Today's Healthcare Pulse
Abridge teams with Eli Lilly and Nvidia to expand AI scribe platform
Abridge announced a partnership with Nvidia to build a foundation model for clinical conversations and secured a strategic investment from Eli Lilly to boost evidence‑based care. The AI scribe provider now serves more than 300 health systems and is extending its platform to integrate with payers.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kardigan targets $1.4B valuation in US IPO
Leveraging AI to Predict Patient Deterioration
Dr. Michael Spaeder will present at HIMSS26 on using AI‑enabled analysis of continuous bedside cardiorespiratory monitoring to detect patient deterioration earlier than traditional electronic health record methods. He will contrast predictive insights from live physiologic data with retrospective EHR analytics, highlighting the clinical advantage of real‑time information. The session will also cover best‑practice deployment, integration, and evaluation strategies to ensure adoption across multidisciplinary teams. Finally, Spaeder will address the “last‑mile” challenges of building scalable, secure data pipelines that enable predictive models to reach the bedside.
The Rising Burden of Elder Care in the United States
The United States faces a growing elder‑care burden as the population ages. About 29% of adults 65 and older report difficulty with daily activities, rising to 60% for those 85+, while roughly one‑quarter of those in need receive no care....
MOC Patient Outcomes: Why Recertification Doesn’t Guarantee Quality
The article argues that Maintenance of Certification (MOC) has never been proven to improve patient outcomes, despite decades of promotion by the American Board of Internal Medicine and other specialty boards. Observational studies show modest, surrogate‑metric gains, but no randomized...
FDA Approval of Sibeprenlimab Signals New Era in IgA Nephropathy: Jackson Peter Kim, MD
The FDA granted accelerated approval to sibeprenlimab‑szsi (Voyxact) for primary IgA nephropathy, marking the first APRIL‑inhibiting monoclonal antibody for this condition. Interim results from the phase 3 VISIONARY trial showed a 50 % reduction in proteinuria at nine months versus 2 % with...
People Are Still Working on the Senolytic Peptide FOXO4-DRI
FOXO4‑DRI, a peptide that blocks the FOXO4‑p53 interaction, continues to be explored as a senolytic therapy. Recent preclinical work shows that injecting the peptide into aged and progeroid mice reduces endothelial cell senescence and improves aortic function. Companies such as...
HIMSS26: AdventHealth CEO to Give Keynote Address at the Executive Summit
AdventHealth President and CEO David Banks will deliver the opening keynote at HIMSS26’s Executive Summit in Las Vegas, titled “Leading Through Healthcare’s Perfect Storm.” He will frame the current systemic headwinds as an opportunity to shift from episodic, diagnosis‑centric care to...
Have Money, Will Travel: A16z’s Hunt for the Next European Unicorn
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) led a $2.3 million pre‑seed round in Swedish AI dental startup Dentio, marking the firm’s first bite into Sweden’s health‑tech ecosystem. The investment follows a16z’s broader strategy of deploying scouts and partners across Europe to capture early‑stage AI...
Reclaiming Nursing Time for Patient Care Through Better Automation
Healthcare faces a looming shortage of over 63,000 full‑time registered nurses by 2030, intensifying pressure on existing staff. Manual tasks such as charting and medication administration divert nurses from bedside care, prompting a push for smarter automation. Omnicell’s new Titan...
Compassionate Leadership in Times of Disruption
Healthcare leaders traditionally separate emotion from decision‑making, but a recent hospital closure in New York demonstrates that compassionate leadership can coexist with operational rigor. The tertiary medical center reduced from 700 to 200 beds, faced financial loss, and ultimately closed...
Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs
Federal policies driven by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are creating a hostile environment for vaccine developers, prompting companies like Moderna to scale back late‑stage studies. A Texas startup canceled a new manufacturing plant, and a San Diego firm...
HIMSSCast: 2026 Could Be the Most Challenging Year yet for Medicare Advantage Payers
Medicare Advantage insurers are confronting a perfect storm of rising medical costs and a flat payment increase of less than 1% announced by CMS for 2026. The new risk‑adjustment formula and stagnant reimbursement fall below the medical‑cost trend, compressing margins...
