Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL AHA responds to House request for information on modernizing MACRA AMA ‘disappointed’ in MedPAC for backing off deeper Medicare pay reform Amazon One Medical launches AI assistant Behavioral health trends reshaping essential hospitals CMS pain procedure reimbursement policy draws pushback Congress eyes tackling healthcare consolidation Congress unveils bipartisan health bill, funding deal Federal... READ MORE

NATIONAL 11 No Surprises Act updates A huge week for physician deals: 8 deals in 8 days AHA backs bill to boost rural hospital cybersecurity workforce AHA, other groups: It’s wrong to tell hospitals they ‘are to’ complete drug acquisition cost survey Amazon Backed Anthropic Launches Healthcare Tools to Rival OpenAI Amazon Pharmacy offers... READ MORE

NATIONAL 7 major vaccine policy changes in 2025 2026: Healthcare-specific private equity reporting requirements set to go into effect 40 million Americans use ChatGPT for healthcare: Report 13 health systems affected by Oracle Health data breach 6 Stark law cases in 1 year A 2026 Stark law update goes into effect Breaking the discharge... READ MORE

NATIONAL 19 states, DC sue HHS over gender-affirming care restrictions 6 new care and payment models CMS introduced in 2025 14 Epic updates in 30 days 39 hospital M&As finalized in 2025 5 financial metrics health system leaders are targeting next year 11 states plan post-acute initiatives with CMS’ rural health fund 10 most... READ MORE

**There will be no distribution of this newsletter next week. Happy Holidays!** NATIONAL 47 states introduced healthcare AI bills in 2025 CMS floats 24 measure updates: 7 things to know CMS proposes funding blocks on gender-affirming care for minors CMS launches ‘MAHA Elevate’ to test lifestyle medicine in Medicare FAH taps new CEO FDA... READ MORE

NATIONAL 57 health systems ask HHS to rescind cybersecurity rule ACA approval hits new high as subsidies set to expire: 7 things to know American Hospital Association President and CEO to retire AHA supports federal AI safety guidance AHA warns of ‘​10 out of 10’ cyber vulnerability CMS’ final ASC rule overall ‘positive’: Inside... READ MORE

NATIONAL 2025 marks ‘turning point’ in states’ efforts to scale back private equity influence in nursing homes $50B funding fight: Hospitals spar over rural health fund 21 orgs. formally endorse SI joint pain guidelines 2025 marks ‘turning point’ in states’ efforts to scale back private equity influence in nursing homes Amazon to boost healthcare... READ MORE

**There will be no distribution of this newsletter next week due to the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!** NATIONAL 21 Joint Commission moves in 2025 AHA, FBI warn of ransomware group that extorted $244M AMA adopts APM standards to sustain rural hospitals AMA moves to bolster physicians’ workplace safety, well-being As rural hospitals close and strokes... READ MORE

NATIONAL Amazon Pharmacy to offer same-day delivery after urgent care visits Concerns over fairness, access rise as states compete for slice of $50 billion rural health fund FDA to remove safety warnings on hormonal menopause therapy Government shutdown ends: 5 healthcare notes Health systems push nursing homes toward virtual care Health system ties improve... READ MORE

NATIONAL 3 Joint Commission moves Amid shutdown, health IT vendors say hospitals are cutting back on spending CMS finalizes 2026 physician fee schedule: 12 notes CMS finalizes increased pay rates for physicians in 2026, but hospital docs could lose out Congress Mulls New Rules for Nonprofit Hospitals Ensign Group adds 8 nursing homes in... READ MORE