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 warn that a "broad brush" approach could penalize compliant, especially smaller, providers. The administration is shifting from post‑payment audits to pre‑payment controls, adding prior‑authorization requirements and considering moratoria on new licenses. Stakeholders fear these measures may accelerate consolidation as well‑resourced firms acquire vulnerable operators.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
CMS All-In On Using ‘Big Stick’ To Make Value-Based Care New Paradigm
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will wield its $1.2 trillion provider‑payment authority to cement value‑based care as the dominant model for American health care. At the QualCon conference, CMS unveiled the MAHA ELEVATE initiative—a three‑year, $100 million program...
Why Verily Raised $300M to Become an Independent Precision AI Health Giant
Verily has closed a $300 million Series X Capital‑led round and re‑incorporated as Verily Health Inc., shifting Alphabet from a controlling owner to a significant minority shareholder. The funding will accelerate its AI‑native precision health platform, Verily Pre, aimed at unifying fragmented...
Why I Stopped Accepting Workarounds in Perioperative Care
An anesthesiologist recounts a recent case where missing pre‑operative documentation forced a last‑minute delay for a pancreatic endoscopy, exposing the hidden costs of workarounds in peri‑operative care. He argues that these shortcuts are symptoms of broken systems rather than clever...
Studies Show Increased Risk of Heart Rhythm Problems with Seizure and Mental Health Medicine Lamotrigine (Lamictal) in Patients with Heart...
The FDA has issued a safety communication indicating that lamotrigine (Lamictal) may increase the risk of serious arrhythmias in patients with existing heart disease. The agency ordered in‑vitro studies after reports of abnormal ECGs, chest pain, loss of consciousness, and...
Perplexity and b.well Connected Health Partner for AI-Powered Medical Records Search
Perplexity AI has partnered with b.well Connected Health to let users securely link their electronic health records to the search engine. b.well’s extensive FHIR‑based network spans over 2.4 million providers and 350+ health plans, providing cleaned, standardized data through its 13‑step...
FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA Requires Post-Market Safety Trials for Long-Acting Beta-Agonists (LABAs)
The FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication requiring manufacturers of long‑acting beta‑agonists (LABAs) to complete five post‑market, randomized, double‑blind trials evaluating LABA plus inhaled corticosteroid therapy versus corticosteroid alone. Four adult and adolescent studies will each enroll 11,700 patients, covering...
![[UPDATED] OIG Exposes ‘Alarming’ Misuse and Masking of Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://skillednursingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/10/Pillz-dot-jaypeg.jpg)
[UPDATED] OIG Exposes ‘Alarming’ Misuse and Masking of Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes
The Office of Inspector General released two reports exposing extensive misuse of antipsychotic drugs in U.S. nursing homes, especially among dementia patients. Facilities frequently prescribed these medications as chemical restraints and deliberately misdiagnosed residents with schizophrenia to evade Medicare quality...
FDA Approves Linerixibat for Cholestatic Pruritus in Primary Biliary Cholangitis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to GSK’s linerixibat (Lynavoy) for treating cholestatic pruritus in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). The decision rests on the GLISTEN phase‑3 trial, which demonstrated a statistically and clinically significant reduction...
TAVR-MET: Early Signs Point to Less Postprocedural Valve Dysfunction With Tirzepatide
Patients with obesity undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) who received tirzepatide before and after the procedure experienced significantly lower rates of subclinical leaflet thrombosis (HALT) and paravalvular leak. In the randomized TAVR‑MET trial of 260 patients, tirzepatide reduced HALT...
Large Specialty Practice Uses Agentic AI to Strengthen Patient Engagement
Dermatology Partners, a large physician‑owned dermatology group, deployed EliseAI's agentic voice AI to handle its 2,000‑4,000 daily inbound calls. The system integrates with AdvancedMD and Modernizing Medicine EHR, allowing the AI to schedule appointments and capture simple clinical tasks. Early...
Biosimilar CT-P43 Matches Ustekinumab in Treating Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis
A phase‑3, double‑blind trial of over 500 patients showed the ustekinumab biosimilar CT‑P43 achieved equivalent PASI75 response at week 12 and maintained comparable PASI50/75/90 rates through week 52. Safety, adverse‑event profiles, and antidrug‑antibody incidence mirrored those of reference ustekinumab. Patients who switched...
Patients Harmed as Covid Pandemic Brought NHS Close to Collapse, Inquiry Finds
The Covid‑19 inquiry finds the NHS was on the brink of collapse as pandemic waves overwhelmed hospitals and ambulance services. Critical shortages of oxygen, PPE and staff forced intensive‑care ratios to deteriorate, while the “Stay Home, Protect the NHS” slogan...
How Biometrics and QR Codes Will 'Kill the Clipboard'
CMS is piloting a new patient‑centric data exchange model that uses biometric authentication to unlock electronic health records and QR codes to transmit them securely. Amy Gleason, administrator at U.S. DOGE Service and CMS strategic advisor, outlined how the approach...