Dr. Oz Endorses AI Avatars for Rural Mental Health Access
Dr. Mehmet Oz, CMS administrator, advocated AI avatars as the most effective solution to bridge mental‑health gaps in rural America. He highlighted the chronic shortage of clinicians and argued that agentic AI can conduct early intakes, detect subtle speech cues,...
Silencing Growth Hormone Has Strong Effects in Mouse Brains
Researchers engineered mice lacking growth hormone receptors specifically in adipose tissue (Ad‑GHRKO) and observed striking brain benefits in aged males. Compared with control mice, the Ad‑GHRKO group showed increased neuronal activity, reduced neuroinflammation, lower tau phosphorylation, and fewer senescence markers....
Md. FD Whole Blood Program Saves 14 Lives Since Inception
Carroll County, Maryland launched a Whole Blood Program in May, enabling paramedics to carry and transfuse 500‑ml Type O‑positive units on scene. The initiative has saved 14 lives and been used 17 times, with 100% survival for internal hemorrhage cases...
B‑Cell Depletion: Rebooting Immunity to Cure Autoimmunity
"Immune Reset" Rebooting the immune system by depletion of B cells, like a reboot of a computer, to achieve cures vs autoimmune diseases https://t.co/253NtyFmCN
3D Fragments vs the Histamine H1 Receptor
Researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam built an 80‑compound, three‑dimensional fragment library and screened it against the histamine H1 receptor. Only one fragment (1a) showed activity, but iterative optimization yielded the low‑nanomolar antagonist VUF26691 with picomolar cellular potency. The campaign required...
Prime Healthcare Pits Two Virtual Sitter Vendors Against One Another – Who Won?
Prime Healthcare conducted a nine‑month, 13‑hospital trial of two virtual sitter models—an integrated turnkey vendor and a split‑component approach—to enhance patient safety in Phase 2 of its virtual care strategy. The integrated model, which supplies hardware, software, and remote observers, outperformed...
Women Show Higher P‑tau217 Levels and Tau Deposition
p-tau217 is a breakthrough blood test for risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Important to know there are sex differences for this biomarker, with women having higher values at baseline and more tau deposition. @JAMANeuro https://t.co/Xrr8SjsiVY https://t.co/eyDt6mgSqR
Psychedelic Shows Rapid Depression Relief in Small Trial
A psychedelic quickly reduced depression (in patients with major depression disorder) in a small, double-blind placebo randomized trial @NatureMedicine https://t.co/vvug72VGBi https://t.co/Tn58rP0ufS
2025 Q4 Job Market Report: Positive Signs Emerge for Job Seekers
The fourth quarter of 2025 marked the first quarter‑over‑quarter rise in biopharma job postings, with a 10% increase and a 4% uptick in average listings, despite a 14% year‑over‑year decline. Science/research and development roles grew 14% while clinical positions surged...
Curbside Consult with Dr. Jayne 2/16/26
The article traces the shifting terminology of digital health records, noting that the "electronic health record" (EHR) label gained popularity during the Bush 43 era while earlier versions were called CPR and later EMR. It argues the rebranding served vendor pricing...
Bionic Eye Mimics Animal Pupils for Sharper Focus
A new Science #Robotics study describes a #bionic eye that can simulate irregular pupils such as a cat’s vertical pupil for precise focus while hunting and a toad's heart-shaped pupil for improved depth perception. https://t.co/p1uZy6rbky https://t.co/X4pzdrnoIi
Should Drug Companies Be Advertising to Consumers?
Direct‑to‑consumer advertising for prescription drugs is resurging, highlighted by Novo Nordisk’s $180 million spend on Ozempic TV spots in 2022 and $189 million in 2023. The ads use upbeat jingles and lifestyle imagery to present the GLP‑1 medication as a gateway to...
Making a MASH Hit: PNPLA3 and the Rise of Genotype-Driven Therapies
The lipid serine hydrolase PNPLA3, especially its I148M mutant, has emerged as a genetically validated driver of MASLD/MASH, prompting a wave of genotype‑focused drug programs. RNA‑based modalities—Arrowhead’s GalNAc‑siRNA ARO‑PNPLA3 and AstraZeneca/Ionis’ GalNAc‑ASO AZD2693—are in clinical trials aiming to lower mutant...
