Researchers have found new genetic data that links SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with raccoon dogs sold at a market in Wuhan, China, The Atlantic reported March 16.

Phoenix, Ariz.-based Banner Health sold its Peoria, Ariz.-based Banner Health Center for $29 million, with plans to lease it back from the new owner, the Phoenix Business Journal reported March 17.

Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth has named Brad Membel CFO of its Oregon network. 

Several nurses are seeking answers after they say they were fired from Brandenton, Fla.-based MCR Health, the Bradenton Herald reported March 14. 

Utah is the 27th state to adopt full practice authority for nurse practitioners.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health had ratings affirmed at their current level as the 14-hospital system continues to enjoy robust market share and resilient operating margins even as it faces the typical industry challenges brought on by labor pressures, Fitch Ratings said March 16.

Representatives for both providers and payers say dispute arbitrators are often not following the No Surprises Act, Bloomberg Law reported March 16. 

Providence, R.I.-based Care New England and Lifespan were forced to abandon plans to merge in February 2022 when the Federal Trade Commission filed suit to block the proposed deal.

As hospitals deal with the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, some are exploring mergers with bigger systems, a move that the American Hospital Association says can "expand and preserve access to care.

Health data platform Zus Health has closed on $40 million in new financing and partnered with primary care technology platform Elation Health.

"Quiet quitting" is a phrase employers have become familiar with over the past year. The  workplace trend of committing to no more than the minimum expectations for a role and reducing enthusiasm at work has implications for any industry, but the stakes are especially high in healthcare, where patients' safety could be at risk. 

UnityPoint Health Ventures, the venture capital arm of West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health, is participating in a $15 million funding round for telehealth platform OpenLoop.

It is time for health systems to reconsider their strategy. Cars might offer some clarity, according to Kenneth Kaufman, managing director and chair of KaufmanHall. 

As inflation rises, workers are demanding higher wages — and securing them at hospitals and health systems nationwide. But in some cities, even six figures does not feel like much anymore, according to Bloomberg. 

When a freezer tank at the Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco malfunctioned in 2018, around 4,000 embryos and eggs inside were destroyed. Patients affected by the failure have now settled out of court with Chart, the manufacturer of the freezer tank for an undisclosed amount, The Washington Post reported March 15. 

The shortage of a drug approved just shy of one year ago by the FDA to treat prostate cancer is now in limited supply, concerning some physicians.

The rise of artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT have many speculating about its use in medicine, and Benjamin Mazer, MD, an assistant professor of pathology at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, sees a future where AI becomes a new way to bill patients.

A Chicago-area physician is accused of 13 counts of healthcare fraud, including performing medically unnecessary procedures such as removing part of patients' uteruses.

New York City-based Mount Sinai is partnering with the New York Public Library to offer digital literacy classes for individuals trying to access healthcare via telehealth or through electronic information technologies. 

South Bend, Ind.-based Beacon Health System is notifying 3,117 patients that some of their personal information may have been accessed by an unauthorized employee who viewed patient records outside the scope of their job duties.