Sarepta Plans FDA Run for Duchenne Exon Skippers Despite Confirmatory Trial Failure
Sarepta Therapeutics will submit a supplemental NDA to the FDA seeking to convert the accelerated approvals of its Duchenne exon‑skippers Amondys 45 and Vyondys 53 into traditional approvals, despite the confirmatory ESSENCE trial failing to improve motor function. The company bolsters its...
Behavior Changes Happen Outside the Exam Room, But Validation of Lifestyle Medicine Programs Cannot
Providers struggle to verify lifestyle‑medicine outcomes because behavior changes occur outside the exam room. The article argues that remote patient monitoring (RPM) can supply objective, real‑time data to validate nutrition, exercise, and stress‑management programs. CMS’s MAHA ELEVATE model and new RPM...
EP Advocacy Group Details 6 Key Policy Issues
Heart Rhythm Advocates (HRA) outlined six policy issues that could shape electrophysiology in 2026, led by Medicare payment reform and a new 2.5% efficiency adjustment that threatens physician reimbursement. The group highlighted a reintroduced Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization...
Introducing Inside Hospice With Jim Parker
Senior editor Jim Parker has launched Inside Hospice, a Substack platform that delivers in‑depth analysis of hospice industry trends, personal narratives, and behind‑the‑scenes insights. While Hospice News remains a traditional journalistic outlet, Inside Hospice offers longer‑form commentary and direct engagement...
Building the Military Health System’s AI Ecosystem
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) has launched a five‑year data strategy to create a secure, interoperable AI ecosystem for the Military Health System. Partnering with Red Hat, DHA is building cloud‑native infrastructure, data lakes, and governance frameworks that can safely scale...
A Neuroadaptive VR System for the Treatment of Arachnophobia
Researchers at Graz University of Technology unveiled VRSpi, a neuroadaptive virtual‑reality system that reads EEG and heart‑rate signals to automatically adjust spider exposure intensity. The prototype uses frontal alpha asymmetry to gauge real‑time anxiety, ensuring stimuli are neither too weak...
Blood Banks Face O-Neg Shortages; Call for Donations, Changes in Emergency Infusion Practices to Protect Supply
U.S. blood banks are reporting critically low inventories of O‑negative red cells, prompting a coordinated call for donations and revised emergency transfusion protocols. Anesthesiologists, who deliver roughly 60% of the nation’s blood transfusions, are urging hospitals to start with O‑positive...
Excalipoint Closes $68.7M Seed Round for Cancer T-Cell Engagers
Excalipoint, a biotech focused on cancer T‑cell engagers, announced the close of a $68.7 million seed financing round. The capital, raised from leading venture firms and strategic investors, will fund the development of its bispecific antibody platform targeting solid tumors. The...
A New Front Line: How AI And Other Innovations Are Transforming The Fight Against TB
AI-powered handheld X‑ray devices and molecular diagnostics are rapidly reshaping tuberculosis detection in low‑resource settings. The Global Fund now backs AI‑driven screening in more than 22 countries, while Indonesia has moved treatment initiation to over 460 primary health centers, reducing...
Rising Health Premiums Are Eating Into Worker Paychecks
Recent data from the New York Federal Reserve shows that employer‑sponsored health insurance premiums have surged roughly 20% since 2022, while wage growth in the Fed’s region has slipped from about 6% to 3% this year. The economists estimate that...
Nia Therapeutics’ Smart Neurostimulation System Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation to Treat Memory Loss
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Device Designation to Nia Therapeutics’ Smart Neurostimulation System (SNS) for treating episodic memory loss in adults with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. The fully implantable, closed‑loop system records neural activity from...
International Business Briefs | Novo Nordisk Weight-Loss Drugs’ Patent Expiry to Benefit India
This week’s corporate round‑up highlighted several pivotal moves: Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide patent lapses in India, prompting more than 40 firms to launch over 50 generic weight‑loss brands; BP agreed to sell its Gelsenkirchen refinery, targeting roughly $1 bn of operating‑cost savings;...
Morning Workouts Tied to Lower Cardiometabolic Risk in Fitbit Study of 14,000
Researchers analyzing Fitbit heart‑rate data from 14,489 participants in the All of Us study found that people who regularly exercised between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. had significantly lower odds of cardiometabolic diseases. Morning exercisers were 31% less likely to have coronary...
Wine Vs. Beer or Spirits: What a Major Study Suggests About Low Drinking
A UK Biobank analysis of 340,924 adults tracked over 13 years found that high alcohol intake raises all‑cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality. At low to moderate levels, wine consumption was linked to lower cardiovascular death risk, while spirits, beer...
Hypertension Heart Disease Deaths in Young U.S. Women Quadrupled Since 1999
A new ACC study reveals that deaths from hypertensive heart disease among U.S. women aged 25‑44 have quadrupled, climbing from 1.1 to 4.8 per 100,000 between 1999 and 2023. The increase is driven by stark racial and geographic disparities, with...