Produce Prescription Program Shows Limited Impact on Cardiometabolic Health in Diabetes
A pragmatic randomized trial in the southeastern US tested a 12‑month produce‑prescription program that gave diabetes patients at risk of food insecurity an $80 monthly debit card for fruits and vegetables. After enrolling 2,155 participants, the intervention showed no significant...
Readers Write: Medicare Goes All In on Value-Based Care
Medicare announced a sweeping transition to value‑based care, extending bundled‑payment and quality‑adjusted reimbursement models to virtually all Medicare‑eligible services. The initiative introduces new performance metrics that link payments directly to patient outcomes, with quarterly reporting requirements for participating providers. Early...
LLM-Edited Radiology Reports Boost Patient Understanding, Preserve Accuracy
When the LLM rewrites the radiology report, patient understanding is increased and clinical accuracy is maintained. @LancetDigitalH @curtlanglotz @smrabd https://t.co/q2UHebBQG7 https://t.co/IwZAx59brY
AI Subtyping Boosts HR+/HER2‑ Breast Cancer Therapy
Precision treatment with artificial intelligence assisted subtyping enhances therapeutic efficacy in HR+/HER2− breast cancer: The LINUXtrial https://t.co/UF4Lt3g5QK https://t.co/LWuJYD2qGh
HIMSS26 Session Offers a Prescription to End Confusion
At HIMSS26, Greg O'Neill, director of Patient & Family Health Education at ChristianaCare, presented a session titled “A Prescription to End Confusion.” The talk highlighted a new organizational goal to boost health literacy across clinical workflows. O'Neill explained how clearer...
Implications of FDA Digital Health Deregulation for Clinicians
On Jan 2026 the FDA issued updated guidance that relaxes oversight for low‑risk digital health products, including many AI‑enabled clinical decision support tools and consumer wellness wearables. The guidance clarifies which software falls outside the medical device definition, allowing these tools...
From Pilots to Protocols: Why VR Therapy Needs Dosage Standards to Become Real Clinical Care
Virtual reality (VR) therapy shows rapid clinical effects but remains confined to pilot studies due to a lack of standardized dosage protocols. Researchers highlight wide variation in session length, frequency, and content across studies, preventing reliable comparison and scaling. The...
When Health Dollars Move to Individuals, Infrastructure Will Decide Who Wins
The article examines a proposed federal framework that would shift health‑affordability dollars into individual‑controlled accounts, highlighting that ownership of the payment infrastructure will decide market winners. It points to the rapid growth of high‑deductible plans, Health Savings Accounts exceeding $100 billion,...
Why Medical Education Assessment Kills Curiosity in Residents
The article contends that an over‑emphasis on formal assessment in residency programs suppresses residents' natural curiosity and deep reasoning. When attendings prioritize grading over dialogue, trainees like June learn to memorize correct answers rather than explore underlying mechanisms. This performance‑driven...
Article Intro - Console-Free Control for the Da Vinci
Researchers at Politecnico di Milano have demonstrated a console‑free mixed‑reality teleoperation system for the da Vinci Research Kit, leveraging Microsoft HoloLens 2 to control the robot via hand gestures, head tracking, and speech. The prototype was tested on camera navigation and...
ML‑Predicted Insulin Resistance Identified as Risk Factor in 12 Cancers
Researchers at the University of Tokyo applied a machine‑learning tool, AI‑IR, to estimate insulin resistance in half a million UK Biobank participants. The analysis revealed insulin resistance as a significant risk factor for twelve distinct cancer types, providing the first...
Roche Trial Offers Hope to Patients with Rare Kidney Disease
Roche announced that its anti‑CD20 antibody Gazyva (obinutuzumab) met the primary endpoint in the phase 3 MAJESTY trial for primary membranous nephropathy (pMN). The study showed significantly higher complete remission rates at two years compared with the immunosuppressant tacrolimus, while maintaining...
Fighting the Number One Cause of Death by Approaching Polychronic Conditions Holistically
Cardiovascular disease remains the top U.S. killer, driven by the intertwined cardiovascular‑kidney‑metabolic (CKM) syndrome that links obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. About one‑third of adults carry three or more CKM risk factors, and 90% meet early‑stage criteria. Monogram Health’s...
