Latest news
A new survey commissioned by a physician advocacy group shows that nearly half of doctors employed by corporations feel compelled to prioritize patient volume over quality of care; 63% of doctors say employer policies make it difficult to refer patients to out-of-network facilities.
Fitch Ratings' latest analysis shows that cyberattacks themselves rarely directly lead to credit rating downgrades, but they may exacerbate operational and financial challenges. Healthcare institutions with business resilience and emergency response capabilities can buffer the impact; water systems, however, face greater pressure due to limited resources and difficulties in rate adjustments.
Revenue cycle management firm R1 announced an agreement to acquire Humata Health, a company focused on AI-powered prior authorizations. The deal, expected to close in Q3, will integrate Humata's technology into R1's platform, aiming to reduce administrative burden and improve approval rates.
Humana announced Thursday that Dr. Shantanu Nundy will become its chief medical officer, effective Aug. 31. Nundy, who previously served as executive vice president of care delivery and chief health officer at Accolade, will bring a clinical perspective to product design, platform development, and AI use. He replaces Kate Goodrich, who left in October 2025 for a role at UnitedHealth. The appointment comes as Humana focuses on margin improvement and operational efficiency.
Providence announced Wednesday that Kevin Smith, CFO of SSM Health, will become its new CFO on Oct. 26, replacing Greg Hoffman who retired this summer. Smith brings experience from multiple health systems and will oversee financial strategy as Providence works to recover from pandemic-related losses.
Providence Health Plan, the insurance arm of Renton, Washington-based Providence, will close entirely after negotiations with an unnamed national carrier for its Medicare Advantage business broke down. The closure affects more than 64,000 MA members and follows the earlier announced wind-down of commercial and Medicaid lines.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking input on how to regulate medical devices that incorporate generative artificial intelligence (AI). Its Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has approved over 1,000 AI-enabled devices, but most do not use generative AI. On Tuesday, CDRH released a discussion paper proposing a potential regulatory framework and opened a comment period until October 19.
U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton ruled that HHS unlawfully revised essential health benefit scope without a required CMS actuary certification. The decision, hailed by California AG Rob Bonta, reinstates ACA cost-sharing protections for gender-affirming care but leaves administrative details unresolved.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Heidi Overton, a top White House policy aide, as the next FDA commissioner, per HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Overton, a physician with limited drug regulatory experience, would fill a role vacant since Marty Makary's resignation in May. Her nomination comes amid industry calls for stability at the agency.
Mayo Clinic has appointed Arun Kumar Bhaskara-Baba as its new CIO, effective May, succeeding Cris Ross who retired in 2024 after 12 years. Bhaskara-Baba, formerly CIO at Honeywell Aerospace and Defense, brings over 25 years of experience, including leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson and Dell. His expertise in scaling AI is expected to support Mayo's recent initiatives, including a partnership with Microsoft to build a frontier AI model and deployment of NVIDIA Blackwell infrastructure for generative AI in medicine.