We are at a time of unprecedented change in healthcare. Hospitals are currently reeling from the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, desperately trying to regain their financial footing. Material inflation and labor cost have pushed the majority of US hospitals into negative financial margins.  To survive, most hospitals are cutting costs, reducing length of stay (LOS) and trying to grow service lines with positive margins. Hospitals are attempting to balance increased census with the utilization of costly agency labor. The journey toward value in healthcare has accelerated, with many hospitals at risk of bankruptcy if they do not move quickly enough.   To address the need to reduce LOS and hospital admissions, our health systems conducted a 6 weeks proof of concept.  We implemented the following interventions (key results): 

The National Association for Biomedical Research and other medical groups are urging federal officials to help amid a shortage of monkeys they say is disrupting research for lifesaving medications. 

Salesforce Ventures and GV — formerly Google Ventures — co-led a $20 million seed funding round for Florence, a healthcare enablement software company.

Marshall, Mich.-based Oaklawn Hospital was downgraded March 29 amid operating losses caused by high labor costs and extended length of stay, and exacerbated by a "substantial reduction" in its 340B program revenues, Fitch Ratings said.

Karen DeSalvo, MD, chief health officer of Google, said the company aims to create a 'doctor in your pocket,' as she says patients will be going to their phones to access healthcare and health information, Politico reported March 29. 

The Indiana Hospital Association said as cyberattacks on Indiana hospitals and health systems continue to increase, they are implementing new tactics such as 'hack lab' tests to assess vulnerabilities with medical devices before using them in patient care, Fox59 reported March 29. 

True organizational resilience starts with hospitals' commitment to patient safety and high reliability, Press Ganey's Chief Safety and Transformation Officer Tejal Gandhi, MD, wrote in an opinion piece published March 29 in Medpage Today. 

Researchers at Los Angeles-based Smidt Heart Institute found the shape of a patient's heart can indicate risk of disease.

Kaiser Permanente is aiming to strengthen the nation's public health system through three new initiatives, the Oakland, Calif.-based system said March 29. 

Former nurse Faith Naccarato was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison for stealing fentanyl from two Kansas hospitals where she previously worked.

Arizona passed a bill which allows pharmacists to dispense birth control with non-patient specific orders, the Observer Today reported March 30.

Despite assertions by some that the digital health bubble has popped, startups in the industry continue to garner healthy funding rounds.

At least eight hospitals and health systems announced changes to executive ranks and administration teams in March. 

Health tech company CoverMyMeds plans to let go of 815 employees and close one of its offices, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported.

Epic said it will use Microsoft's generative AI-based technoology GPT-4 in its EHRs. 

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds took action March 28 to help rural healthcare facilities stay afloat during challenging economic times.

Australian private equity firm HMC Capital has inked a $859 million deal to acquire 11 U.S. hospital properties from Birmingham, Ala.-based Medical Properties Trust, the Financial Review reported March 29.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health has laid off about 50 workers, including multiple C-level executives, the health system confirmed to Becker's March 29. 

Cleveland Clinic London, which opened in March 2022, has appointed Robert Lorenz, MD, as president. He will assume the role June 1. 

Penn Medicine Lancaster (Pa.) General Health has eliminated fewer than 65 jobs, or less than 1 percent of its workforce of about 9,700, the health system confirmed to Becker's.