MAHA Movement Slows
The White House’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign, launched in early 2025 to curb chronic disease through lifestyle medicine, nutrition training, and revamped hospital food, has stalled as of March 2026. Leadership turmoil at the CDC—no permanent director since August and an interim head juggling NIH duties—has left the agency without stable guidance. Simultaneously, Congress approved Medicaid cuts worth hundreds of billions of dollars, while federal courts blocked HHS’s attempt to scale back childhood vaccine recommendations. The surgeon‑general nominee remains unconfirmed, further clouding the initiative’s near‑term direction.
Intermountain Joins National Trauma, Grief Network
Intermountain Children’s Health and its Primary Children’s Hospital have become members of a national trauma and grief network led by the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. The network, which also includes hospitals in Michigan, Louisiana and Texas, aims to standardize...
A $1B Campus, Leadership Handoff and Unchanged Mission: Grady’s Next Chapter
Grady Health System announced that President and CEO John Haupert will retire at the end of 2026 after a 35‑year healthcare career, with COO Anthony Saul slated to assume the role on Jan. 1, 2027. The transition coincides with a $1 billion...
Children’s Minnesota Taps New Vice President of Finance From Optum
Sannah Kahal has been appointed vice president of finance at Children’s Minnesota, a Minneapolis‑based health system, effective immediately. The announcement, posted on LinkedIn on March 31, highlights her responsibility for capital planning, controllership, enterprise reporting, financial planning and analysis, decision support,...
Beth Israel Lahey Hospital President to Retire; Successor Named
Jonathan Lind has been appointed president of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital‑Plymouth, effective May 4, succeeding retiring leader Kevin Coughlin. Lind previously served as president of Swedish Hospital in Chicago, where he drove ambulatory growth and achieved the highest employee‑engagement scores across...
Labor Deal Ratified by Nearly 3,000 Nurses at 6 Tenet Hospitals
Nearly 3,000 registered nurses at six Tenet Healthcare hospitals in California ratified a three‑year labor contract with 93% support. The agreement, effective July 1 2025 through June 30 2028, includes wage increases of 11% to 18% over the term, a dedicated rapid‑response nurse at...
Retail Pharmacy Growth Raises Stakes for Hospitals
Retail giants are accelerating their pharmacy footprints, with Amazon planning same‑day prescription delivery in 4,500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026 and Walmart promoting 3,000 pharmacy technicians while raising wages to $22‑$40.50 per hour. Walgreens and CVS are also...
Southcoast Health Creates 12-Officer Force to Combat Workplace Violence
Southcoast Health announced the creation of an in‑house police department, deploying a 12‑officer force led by newly appointed chief Marc Duphily. The move follows five years of using Massachusetts State Special Police and is driven by a sharp rise in...
Payers’ Prior Authorization Denial Rates Go Public: 5 Notes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized an Interoperability and Prior Authorization Rule that obliges payers to publish annual aggregated prior‑authorization metrics, with the first set due March 31 for calendar‑year 2025. The rule also shortens decision timelines to seven...
Texas Health Resources CEO to Retire, Successor Named
Barclay Berdan, CEO of Texas Health Resources, will retire in September after four decades with the system, having overseen major clinical, digital, and operational transformations since taking the helm in 2014. The board has appointed senior executive vice president and...
ACA Enrollment at 23.1 Million in 2026
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported ACA enrollment at 23.1 million for 2026, a 5% dip from the 2025 peak but still 8% above 2024 and 41% higher than 2023. New consumer sign‑ups fell 13% to 3.6 million, while returning...
Hidden OR Capacity Challenges: 8 Perioperative Leaders on What’s Draining Surgical Time
Operating rooms are losing significant capacity through hidden inefficiencies that traditional metrics like first‑case start times and turnover rates fail to capture. Perioperative leaders cite double‑block and swing‑room scheduling models, research‑driven case extensions, and over‑allocated surgeon blocks as major contributors...
Florida State University Set to Acquire Tallahassee Hospital
Florida State University’s board and the Florida Board of Governors approved the acquisition of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s property, converting the city‑owned hospital into an integrated academic medical center. The university will own the facility while Tallahassee Memorial continues operations under...