‘Just Agree to It:’ Pazdur Said He Was Told To Cosign FDA’s Reduced Trial Requirements
Richard Pazdur, longtime FDA oncology leader, resigned after being pressured to endorse a controversial policy that would reduce required drug approval trials from two to one. He said Commissioner Marty Makary breached the traditional independence between the commissioner’s office and...
MHRA Opens Consultation on Indefinite CE Mark Recognition
The MHRA has opened a public consultation proposing that CE‑marked medical devices be recognised indefinitely in Great Britain. Around 90% of devices used in the GB market currently carry a CE mark, and the agency aims to align transition timelines...
Menstrual Health in Medicine: Addressing the Gender Gap in Care
The article highlights a persistent gender gap in medical care for menstrual health, noting that up to 75% of menstruating individuals experience PMS and 3‑8% suffer from PMDD, yet these conditions remain underdiagnosed and underfunded. A survey of 3,000 Japanese...
Increased O-GlcNAc Transferase Expression as an Approach to Improving Function in the Aging Brain
Age‑related decline in O‑GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) activity contributes to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS. Traditional approaches aim to raise O‑GlcNAc levels by inhibiting O‑GlcNAcase, but recent research highlights transcriptional control of OGT as a more direct therapeutic...
Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan on Transforming a 250-Year-Old Company
In this episode, a16z partner Jorge Conde interviews Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan about reshaping the 250‑year‑old conglomerate into a focused medicines company, a move he estimates will unlock $180 billion of value. Narasimhan outlines Novartis’s three platform pillars—cell and gene therapies,...
Inflammatory Glycogen Produced by Gut Microbes Contributes to Neurodegeneration
Researchers have identified inflammatory glycogen produced by gut microbes as a driver of age‑related neurodegeneration, especially in ALS and frontotemporal dementia linked to C9ORF72 mutations. In germ‑free mice lacking C9ORF72, colonization with glycogen‑producing Parabacteroides merdae triggered monocytosis, blood‑brain barrier breakdown,...
Home Court Disadvantaged?
The episode examines Epic Systems' recent courtroom setback in the CureIS litigation, focusing on the court's denial of a motion to stay discovery and the nuanced protective order regarding "Highly Confidential – Attorneys' Eyes Only" information. It highlights how Epic's...
The Scientist Using AI to Hunt for Antibiotics Just About Everywhere
César de la Fuente’s Penn team is using artificial intelligence to scour genomes for antimicrobial peptides, creating a library of over one million candidate sequences. The AI has uncovered promising molecules hidden in archaea, venomous species, and even extinct organisms...
Most Women Still Prefer In-Clinic Cervical Cancer Screening, Study Finds
A recent national study of 2,300 women aged 21‑65 found that 60.8% still prefer clinician‑collected cervical cancer screening over FDA‑approved at‑home self‑collection kits. While 20.4% expressed interest in home testing, the majority’s preference signals that traditional Pap and HPV specimens...
Novartis Reports Final Data of ALIGN Trial in IgAN
Novartis released final Phase III ALIGN data showing its oral endothelin‑A antagonist Vanrafia (atrasentan) slowed kidney function decline in adults with IgA nephropathy. The double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial enrolled 340 biopsy‑confirmed patients who continued optimized RAS inhibition, delivering a 2.39 ml/min/1.73 m² advantage in...
Medtronic Secures FDA Approval for Stealth AXiS Spine Robotics Platform
Medtronic has secured FDA clearance for its Stealth AXiS spine‑surgery robotics platform, an integrated solution that combines robotics, planning and navigation in a single workflow. The system features LiveAlign segmental tracking, delivering real‑time visualization of anatomical movement and reducing the need...
Systematic Discovery of Molecular Glues Targets Protein Degradation in Leukemia
Researchers at the AITHYRA Institute introduced a high‑throughput chemical diversification platform that systematically creates molecular‑glue candidates and screens them directly in living cells. Applying the workflow to the leukemia‑associated protein ENL, they identified a small molecule that selectively induces ENL...