
FDA approves first CIRM‑funded gene‑editing therapy for rare immune disorder
The FDA has granted approval to KRESLADI, a gene‑editing therapy from Rocket Pharmaceuticals that treats severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency‑I in children without a matching bone‑marrow donor. It is the first product directly funded by California’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), highlighting the agency’s impact on translational research.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Syneron Bio raises $150M Series B
Patient financial experience has shifted from a back‑office billing function to a strategic, end‑to‑end service that directly impacts revenue integrity and brand trust. Research shows that transparent cost estimates and digital, omni‑channel payment options improve patient engagement, reduce disputes, and accelerate collection cycles. In 2026, more than 90% of consumers expect electronic billing, prompting health systems to integrate access, eligibility, and payment platforms. Organizations that prioritize this experience see higher net collection performance and stronger competitive positioning.

The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency is pushing CMS to replace the decades‑old COBOL‑based Medicare claims system with a real‑time, cloud‑native platform. CMS issued an RFI in January seeking vendors capable of supporting at least two million members and processing...
When it comes to GLP‑1s, many employers feel stuck between “do nothing” and “all‑in coverage.” That’s not a great set of choices, especially when they want to find a way to say yes. I’m excited that @OmadaHealth is adding a...

Menopausal women experience a sharp rise in insomnia, with up to two‑thirds reporting sleep disturbances during the transition. Hormonal declines—especially estrogen, progesterone, and melatonin—trigger night sweats, cortisol spikes, and heightened anxiety that fragment sleep. Recent studies show cognitive‑behavioral therapy for...

Cassling has opened applications for its 2026 Imaging for Impact Award, a national program recognizing imaging professionals and healthcare teams that improve patient outcomes and expand access to care. Submissions are accepted through April 1, 2026, and the award, now in its...

A new observational study of nearly 22,000 chronic‑migraine patients found that those who started GLP‑1 receptor agonists for diabetes or obesity experienced fewer severe migraine events than peers on the preventive drug topiramide. Over a 12‑month follow‑up, GLP‑1 users had...

Healthcare AI startups are moving from traditional SaaS subscriptions to transaction‑based pricing, charging per successfully completed task such as scheduling or intake workflows. Companies like Prosper AI, MedCalls.ai and Intelliclinic tie fees to usage, promising alignment with customer ROI. Investors...

In this episode, Dr. Ian Madome, orthopedic spine surgeon and CEO of Mockingbird, discusses the administrative burdens clinicians face around licensing, CME, and compliance, and how Mockingbird’s SaaS platform automates credential tracking for both individual providers and health system administrators....
Google Cloud announced a suite of Gemini‑powered AI agents at HIMSS26, partnering with major health players including Humana, CVS Health, Highmark, Waystar and Quest Diagnostics. The agents target patient engagement, workflow automation, revenue‑cycle management and lab‑result interpretation, leveraging the Vertex...
Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) using the Barostim implant demonstrated sustained improvements in left‑ventricular ejection fraction and NYHA functional class in the real‑world REBALANCE registry of 435 advanced HFrEF patients. Six‑month data showed LVEF rising from 26.8 % to 29.9 % and 34 %...
Things that I think are diabolical: 1) Being charged per page for your *electronic* medical records 2) Being charged for your doctor to complete a necessary form 3) no validation for emergency room parking Yes, there are far more diabolical things...

Neuropathic pain affects 7-10% of all people globally. New 🐁 study finds resveratrol alleviates neuropathic pain associated with restoration of mitochondrial dynamics 👏 https://t.co/zJ8LvwZ9UP https://t.co/hdCK7UgqBj

On March 5, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education unveiled a joint initiative to embed nutrition education into medical school curricula beginning the 2024‑25 academic year. The program secured commitments from 53 medical schools to deliver at...
Ambient scribe → codes → claims → payments. AI doesn’t respect org charts. NextGen explains why fragmented workflows are becoming a liability. 👀 🔗 https://t.co/557h8ofHZ0 @NextGen #AmbulatoryEHR #HITSM

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced a new public‑health data consortium, partnering with Veritas Data Research and HealthVerity to create a secure data exchange for state and territorial health agencies. The effort seeks to integrate real‑world...