As Maternity Units Close, AdventHealth Restores OB Care in Rural Kansas
AdventHealth Ottawa, part of the Florida‑based AdventHealth system, reopened its Family Birth Place labor and delivery unit in September 2025 after a temporary closure in 2023. The hospital hired 11 full‑time maternity staff and plans additional providers in 2026, enabling...
MercyOne Hospital to Transition Labor and Delivery Services
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center will cease scheduled labor and delivery services after May 26, redirecting patients to MercyOne birth centers in Davenport, Dubuque and Silvis. The health system cited unsustainable demand, shifting demographics, staffing shortages and inadequate reimbursement as drivers...
6 Maternity Service Closures in 2026
In 2026, six hospitals across the United States will end or relocate their labor and delivery services, adding to the 29 maternity unit closures reported in 2025. The facilities—spanning West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Iowa, and Arkansas—cited chronic staffing shortages,...
UCLA Health Creates Leadership Role for AI Innovation
UCLA Health has appointed Katherine Andriole, PhD, as the inaugural associate dean for health AI strategy and innovation at the David Geffen School of Medicine, effective March 26. She also assumes directorship of the UCLA Center for AI and SMART Health....
1st Jesuit Medical School Advances with $2M Gift
Xavier University in Cincinnati will launch the world’s first Jesuit osteopathic medical school in fall 2027 after a $2 million gift from alumni Gary and Connie Sharpe, split with a new nursing program. Ground was broken in 2024 for a 130,000‑square‑foot...
NYC Health + Hospitals Rolls Out AI Tool to Boost Maternal Safety
NYC Health + Hospitals has launched a $2.75 million program deploying PeriWatch Vigilance, an AI‑driven early‑warning and decision‑support system for maternal‑fetal care. The tool, currently active at the North Central Bronx hospital, will be expanded to all 11 system hospitals by...
CMS Unveils New Pediatric Care Model
CMS announced the Accelerating State Pediatric Innovation Readiness and Effectiveness (ASPIRE) Model, a ten‑year voluntary initiative for up to five states to improve whole‑person care for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries up to age 21. The model places accountability for quality...
Consumers Increasingly Turn to AI Chatbots for Health Information: Report
A recent Rock Health survey of 8,000 U.S. adults shows that one in three consumers have turned to AI chatbots for health information, a usage rate that has doubled over the past year. ChatGPT dominates the market with a 23%...
Rural New Mexico Hospital Deploys AI Scribe
Artesia General Hospital in rural New Mexico has integrated Microsoft’s Dragon Copilot AI scribe into its TruBridge electronic health record. Physicians report noticeably faster clinical documentation compared with legacy dictation tools, freeing up time for patient interaction. The hospital cites...
136 Hospitals with 5+ Magnet Designations
Approximately 2% of the nation’s 6,093 hospitals have earned Magnet designation five times or more, placing 136 facilities in an elite group. The American Nurses Credentialing Center has recognized 657 hospitals worldwide, with 136 achieving five or more designations and...
UF Health Taps New Vice President of RCM Business Support
Peter Thompson has been appointed vice president of revenue cycle management business support at UF Health in Gainesville, Florida. He previously served as vice president of client services at BuoyFi, a medical‑debt‑management firm, and as executive vice president of business...
57% of Health Systems Rank AI as Top Tech Priority: Report
Health system executives are placing artificial intelligence at the forefront of their technology roadmaps, with 57% naming AI‑based clinical solutions as their top priority for 2026‑27. This surge follows a steep rise from 19% last year, even as 41% of...
BCBS of Minnesota CEO Leaves Sutter Board over Allina Deal
Dana Erickson, CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, resigned from Sutter Health's board on March 15, just before Sutter announced its proposed $26 billion acquisition of Allina Health. Erickson had been recused from any discussion of the deal...
900 Nurses Reach Labor Deal with Northern Light Eastern Maine
Approximately 900 nurses at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center have reached a tentative labor agreement, averting a planned March 23 strike. The contract delivers wage increases of 12% to 17% over three years, expands pay differentials, and imposes a...
UCI Health to Lay Off 150 Workers
UCI Health announced it will lay off about 150 workers, roughly 1% of its staff, as part of a strategic restructuring driven by federal funding cuts and shifting insurance reimbursements. The reductions target administrative, support and operational roles across its...
Humana, CommonSpirit Reach 3-Year MA Agreement, Including Colorado and Texas
Humana and CommonSpirit Health have finalized a national three‑year Medicare Advantage agreement that restores CommonSpirit’s Colorado and Texas markets to Humana’s network. The deal, the result of nearly a year of negotiations, encompasses services, facilities and providers across the health...
