A Kentucky nurse who worked at Evansville, Ind.-based Ascension St. Vincent hospital said she was fired after attending the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Nashville FOX affiliate WZTV reported Jan. 13. 

Chest X-rays from people who've had COVID-19 often show severe scarring, sometimes worse than that of a long-time smoker, CBS News reports. 

CEO Terry Akin and CFO Jeff Jones are leaving their respective executive roles at Cone Health for personal reasons, according to a Jan. 14 news release.

Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have discovered a new variant of the coronavirus that originated in and is widespread across the U.S., reports The Southern Illinoisan.

CMS issued a final rule Jan. 12 that updates the agency's definition of "reasonable and necessary" coverage for services that fall under Medicare Parts A and B.

Big tech companies and major hospitals teamed up Jan. 14 to form the Vaccination Credential Initiative, a collective working to create a digital, interoperable vaccination record system.

CVS Health has launched a new medical alert system designed to protect seniors living at home, the company said Jan. 14.

Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu reached a tentative contract agreement with Hawaii Nurses Association OPEIU Local 50, averting a possible strike, according to Hawaii News Now. 

There is a very real possibility some hospitals in California may need to resort to crisis care over the coming days to weeks as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to swell in the state, according to Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association.

People who receive a COVID-19 vaccine should continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing after their first and second dose, according to Indiana physician Mandy Armitage, MD.

Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine candidate generated immune response in nearly all clinical trial volunteers after a single dose, according to interim data analysis published Jan. 13 in The New England Journal of Medicine. 

The White House won't be able to fulfill President Donald Trump's promise to distribute $200 discount cards to Medicare beneficiaries to buy prescription drugs, Politico reported Jan. 14. 

Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health System tapped Gozio Health to develop a mobile platform that helps users find their way to appointments and access health records, Gozio said.

Here are three recent contract agreements or conflicts between payers, providers and employers:

The following payer executives changed their positions in January so far.

Cigna will be awarded $5.8 million in a wrongful medical billing case involving two firms and their manager, according to court documents. 

Dollar General Corp. is offering its 157,000 employees four hours of pay if they receive a COVID-19 vaccine, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Randy Haffner was tapped as president and CEO of AdventHealth's Central Florida Division, which is based in Orlando, according to a Jan. 14 news release.

Grocery store pharmacies in Washington, D.C., have started giving away leftover COVID-19 vaccine doses each day just before closing time to whoever is there to receive them, The Atlantic reported. 

Probable mental health disorders, and thoughts of self-harm, are prevalent among intensive care unit staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research published Jan. 13 in Occupational Medicine.