The Latest

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  Tenet CIO to retire at year end

  Paola Arbour will stay at Tenet on a part-time basis to provide transition and support services through early 2028.

  Hospitals

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  Sponsored by PointClickCare

  From afterthought to advantage: How health plans are rethinking post-acute care

  From reactive to proactive, how plans are transforming post-acute care management.

  Payer

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  CMS proposes new deadlines for prior authorizations for drugs

  Drugs were left out of a 2024 rule streamlining prior authorizations by making decisions electronic and requiring payers to turn them around more quickly. The Trump administration is looking to address that gap.

  Payer

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  Medicare proposes 2.4% pay bump for inpatient hospitals in 2027, floats mandatory model

  Regulators are proposing to send $1.4 billion more to acute care hospitals and debut the first nationwide, mandatory payment model to lower the cost of joint replacements. Hospitals pushed back.

  Hospitals

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  Hospital M&A rebounds after 2025 lull

  Mergers and acquisitions in the first quarter hit multi-year highs after providers pumped the brakes last year, according to a new study from Kaufman Hall.

  Hospitals

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  CMS unveils first wave of health tech tools as it pushes data sharing initiative

  The agency showcased dozens of tools Thursday, about 8 months after the CMS first announced the initiative that aims to ease health data sharing and improve access to digital health and AI products.

  Health IT

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  Women have awaited a revolution in menopause. It hasn’t arrived.

  Persistent barriers are still hindering drug development for a host of menopause symptoms.

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  Judge allows states’ lawsuit over HHS restructuring to move forward

  A group of 19 states and Washington, D.C., sued over the department’s sweeping layoffs and reorganization last year. A federal judge on Tuesday struck down the HHS’ bid to dismiss the lawsuit.

  Government

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  Most health AI users don’t rate chatbots as highly accurate: poll

  About 2 in 10 said they at least sometimes use AI chatbots to get health information, but only 18% considered their responses highly accurate, according to the survey published by the Pew Research Center.

  Health IT

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  Deep Dive

  One year after HHS layoffs, a department in disarray

  Thousands of employees of the Department of Health and Human Services were fired last spring. Their colleagues are still picking up the pieces.

  Government

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  Orlando Health agrees to acquire Alabama-based RMC Health System

  The deal, which the health systems expect to close in the fall, will further expand Orlando Health’s presence in the state after it acquired Birmingham-based Baptist Health in 2024.

  Hospitals

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  Jefferson Health sues Aetna over Medicare Advantage ‘downcoding’ policy

  The health system claims the policy, which reduces reimbursement for some inpatient hospital stays, violates federal law and its reimbursement contract with Aetna. The insurer disagreed with Jefferson’s allegations.

  Hospitals

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  Deep Dive

  One year in: How medtech companies are coping with tariff challenges

  A resilient medtech industry navigating the fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade wars is taking proactive steps to manage tariff costs as the administration’s policies continue to evolve.

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  ICHRAs, a growth opportunity for insurers, face uphill battle

  Employers are turning to Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements to cut costs, but rising premiums and instability on the individual market pose challenges.

  Payer

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  Deep Dive

  CMS tackles big policy changes with diminished workforce

  The agency is embarking on major initiatives — including helping states implement Medicaid work requirements — with fewer workers in the wake of the federal government’s restructuring, experts say.

  Government

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  Digital health funding concentrates in fewer startups: report

  Companies raised $4 billion in the first quarter, an increase of $1 billion over the prior year, according to Rock Health. But nearly 60% of the capital deployed came from 12 large deals.

  Health IT

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  CMS finalizes higher Medicare Advantage rates for 2027 in gift to insurers

  Regulators locked in a 2.48% rate hike for next year, much higher than the 0.09% that was proposed. Analysts said the Trump administration was likely spooked about coverage disruptions for seniors before the midterm elections.

  Payer

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  Insurers committed to cutting prior authorizations have eliminated 11% so far

  Last summer, major payers committed to pare back onerous prior authorization policies, to the skepticism of providers. Now, AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association are providing an update on insurers’ progress.

  Payer

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  Veradigm names CFO as it works to get current on financial filings

  Christian Greyenbuhl will replace Lee Westerfield, who has been interim CFO since 2023. The health IT company has worked to get up to date on its financial reporting requirements after it was delisted from the Nasdaq in 2024.

  Health IT

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  Hims & Hers says limited data stolen in social engineering attack

  The telehealth provider said hackers gained access to a third-party customer service platform, but medical records remained secure.

  Health IT

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  Centene creates two new executive leadership roles

  It’s the latest in a flurry of executive appointments from health insurers looking to strengthen their leadership teams amid regulatory headwinds and elevated medical costs.

  Payer

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  White House seeks 12% cut to HHS in 2027

  The Trump administration is requesting about $111 billion in discretionary funding for the HHS, nearly $16 billion less than its budget in 2026.

  Government

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  CMS finalizes Medicare Advantage star ratings overhaul, sending billions of dollars more to insurers

  Regulators cut almost a dozen metrics that factor into the quality ratings and reverted back to an older and more generous bonus system. MA plans will get more than $18 billion in additional payments over the next decade as a result.

  Payer

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  FTC urges Tennessee to preserve Ballad Health’s COPA

  Lawmakers are considering bills that would unwind the state’s oversight over Ballad, a large state-sanctioned hospital monopoly. The FTC argues that’s a bad idea.

  Hospitals

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  AI scribe adoption linked to modest reductions in EHR, documentation time: study

  Clinicians’ use of an AI scribe was associated with 13 fewer minutes each day inside electronic health records and 16 fewer minutes on documenting patient care, according to the research published in JAMA.

  Health IT

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  CHS closes sale of Alabama hospital

  Community Health Systems completed the divestiture of Crestwood Medical Center this week as the for-profit operator continues paying down its debt.

  Hospitals

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