Healthcare News and Headlines
Healthcare News and Headlines
Montrose Regional Health and Grand Junction’s Community Hospital have signed a letter of intent to explore forming a tax‑exempt nonprofit entity. The partnership would focus on nonclinical functions such as information technology alignment, group purchasing, long‑term planning, and revenue‑cycle optimization. Both organizations would remain independent, locally governed nonprofits while collaborating under the new entity. The parties aim to reach a definitive agreement this fall and finalize the structure by the end of 2026.
Roche’s oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) giredestrant failed to meet its primary endpoint in a late‑stage Phase III trial, but the data revealed meaningful activity in specific patient subgroups, particularly those with ESR1 mutations. The miss prompted Roche to...
Lumina Health Partners has joined ECG Management Consultants, integrating its co‑founders into ECG’s Payer Strategy and Contracting Division. The move deepens ECG’s expertise in value‑based care, combining Lumina’s ten‑year track record advising hospitals with ECG’s national scale and tech‑enabled solutions....
U.S. life expectancy has essentially plateaued since 2010, delivering only a few months of gain compared with the steady improvements of previous decades. A new PNAS study identifies the Baby Boomer cohort as a mortality inflection point, with earlier generations...
Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that its experimental IgA nephropathy drug povetacicept met primary and key secondary endpoints in a Phase 3 trial, cutting urine protein by roughly 50% versus placebo after 36 weeks. The interim results also showed reductions in abnormal antibodies...
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine used a non‑editing CRISPR system to activate the PPARGC1A gene, boosting mitochondrial production in human cardiomyocytes. The technique safely increased cellular energy output, as shown by higher oxygen consumption in cell...
Regional One Health received a certificate of need from the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission to build a $900 million hospital on the former Commercial Appeal site in Memphis. The project, slated to break ground in late September 2025, is underpinned by a...
At HIMSS26 Executive Summit, senior leaders from Parkland Health and AltaMed debated how to quantify AI’s return on investment in healthcare. They highlighted the difficulty of measuring hard financial gains while acknowledging that AI can free clinicians from documentation and...
The American Diabetes Association praised South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden for signing House Bill 1143, which allows students with diabetes to possess and self‑administer insulin and related supplies during school hours and activities. The legislation requires written authorization from a...
San Francisco agreed to a $500,000 settlement with the Pham family, who sued over the wrongful death of their father after his transfer from Laguna Honda Hospital. The settlement comes as the safety‑net hospital, which lost certification in 2022, regained...
A new guide extension catheter, CrossFAST, received FDA clearance in December 2024 and has shown improved efficiency and safety in complex percutaneous coronary interventions. Early clinical experience with four patients demonstrated rapid, deep coronary intubation without balloon‑assisted tracking, reducing dissection risk...
The FDA announced a draft guidance that would permit e‑cigarette flavors such as mint, coffee, tea, and spices while maintaining a ban on sweet and fruity varieties. The shift follows earlier attempts to curb teen vaping with a broad flavor...
Stryker, the world’s fifth‑largest medical‑device maker, has been awarded the first Healthcare Industry Resiliency Collaborative (HIRC) Enterprise Gold Resiliency Badge for its overall supply‑chain performance. The badge, based on a third‑party assessment of demand planning, inventory management, visibility, supplier and...
Nick Hut and Katie Gilfillan outline a forthcoming accountable care organization (ACO) model slated for 2027. The proposal calls for deeper financial risk sharing, real‑time analytics, and a stronger focus on patient‑centered outcomes. It builds on recent CMS payment reforms...
Adventist HealthCare announced it will close the Germantown Emergency Center, a freestanding ER in Maryland, effective July 1 pending state approval. The decision follows a roughly one‑third drop in patient volume, with many visits for low‑acuity conditions that could be...
A fourth federal trial opened in Chicago alleging Abbott Laboratories' cow‑milk‑based infant formula triggered necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants. The case follows a $495 million Missouri verdict against Abbott and a $60 million Illinois verdict against Mead Johnson, both in 2024. A...