On March 5, the American Hospital Association (AHA) unveiled a digital toolkit and a line of merchandise ahead of National Hospital Week, scheduled for May 10‑16. The toolkit provides social‑media graphics, sample messaging, and event ideas, while new apparel and gifts enable...
A new University of Pennsylvania Annenberg poll of 1,650 U.S. adults finds that 67% trust scientists at federal health agencies while only 43% trust the agencies’ political leaders. Trust in the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association...
The FDA issued a Request for Information (RFI) on March 5, 2026, asking for public input about new standards for in‑home opioid disposal products. The agency is evaluating whether opioid manufacturers should be required to supply disposal systems directly through dispensers....

A new RACE‑IT study of 32,609 chest‑pain patients shows that a high‑sensitivity troponin protocol enables far faster discharge in freestanding emergency departments than in hospital EDs. Using an accelerated one‑hour rule‑out pathway, 95 % of low‑risk patients left freestanding sites safely,...
Scientists delivered naked Cldn11 messenger RNA directly into the testes of genetically infertile male mice, restoring Sertoli cell function and enabling spermatogenesis. The treatment produced viable sperm that generated healthy offspring via in‑vitro fertilization, without permanent germline alteration. The approach...

Columbia University cardiologists unveiled EchoNext, an AI algorithm that analyzes standard electrocardiograms to screen for structural heart disease such as severe aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation and heart failure. In a published JACC case report, the tool flagged an asymptomatic 84‑year‑old...

The FDA’s FY 2025 Generic Drug Program report details progress on abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) under priority review and competitive generic therapy (CGT) designations. By the fourth quarter, pending priority‑review ANDAs fell to 40, while CGT ANDAs awaiting FDA action...

Healthcare systems in Northern California are deploying AI tools to make pain assessment more objective, using facial analysis, wearables, and electronic health records. Early pilots show potential for consistent pain detection and predictive analytics, yet most evidence remains limited to...

The FDA released a comprehensive Patient‑Focused Drug Development (PFDD) glossary to standardize terminology across its guidance documents mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act and PDUFA VI. The glossary defines key concepts such as attributes, benefit‑risk assessment, clinical outcome assessments, patient‑reported...

Cognito Therapeutics closed an oversubscribed $105 million Series C round, led by Morningside Ventures with new investors such as Apollo Health Ventures. The capital will fund the readout of its HOPE pivotal study, FDA submission preparation, and commercialization of its Spectris neurostimulation...

The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) launched its Data Standards Program in 2010 to streamline the massive influx of drug submissions—over 300,000 annually—by enforcing electronic data formats. The initiative aligns with PDUFA commitments, mandating standards such as...

Will we give a shot of protective, self-amplifying RNA in patients with a heart attack in the future? @ScienceMagazine an intriguing innovation https://t.co/FcJme1ElyU https://t.co/lABFRkR3qg

The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest U.S. Department of Defense hospital overseas, has suspended its labor and delivery services to concentrate on combat casualty care amid the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict. A memorandum directs patients to local German hospitals while...

Lunit will showcase 21 AI imaging studies at the European Congress of Radiology 2026 in Vienna, including oral and poster presentations of its INSIGHT MMG, Scorecard and INSIGHT CXR solutions. A breast‑cancer risk‑assessment trial of 67,686 women showed risk scores...
InCrowd surveyed U.S. health‑care professionals about three hot topics: a proposed reclassification of nursing degrees, Massachusetts Bill S.2732 affecting direct primary care, and emerging research linking acetaminophen to autism. Seventy‑three percent of nurses felt the reclassification diminishes their professional standing...
Researchers have developed a deep‑learning algorithm that reads retinal photographs taken during routine retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screenings to flag serious lung and heart conditions in preterm infants. In a study of 493 infants across seven NICUs, the model achieved...

For Second Opinion, we had a long sit-down with Medicare chief Chris Klomp. We covered: -- MA rates staying flat -- Steps to thwart info blocking -- Bringing AI into healthcare outside of the fee schedule -- The ACCESS model & more https://t.co/dZEzyUtWbz https://t.co/PGO80SlZ9T
New York Assembly Bill A.B. 10413 would codify the right of injured workers to fill workers‑comp prescriptions at pharmacies outside employer or insurer networks when delays, authorization gaps, or emergencies arise. The measure mirrors regulations the Workers’ Compensation Board adopted...