WellSpan’s CEO-CFO Power Duo: How 2 Female Leaders Guide the Growing System
WellSpan Health, now a 10‑hospital system after opening Newberry Hospital, credits its rapid expansion to a tightly knit CEO‑CFO partnership. President and CEO Roxanna Gapstur leverages deep clinical and operational experience, while CFO Laura Buczkowski brings 35 years of healthcare...
Florida System Names Chief Communications Officer
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare has appointed Danielle Buchanan as vice president and chief communications officer. Buchanan previously served as senior marketing director for diagnostic services at Quest Diagnostics and spent nearly a decade leading marketing, communications, and media relations at TMH....
‘These Communities Deserve Better’: Geisinger CEO on Rural Healthcare Challenges
Geisinger CEO Terry Gilliland warned that rural Pennsylvania health systems face mounting pressure as federal HR 1 funding cuts loom. The state received $193 million from the Rural Health Transformation Program, below the $200 million national average, despite housing the third‑largest rural population....
The Explosion of the Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan
Special needs plans (SNPs) are emerging as the primary growth engine for Medicare Advantage, with KFF estimating they will account for roughly half of enrollment gains between 2024 and 2025. By 2025, SNPs will cover about 21% of all MA...
We’re Great Thinkers…But Not Rethinkers
Adam Grant warned that healthcare excels at thinking but lags at rethinking, causing organizations to fall behind disruptive forces. He urged leaders to foster psychological safety so frontline staff can surface problems without immediate solutions. The talk highlighted the need...
North Star to Cut Additional Jobs
North Star Health Alliance announced additional job cuts as part of its Chapter 11 restructuring, following a January reduction of more than 100 positions. The health system did not disclose the exact number of employees affected in this latest round....
Oregon Governor Asks PeaceHealth to Delay Contract Switch: 11 Things to Know
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek sent a letter to PeaceHealth demanding a 180‑day delay in the system’s plan to shift emergency‑room staffing from its long‑standing local physicians to Atlanta‑based ApolloMD. The request follows concerns that the deal may breach Oregon’s strict...
Viewpoint: US Nursing Workforce Faces Several Risks
A recent JAMA Health Forum viewpoint warns that upcoming federal budget changes could cripple the U.S. nursing faculty pipeline. Proposed cuts to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program and a new $200,000 cap on federal loans for professional degrees threaten to...
‘The 1980s Called’: CMS to Phase Out Fax, Mail
CMS finalized a rule that phases out fax machines and snail‑mail for healthcare claims documentation, establishing national standards for electronic exchange of clinical records. The Administrative Simplification Final Rule is projected to save the industry about $781 million each year, though...
Aligning IT & Clinical Teams: How to Reduce Friction and Improve Communication
Healthcare IT teams are increasingly pivotal in software assessment, purchase, and implementation, yet friction often arises when clinical and IT priorities clash. Early involvement of IT can surface technical constraints—such as data transfer protocols—before contracts are signed, avoiding costly redesigns....
AI in Pharmacy: Why Pilots Stall at Hospitals
Artificial intelligence is gaining traction in hospital pharmacy operations, yet many health systems remain stuck in small pilots. Dr. Bickkie Solomon argues that treating AI as a narrow IT project overlooks broader operational and governance needs, causing initiatives to stall....
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...
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...
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...
Details Emerge on Mission Hospital’s Immediate Jeopardy Response: 8 Things to Know
Mission Hospital in Asheville received its third immediate jeopardy designation from CMS within two years, prompting the submission of an enhanced plan of correction. The plan, accepted by CMS on February 2, 2026, calls for a root‑cause analysis, a review...
CDC Panel Advises Tracking COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ COVID‑19 Immunization Workgroup has recommended three federal actions to address post‑acute COVID‑19 vaccination syndrome (PACVS), a condition marked by multisystem symptoms persisting beyond 12 weeks after vaccination. The proposals include creating new ICD‑10...
Cleveland Clinic Chief Investment Officer to Exit After 10 Years
Stefan Strein, who served as Cleveland Clinic’s inaugural chief investment officer for more than a decade, will leave the health system on April 10. He is moving to UNC Management Co., where he will assume the roles of president, CEO...