leverages AI to automate prior‑authorization workflows. The deployment cut case‑review time by 45% and reduced manual errors by 54%, while half of routine requests now process automatically. Clinicians still...
3 Lessons Learned From Developing a Novel Neurotechnology Device
QuantalX Neuroscience’s Delphi‑MD, a hybrid TMS‑EEG platform powered by AI, received FDA de novo classification in November 2025 and entered commercial launch in February 2026. The device delivers real‑time, age‑adjusted brain‑function assessments by comparing patient data to a cleared normative database. CEO Dr....
Health Insurance: So Complex Even a Quiz Stumps You
We have a new quiz on how health insurance works. But, it's really a statement about how utterly complex health insurance is in the U.S. https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/quiz-how-well-do-you-understand-your-health-insurance/
Biotech Embraces Data‑Driven Mornings, Gains Afternoons
I love that biotech has returned to the "data in the morning, raise in the afternoon" way of living its best life. $VIR $PVLA
Generic Drugs Program Monthly and Quarterly Activities Report
The FDA’s Generic Drugs Program reported 217 approvals for FY‑2026, including 23 first‑time generics and 45 first‑cycle approvals. Tentative approvals reached 89, while complete responses rose to 402, reflecting a busy review pipeline. Prior Approval Supplements (PAS) saw 532 approvals,...
Edge Computing Brings Millisecond Decisions to Critical Industries
When decisions depend on milliseconds, moving data closer to where work happens matters. Edge computing and edge AI are reshaping manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and smart infrastructure, where latency, autonomy, and reliability are critical. More: https://t.co/0MYapoejKN @TMobileBusiness Partner
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Given 1mg/week of Zepound showed 0.7% reduction in A1c in trials, and so is actually an efficacious dose, this microdose would just be $30/month. (Would imply using for longer than recommended after opening).
List of Determinations Including Written Request
The FDA has published an updated list of 189 pediatric exclusivity determinations made under Section 505A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act since September 2007. Each entry includes the drug name, sponsor, determination date, and links to the original Written...
Hepta‑refractory Myeloma Arises via Sequential CD38
The evolution to hepta-refractory myeloma involves sequential loss of CD38, BCMA and GPRC5D [Feb 17, 2026] Riedhammer et al. @LeukemiaJnl https://t.co/EyGBz7sEQz #mmsm #PrecisionMedicine #caxtx
Real‑time CME Integrates Evidence Guidelines Into Patient Care
Continuing medical education doesn’t have to mean stepping away from patients. Colin Banas, MD, explains how real-time access to evidence-based guidelines can reinforce learning and support patient care. 🔗https://t.co/BOGg49TELs @DrFirst @ElsevierConnect #CMEs #HITSM https://t.co/cGEozKOfKU
Geisinger Names Humana Executive as President of Health Plan
Geisinger announced Jeremy Gaskill, a veteran Humana executive, as the new president of Geisinger Health Plan and executive vice president of insurance operations, effective Feb. 23. Gaskill succeeds Karen Murphy, who stabilized the plan and cut operating losses since March 2025. He...
Vir Surges After Astellas Partnership and T‑cell Data
Vir climbs on Astellas deal, study results for ‘masked’ T cell engager https://t.co/336c9FJdjt by @Lilah_Alvarado $VIR + 27% $JANX $ALPMY
Novo Slashes GLP‑1 Prices; Palvella Spikes on Data
Novo to cut GLP-1 drug prices; Palvella soars on study data https://t.co/UAs4IETgPX $NVO $PVLA+ 32% $GOSS $VNDA $PFE #biotech
Greater Pittsburgh Orthopaedic Associates Disclosed a 2025 Breach, but Was There Also One in 2024?
Greater Pittsburgh Orthopaedic Associates disclosed a data breach that began around August 10, 2025, affecting tens of thousands of patients. The group reported 35,000 records to HHS in August 2025, but a February 2026 filing to the Maine Attorney General raised the figure...
Stop Revenue Leaks: Tighten RCM Processes Now
Every org struggles with RCM—but not every org fixes what’s leaking revenue. This look at denials, claim errors, and today’s patient-pay realities makes the case for tightening processes now. https://t.co/lWo3nK666k #RCMFix #HITsm #HITSM #TempDev
Roctavian Withdrawn, Exposing Science‑to‑market Gap
Failing to find a buyer, BioMarin is voluntarily withdrawing Roctavian from the market. A fitting end for what was once one of the highest-profile gene therapies in development — and a reminder of the gap between promising science and a viable...
Altera Digital Health’s Sunrise Extends Partnerships with 14 Hospital Systems
Altera Digital Health announced that 14 hospital systems have extended multi‑year contracts for its Sunrise electronic health record platform. The renewals follow the launch of Sunrise 25.1, which introduced roughly 700 system enhancements and a focus on streamlined navigation. Altera...
Leadership in Action: How a Broken Pager Fixed a Hospital
A malfunctioning pager at a remote Air Force base hospital exposed a supervisor’s abusive behavior, prompting the hospital commander to intervene. The commander forced a formal apology, reassigned the supervisor, and installed new service chiefs to restore stability. Leveraging the...
X-On Health Launches Omni Consult to Transform Primary Care Triage and Patient Access
X‑on Health has launched Omni Consult, an upgrade to its Surgery Connect platform that unifies patient request channels into a single, structured workflow. The solution lets patients submit requests via voice agents, web forms or staff entry, consolidating them for GP...
Leaders Optimistic on AI-Driven Clinical Innovation, Wary of Costs
This survey of leaders from #healthcare plans, health systems, and innovative solution providers reflects optimism about clinical innovation and emerging #AI use, balanced against concerns over costs, payment models, and politics: https://t.co/xFXpbqfhbY via @TTCapPartners https://t.co/tG3a2CGn90
Engineers Demonstrate Lightweight 'Exoskeleton' That Helps Stroke Survivors Walk
Engineers at the University of Utah unveiled a 5.5‑pound portable hip exoskeleton that reduces the metabolic cost of walking for stroke survivors with hemiparesis by roughly 18%. The device delivers side‑specific motor assistance synchronized in real time, allowing users to...