The Latest

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  Tracker // Overturning of Roe v. Wade

  Tracking state abortion bans in the US

  Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed legislation Wednesday repealing the state's near-total abortion ban from 1864. After the repeal goes into effect, abortions will be prohibited after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

  Updated May 3, 2024

  Government

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  Sponsored by Keypath Education

  More than just shortages, the nursing workforce risks a crisis of experience

  Building a sustainable nursing workforce requires more than just filling vacancies. How can we prepare and support new nurse graduates to develop a competent and resilient nursing workforce?

  Hospitals

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  Change Healthcare cyberattack

  Congress grills UnitedHealth CEO over Change cyberattack

  Legislators slammed Andrew Witty over the company’s lack of cybersecurity practices and the impact of the breach, which may have compromised the data of a third of Americans.

  Health IT

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  Cigna writes down VillageMD investment amid shrinking value

  Walgreens’ decision to slash VillageMD’s clinical footprint has reverberated to the financial accounts of the primary care chain’s minority owner — Cigna.

  Payer

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  Amwell expects revenue impact from Defense contract in Q4

  The telehealth vendor has struggled with a declining stock price and mounting losses.

  Health IT

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  CVS slashes 2024 outlook — again — as Medicare seniors drive spending

  Runaway inpatient spending in particular caused CVS’ insurance costs to snowball after returning “to patterns we have not seen since the start of the pandemic,” its CFO said.

  Payer

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  Debt covenant violations tick up among nonprofit providers: report

  Since 2022, S&P Global Ratings has tracked an increase in violations of debt agreements as macroeconomic pressures and low operating margins challenge providers.

  Hospitals

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  CVS acquires Medicare Advantage broker Hella Health

  The acquisition comes amid rising regulatory scrutiny of insurance brokers and notable turbulence in MA.

  Payer

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  Change Healthcare cyberattack

  Change Healthcare, compromised by stolen credentials, did not have MFA turned on

  Failing to turn on multifactor authentication, a common cybersecurity safeguard, “underscores pure negligence on the part of UnitedHealth,” one expert said.

  Payer

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  Tenet raises full-year revenue guidance on $2.2B in Q1 profit

  CEO Saum Sutaria says the health system is a “new company” following nine hospital sales in the first quarter.

  Hospitals

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  Walmart Health shuts down

  The unexpected closure of Walmart’s 51 health centers and virtual care business highlights the difficulty of providing healthcare at this moment in time.

  Updated May 2, 2024

  Medical Groups

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  Hospitals’ COVID reporting burden to lighten as pandemic-era policies expire

  On Wednesday, hospitals will no longer be required to report COVID-19 admissions, capacity or occupancy data to the federal government.

  Hospitals

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  Ascension taps new CFO

  Saurabh Tripathi, former CFO of Highmark Health, assumed the role on Monday.

  Hospitals

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  FTC broadens health breach notification rule to include apps

  Regulators have been pursuing more enforcement actions against health applications sharing consumers’ data. Friday’s final rule should give those actions more heft.

  Health IT

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  Ransomware attacks on healthcare impact nearly five times more sensitive data: report

  Twenty percent of a typical healthcare organization’s sensitive data holdings are affected in a ransomware encryption event, compared with an average of just 6% in other industries.

  Health IT

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  Opinion

  Medical research is changing, data privacy laws have not

  Congressional inaction regarding health privacy laws robs Americans of ownership over their health data, argues Senator Bill Cassidy, ranking member of the Senate HELP committee.

  Health IT

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  FDA finalizes lab developed test rule despite industry opposition

  Risks associated with the tests have increased, requiring greater oversight to protect patients, the agency contends.

  Government

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  Kaiser exposed up to 13.4M plan member records to third parties

  The largest data breach reported so far this year comes as regulators reconsider healthcare’s use of tracking technologies.

  Hospitals

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  Rising inpatient volumes boosted HCA’s first quarter earnings

  The Nashville, Tennessee-based operator is the latest for-profit system to report stronger-than-expected inpatient volumes and tempered expenses.

  Hospitals

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  Centene looks beyond Medicaid redeterminations

  The nation's largest Medicaid insurer expects to return to normal operations this year, though redeterminations continue to dog Centene through a mismatch between rates and acuity. 

  Payer

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  UPMC to cut 1,000 roles

  About 1% of UPMC's total workforce will be impacted by the reductions, according to a spokesperson.

  Hospitals

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  Teladoc reports mixed results following long-time CEO’s departure

  The virtual care giant’s earnings were dragged by flagging growth in its BetterHelp segment, which suffered an 11% drop in paying users year over year.

  Health IT

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  Molina to challenge Medicaid contract losses in Florida, Virginia

  Despite business growth in the first quarter, Molina reiterated its prior 2024 guidance out of caution that it won’t be able to reprocure the contested contracts.

  Payer

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  CHS kicks off 2024 with a net loss as expenses remain high

  The health system made progress on controlling expenses by cutting contract labor costs and insourcing physicians, but costs still dragged on earnings.

  Hospitals

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  UHS posts strong profits as acute and behavioral care revenue rises

  The for-profit health system’s revenue rose by more than 10% in the first quarter.

  Hospitals

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  Intermountain Health exits Kansas

  The nonprofit is transferring ownership of two Caritas Clinics and shutting one down.

  Hospitals

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