How front-line teams are shaping health system strategy

CEOs are turning to front-line employees for insights shaping systemwide strategies. Since becoming president and CEO of Joplin, Mo.-based Freeman Health System in April, Matthew Fry has held front-line listening sessions he described as invaluable. A recurring theme quickly emerged: The organization needed clear direction. “They felt like they were…

CVS Caremark ordered to pay $290M in false claims suit

A federal judge has ordered CVS Caremark to pay nearly $290 million in damages after determining the pharmacy benefit manager overbilled Medicare for prescription drugs, according to court documents reviewed by Becker’s. Four notes: In his Aug. 19 ruling, Judge Mitchell Goldberg of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern…

Estes Park Health names interim CFO amid UCHealth transition

Estes Park (Colo.) Health has named Pamela Serbin-Olson interim CFO. Ms. Serbin-Olson was appointed to the role following the departure of CFO Aysha Douglas in late July, according to an Aug. 20 Estes Park Health news release. Ms. Douglas is now the vice president of finance for Salida, Colo.-based Heart of…

Kentucky health system to implement Epic by 2026

Bowling Green, Ky.-based Med Center Health will implement Epic’s EHR system across its hospitals and clinics, with the rollout expected to be complete by the end of 2026. The upgrade, approved by Med Center Health’s Board of Directors, marks what leaders called a major step toward improving patient access and…

Las Vegas hospital appoints chief medical officer

Las Vegas-based Sunrise Hospital named Sherrie Somers, DO, as chief medical officer, effective Aug. 18, 2025, according to an Aug. 20 press release. Dr. Somers brings 30 years of healthcare leadership experience to the role, including four years with HCA Healthcare. She most recently served as CMO of HCA Florida’s…

New Jersey system appoints medical exec committee leaders

Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in New Brunswick, N.J., appointed new leaders to its medical executive committee for the 2025-27 term, according to an Aug. 20 press release. The new committee leaders include: Naveen Mehrotra, MD, as president James Gervasoni Jr., PhD, MD, as vice president William Lowe III, MD, as…

HCA New Hampshire hospital to invest in $100M upgrades

Manchester, N.H.-based Catholic Medical Center is investing almost $100 million in facility enhancements, technology improvements and infrastructure upgrades. The hospital was acquired by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare on Feb. 1. The investment plan features a $43.4 million renovation of the hospital’s central energy plant, which will modernize its cooling, heating…

The ‘1 thing’ that will consistently improve throughput, per Catholic Health’s quality chief

More hospitals and health systems should be focusing on developing evidence-based clinical pathways as part of broader efforts to free up capacity and improve operational efficiency, according to Chhavi Katyal, MD, senior vice president and chief quality officer at Catholic Health in Rockville Centre, N.Y. “One thing that gets overlooked…

Extreme weather disrupts pharmaceutical supply chain: 3 notes

A study conducted by the American Cancer Society found that climate-related weather disasters are threatening the stability of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. Here are three things to know: The study, published Aug. 20 in JAMA, highlighted how weather disaster events such as Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Maria triggered national…

Top 10 fastest-growing IT jobs in healthcare

A national survey of 812 clinical and nonclinical staff positions across 20 job families identifies the top 10 fastest-growing IT roles in healthcare. SullivanCotter’s “2025 Health Care Staff Compensation Survey Report,” released in July, includes data on nearly 2.5 million healthcare employees from more than 2,660 participating organizations. The following…

Kristin Kuchno