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California, Oregon and Washington are forming a health alliance that would coordinate vaccine recommendations for their residents, according to a Sept. 3 joint news release. Here is what to know: 1. The West Coast Health Alliance is intended to provide residents with scientific data on vaccine safety and efficacy, as…

A urine-based biomarker panel detected prostate cancer in 91% of specimens with a diagnostic accuracy of 78.6% to 85.7%, according to a study published Sept. 2 in eBioMedicine.  Led by a team from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, researchers developed…

Researchers have successfully used repurposed cancer drugs to target dormant breast cancer cells, aiding in the delay or prevention of recurrence, according to a study published Sept. 2 in Nature Medicine.  Researchers from Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine enrolled 51 breast cancer survivors…

As the number of COVID-19 cases begin to increase, there have been shifts in the vaccine landscape, especially regarding updated COVID-19 shots. Through the week ending Aug. 23, 11.2% of the 37,732 tested were positive for COVID-19, an increase from 9.9% the previous week, according to the CDC’s latest data. …

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil complaint against Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica Health System for providing “non-existent, grossly substandard skilled nursing facility care or services” between 2017 and 2023.  The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the False Claims…

Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Hospital is planning to expand its clinical team significantly through the end of the year, according to a local ABC 13 News report. CEO Greg Lowe said in an email last month that the hospital was “going all out” to recruit 200 nurses and specialty techs in…

Federal lawmakers have introduced a bill to extend telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries and CMS’ hospital-at-home waiver. The Telehealth Modernization Act of 2025 would prolong the telehealth program through Sept. 30, 2027, and CMS’ reimbursement of acute hospital care of home through 2030. “Telehealth is a vital part of our…

HHS announced prescription drug reforms are set to take effect Oct. 1, designed to give patients and physicians real-time access to prescription drug costs, insurance coverage details and prior authorization requirements.  The rule was issued in July as part of CMS Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective…

President Donald Trump’s imposed tariffs on foreign nations have been ruled unlawful by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court ruled he went too far by declaring national emergencies to justify the duties, CBS News reported Sept. 1.  Here are six things to know:  The 7-4…

Healthcare chaplains, also known as spiritual care providers, can play a key role in advancing hospitals’ and health systems’ strategic priorities. These professionals typically support organizations in three areas: workforce well-being, patient experience and access to care. Jason Lesandrini, PhD, assistant vice president of ethics, advance care planning, spiritual health…

The FDA has approved Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi for injection to treat individuals with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.  The drug can now be administered as a once-weekly injection using an autoinjector device, compared to the previous method of IV infusions every two weeks, according to an Aug. 29…

Novant Health is supporting career advancement for its workforce by addressing one of the most significant barriers: the cost of education. The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based health system on Aug. 18 launched Novant Health Future Forward, a debt-free education initiative. Through the program, the system covers up to $5,250 in annual prepaid…

In May, Holyoke (Mass.) Medical Center became one of 10 hospitals selected in Massachusetts to participate in an initiative, dubbed the Healthy Work Environment Academy, that aims to empower frontline nurses to lead workplace culture and retention efforts. “Nurses are sort of leaving the profession, and the ones at the…

“First, do no harm” may be the most well-known adage in the medical profession, but it’s far more than an admonishment. Preventing harm by investing in patient safety is a smart business strategy that returns incalculable direct and indirect financial benefits. I’ve recently heard accounts of large health systems shrinking…

President Donald Trump demanded that pharmaceutical companies release data for “success rates” of their COVID-19 medications to clear up what he called a “discrepancy mess.”  In a Sept. 1 Truth Social post, President Trump said he had been shown “extraordinary” results from Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies that had not…

More than 1 in 5 medical students in the U.S. experience food insecurity, pointing to the need for institution and policy-level interventions to support basic student needs, according to a new study led by researchers at New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University School of Medicine.  The study was published Aug. 29…

Beta blockers may provide no clinical benefit to patients who maintain normal heart function following a heart attack, according to a study published Aug. 30 in The New England Journal of Medicine.  The study’s findings are based on data from 8,505 patients across 109 hospitals in Spain and Italy who…

Both semaglutide and tirzepatide were shown to “significantly reduce” the risk of hospitalization and all-cause mortality for heart failure patients, according to a study published Aug. 31 in JAMA.  Researchers from Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham analyzed U.S. insurance claim data to emulate two previous semaglutide and tirzepatide trials at…

In mid-September, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will discuss — and potentially vote on — vaccines for COVID-19, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and respiratory syncytial virus.  According to an ACIP agenda posted Aug. 29, the meeting will also provide updates on the committee’s working groups. In…

Here are nursing programs that are opening, expanding and ending in 2025. Note: This list is periodically updated throughout the year. Macon, Ga.-based Mercer University is expanding its nursing program to its Macon campus, with an inaugural class of 26 students. Knoxville-based UT Medical Center expanded its longstanding partnership with…

With 230 AI applications live across its hospitals, Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health is setting a benchmark for thoughtful AI adoption in healthcare, CIO Daniel Barchi told Becker’s. “Two years ago, we had about 160 applications. Now we have about 230 AI applications that are live. We’re probably generating north of $100…

Artificial intelligence in nursing is often framed as a way to cut paperwork. But nurse informatics leaders told Becker’s its potential goes beyond that, reshaping nurses’ role, strengthening patient safety and providing real-time insights that improve care. Many did say the most immediate opportunity lies in easing the documentation burden.…

Delaware is the only state where 100% of its hospitals scored perfectly on health equity measures, according to CMS data. The agency used hospital commitment to health equity data, such as social determinants of health data, race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation and disability status to determine access…

New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System has developed an artificial intelligence model that helps determine which atrial fibrillation patients benefit from blood thinners to prevent stroke.  The model was trained on EHRs from 1.8 million patients across 21 million visits, 82 million notes and 1.2 billion data points, according…