Coherus Oncology posted FY 2025 revenue of $42.2 million, driven by a 64% year‑over‑year jump in LOQTORZI sales and a $12.4 million Q4 boost. The company cut its debt by more than 90% to $38.8 million and lifted cash reserves to $172.1 million after two...
Statista projects that the U.S. pharmaceutical market will be led by ten blockbuster drugs in 2026, with Merck’s Keytruda topping the list at $12.7 billion in sales. Four oncology therapies—Keytruda, Opdivo, Imbruvica and Ibrance—are among the top ten, underscoring cancer’s continued...
At HIMSS26, CEO Hal Wolf will host a panel examining AI tools' "attitude." Leaders will discuss why understanding both the data provenance and the designer's identity, values, and goals is critical. The session aims to guide healthcare organizations in evaluating...
Community‑driven programs such as Go for Bold demonstrate measurable weight loss and BMI improvements, but their impact stalls without supportive food‑system policies. Research on national sodium‑reduction laws shows dramatic drops in fractures, heart attacks, strokes and health‑care costs when intake...
The 1199SEIU Healthcare Workers East union is rallying for the Home Care Savings and Reinvestment Act, which would strip private insurers from New York's Medicaid home‑care payment system and replace them with a state‑run fee‑for‑service model. Proponents claim the change...
A new Annenberg Public Policy Center survey reveals a growing trust gap in U.S. health information. About 73% of Americans say they trust physicians and the American Medical Association, while confidence in federal health agencies has slipped. However, career scientists...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning‑letter close‑out to APS BioGroup, Inc. on April 5, 2018, confirming that the company’s corrective actions addressing the July 2017 warning letter were satisfactory. The agency stressed that this closure does not relieve APS BioGroup...
The FDA issued a Warning Letter to Dr. James Findling after a 2019 inspection revealed serious protocol violations in a clinical trial of an investigational drug. The investigator randomized two subjects who had exceeded permitted dose levels and failed to...
The FDA issued Warning Letter #588155 to Health Pharma USA LLC after a May‑June 2019 inspection uncovered multiple CGMP violations at its Rahway, New Jersey facility. Major deficiencies included a dysfunctional quality‑control unit that released products before review, incomplete batch...
U.S. health‑care spending nears $5 trillion, while hospital markets become increasingly consolidated under a few large systems. Telehealth, despite high eligibility, is billed for only about 3.8% of services, indicating a behavioral adoption gap. Fee‑for‑service still dominates, covering roughly 40% of...
A recent Hunterbrook Media investigation uncovered a hidden layer of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM)‑affiliated group purchasing organizations (GPOs) that channel billions of dollars while maintaining minimal staff and opaque operations. The report shows the three largest PBMs, which already control...
The American Hospital Association’s latest podcast explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping staffing in health care. Experts discuss AI‑driven workforce analytics, predictive scheduling, and talent acquisition tools that promise to reduce turnover and improve patient outcomes. The conversation also highlights...
The Circle of Life Hospice House, a privately‑owned adult family home in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, will open in spring 2026 with four patient beds. Founder Sara Rogers, a former hospice care coordinator with 25 years of social‑work experience, created the...
The American Hospital Association marked Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8‑14) by highlighting initiatives from leading health systems. Executives from CommonSpirit Health, Hartford HealthCare, and Henry Ford Health detailed programs, technology, and virtual nursing models aimed at reducing errors and improving outcomes....
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) has forged a partnership with the NHLBI‑backed Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN) to accelerate practice‑changing clinical trials. CTSN’s existing infrastructure, which has already enrolled about 20,000 patients, will be leveraged to support new,...
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced on March 6 that it will award $69.1 million in grants for mental‑health and suicide‑prevention programs. The funding is split among three initiatives: $43 million for the Children’s Mental Health Initiative targeting youth...
The International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) World Congress in New Orleans (Oct 17‑20, 2026) will feature a panel on global healthcare security design led by IAHSS president Anthony Pope and foundation head Bill Navejar. The presenters will showcase practices from the...
A Florida district court concluded that Leapfrog Group employed deceptive practices in its hospital safety rating system, finding the organization misrepresented how scores were calculated. The ruling highlighted that several hospitals received inflated safety grades based on opaque criteria. Leapfrog...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released guidance on March 6 directing states to transition to six‑month Medicaid redeterminations beginning in 2027, as mandated by last year’s budget reconciliation bill. States have two implementation pathways: one that allows them to...
