Novant offers debt-free pre-paid tuition to 41,000 employees

Novant Health Future Forward, a new debt-free education initiative, is now available to eligible team members at Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health. Beginning Aug. 18, the system will cover up to $5,250 in annual pre-paid tuition for full-time employees and $2,625 for part-time employees, according to an Aug. 18 health system…

Alaska hospital names new CFO

Angela Hinnegan was named CFO of Soldotna, Alaska-based Central Peninsula Hospital, according to an Aug. 15 LinkedIn post. Central Peninsula Hospital is a 49-bed, full service hospital that comprises more than 80 physicians and allied medical employees, according to its website. Prior to her new role, Ms. Hinnegan served as…

Outpatient chemotherapy admission rates of 11 cancer hospitals

Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute had the lowest admission rate for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy of all prospective payment system-exempt cancer hospitals between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Eleven cancer hospitals are required to participate in the PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting Program, a specialized quality reporting program…

1 in 10 children’s ED visits for mental health lead to boarding: Study

More than 10% of pediatric visits to the emergency department for mental health conditions result in ED boarding, according to research published Aug. 15 in JAMA. Boarding, or the practice of holding patients in the ED while waiting for an appropriate inpatient bed, is a growing issue as it can…

Stony Brook Cancer Center taps next director

Stony Brook (N.Y.) Cancer Center has appointed Raymond Bergan, MD, as its new director. Dr. Bergan stepped into the role Aug. 1, according to a July 16 news release from Stony Brook University. He joins Stony Brook from Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he served as the Bill…

State of recruitment, compensation in oncology: 4 notes

Hematologists and oncologists are the most in-demand physicians, according to an AMN Healthcare report, “2025 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives,” published Aug. 5. The staffing agency analyzed 1,420 permanent physician and advanced practitioner recruitment requests between April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Here are four notes…

Novo Nordisk halves Ozempic price for self-paying patients

Novo Nordisk is working with GoodRx to offer a month’s supply of Ozempic for $499, or about half the list price, for self-paying patients. Ozempic, a drug approved for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease, has a list price of $997. Wegovy, which is indicated for weight loss,…

The Anesthesia RCM Advantage: How Specialized Expertise Drives Revenue and Compliance

The anesthesia marketplace is unique, complex — and constantly evolving. Because of its intricacies, many healthcare organizations have outsourced their anesthesia departments and billing to external vendors. Recently, however, some organizations are choosing to bring that function back in-house. Across the board, healthcare leaders recognize the need to maximize anesthesia…

College students rethink plans amid loan caps: US News

The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July has prompted some college students to rethink their academic plans and career aspirations ahead of changes to the federal student loan program set for the 2026-2027 school year, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey. The survey,…

FDA approves Wegovy to treat liver disease

The FDA has approved Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy to treat metabolic associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, in adults who have excessive scar tissue in the liver. MASH is a serious liver condition linked to obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, affecting approximately 14.9 million adults in the U.S., according to an…

Kristin Kuchno