When cancer niches are rapidly changing they create both a vacuum of indecision and fresh opportunities for smart players. Here we explore bladder cancer and look at where the field is headed... https://t.co/cf93Qb8dhe https://t.co/fx5V1MVwYN
At the recent ASCO‑GU meeting, industry leaders highlighted that the greatest threat to emerging bladder‑cancer programs is strategic, not clinical. Phase‑2 candidates are poised to enter Phase‑3 trials, but shifting control arms, evolving endpoints, and changing patient demographics risk rendering...
Microsoft unveiled Dragon Copilot, an AI‑driven assistant designed to slash clinicians’ administrative workload. The tool integrates with leading electronic health record systems, using natural‑language processing to auto‑populate charts, orders, and billing codes. Demonstrated at HIMSS25, Dragon Copilot promises up to...
![How to Build Effective Referral Networks and Improve Patient Navigation [Video]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://medcitynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/BROLL.00_00_06_04.Still005-768x432.png)
Arbiter’s chief product officer Anjali Jameson highlighted systemic misalignment between hospitals and payers, emphasizing how fragmentation undermines referral efficiency. She outlined core components for building effective referral networks, including data standardization and shared accountability. Meanwhile, Clever Care Health Plan’s CIO...
A recent study of nearly one million U.S. hospitalizations shows in‑hospital deaths from first‑time heart attacks are climbing among adults 54 and younger. The increase is evident for both STEMI and NSTEMI cases, with women experiencing slightly higher mortality than men....
Tech equity means every clinician, every patient, every setting. See how MEDITECH is bringing AI + interoperability to rural & urban care at #HIMSS26 👉 https://t.co/fz78ijGID8 📍 Booth #5031 @MEDITECH #HIMSS26 #HITSM
Lilly targets employers in new bid to broaden access to obesity drugs https://t.co/Y6fmcmTcf1 @ByJonGardner $LLY $NVO #obesity

Health leaders are adopting a holistic, whole‑person strategy that treats hospital functions as an interconnected ecosystem. The article highlights three flagship initiatives: City of Hope’s AI‑driven documentation platform, UMass Memorial Health’s smart‑room virtual‑care hub, and Catholic Health’s new Patient Care...
China competition is coming for the US's multimillion-dollar gene therapies -- a must-read from @Jared_Whitlock about what's happening there and how it will affect access around the world: https://t.co/F7KaMv3Kkp
Agentic AI will automate tasks today — and redesign care models tomorrow. Hospitals & plans can’t afford to ignore this shift. Read the article 🔗 https://t.co/iAzZysMNQp And continue the conversation with NTT DATA at #HIMSS26 🙌 @NTT_DATA_NA #AgenticAI #HITSM

Autonomize AI announced a partnership with ServiceNow to co‑develop AI‑driven solutions for health‑plan payers. The collaboration will embed Autonomize’s healthcare‑specific AI agents into ServiceNow’s AI Control Tower, targeting claims processing, fraud detection, care management, and utilization management. By leveraging ServiceNow’s...

Can an AI model be a generalist to work and perform well for all types of medical images? Just published, our MedVersa paper @NEJM_AI Led by @pranavrajpurkar Free access https://t.co/5llNf94hAF https://t.co/Bf01zUZ1sk

20 years of Yamanaka stem cell factor research culminates in 2 conditional approvals for heart disease and Parkinson's disease in Japan https://t.co/8oxKxXYafu by Shinya Yamanaka @CellStemCell https://t.co/U878IxSfSi @ScienceMagazine https://t.co/HCCPaTEP7e

Empassion Health’s CEO Robin Hefferman says palliative‑care visits are excluded from CMS star‑rating calculations, a practice that can lift Medicare Advantage plans’ scores and protect hundreds of millions of dollars in payments. He explains that while exclusion improves ratings, effective...

Poland enacted a law that curtails social benefits for Ukrainian refugees, restricting healthcare to minors, workers, victims of torture or rape, and other vulnerable groups. Food, housing aid and school transport subsidies will only continue for the most vulnerable and...
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has signed a deal with Tenaya Therapeutics, providing $10 million upfront and the potential for up to $1.13 billion in milestones to discover up to 15 new genetic targets for heart disease. Tenaya will apply its modality‑agnostic platform to validate...

The UK Covid‑19 public inquiry, chaired by Lady Heather Hallett, has finished its hearing phase, hearing 380 witnesses and gathering 58,000 online testimonies. It has examined over 600,000 documents—about five million pages—and released two comprehensive reports, with eight further modules...