Kaiser Permanente Southern California evaluated a home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) program over 12 months in 3,067 patients. The intervention lowered systolic blood pressure by 1.42 mm Hg and diastolic by 1.58 mm Hg, while shifting care from in‑person visits to virtual encounters. Enrollment...
A new study of 11 drug‑resistant epilepsy patients found that nights after a seizure are about 24 minutes longer overall, with rapid‑eye‑movement (REM) sleep reduced by roughly 12 minutes and deep slow‑wave sleep intensified. Researchers propose that the brain may...
Qiagen Inc. presented at the Leerink Global Healthcare Conference 2026, answering questions from analyst Puneet Souda. CFO Roland Sackers confirmed the company remains open to strategic options, including potential M&A, while emphasizing its strong market position and pipeline. He highlighted...
Researchers analyzed seven viral outbreaks, including COVID‑19, Ebola and the 2009 H1N1 flu, and found that most pathogens jumped from animal reservoirs to humans without needing extraordinary genetic changes, with the 1977 influenza strain as the sole outlier. By reconstructing...
A recent study of over 1,800 TAVR patients (2020‑2025) found that moderate valve oversizing of 10 %‑20 % independently reduced all‑cause mortality, while minimal (<10 %) and severe (≥20 %) oversizing showed no survival benefit. Procedural outcomes, including stroke and vascular complications, were similar...
Researchers found that cancer patients and caregivers view the term “time toxicity” as overly negative, preferring neutral language such as “time commitment” or “time trade‑off.” Interviews with 45 stakeholders—including 20 gastrointestinal cancer patients, 10 caregivers, and 15 oncologists—revealed that most...
Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8‑14) highlights the critical role of teamwork in protecting patients from preventable harm. The American Hospital Association’s Patient Safety Initiative, backed by Vizient data, supplies hospitals with benchmarking tools and peer‑learning resources. Highlighted programs—UConn Health’s CHAMP...
At HIMSS 2026, Intermountain Health’s chief strategy officer Dan Liljenquist warned that today’s health‑system model cannot survive mounting workforce shortages and rising demand. He urged leaders to treat interoperability and artificial intelligence as strategic engines, not mere technical check‑boxes. Intermountain...
Walmart teamed with Cleveland Clinic to launch a Cardiac Center of Excellence serving over a million employees and families. The collaboration introduced bundled pricing, travel‑enabled specialty care, and protocols that reduced unnecessary surgeries while improving outcomes. By standardizing care pathways,...
Stance Healthcare has launched the Rochester Lounge Collection, a modular seating line designed for hospitals and care facilities. The series includes single, two‑seat and three‑seat lounges plus a Rochester Sleep Sofa, each featuring integrated clean‑out spaces, nylon glides, and optional...
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) cancelled its first public meeting since the board’s January overhaul by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who installed 21 new members, several of whom are vaccine skeptics. The cancellation was announced on March 7, the same day...
Clinical psychologists at Northwestern University partnered with corrections officials, public‑health scholars, judges and victim advocates to create ACTV‑3, a value‑based intervention for intimate‑partner violence offenders. Over two years the multidisciplinary team co‑designed the manual, adapted language for community‑corrections settings, and...
Hip fractures affect roughly 300,000 Americans annually, with half classified as femoral neck injuries, and incidence is projected to rise as the population ages. Traditional internal fixation carries a roughly 30% re‑operation rate in older patients, prompting a shift toward...
In a rapid‑response letter to the BMJ, specialist doctor Laura Jarvis thanks Barbara Holtzman for her piece on chronic pain and highlights the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine’s mind‑body approach. The letter describes how psychotherapy‑based training helps patients link emotional trauma to physical...
The American Diabetes Association announced the 2026 National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Award winners at its upcoming Scientific Sessions. Honorees include Takashi Kadowaki (Banting Medal), Timo Müller (Outstanding Scientific Achievement), Gerald Shulman (Albert Renold Award), and several others recognized...
