California plans to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccination effort by transforming stadiums and Disneyland Resort into mass vaccination centers later this week, The Orange County Register reported Jan. 11. The news comes after the state reported a record 695 coronavirus deaths Jan. 9.

Congress passed a bill that would end an antitrust exemption for health insurers, and the legislation is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump, according to The National Law Review. 

Dallas-based Parkland Health & Hospital System has tapped Orasi, a Kennesaw, Ga.-based  software development company, to help virtually provide medical technology training for its thousands of hospital employees during the pandemic, Orasi said.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based Cancer Treatment Centers of America is partnering with CVS Health to expand patients' access to at-home chemotherapy services, the organizations said Jan. 12.

Credit downgrades outpaced upgrades for U.S. public finance in 2020, and nonprofit hospitals were among the most affected sectors, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. 

Mercy Health-Cincinnati plans to build a 60-bed, $156 million hospital and medical complex in Mason, Ohio. 

COVID-19 vaccine supply shortages, storage temperature requirements, inadequate public health infrastructure and nationalism will make it difficult for low-income and conflict-affected countries to vaccinate their residents in 2021, the International Rescue Committee said Jan. 12.

The Health Resources and Services Administration finalized this week its proposal to modify the list of geographic areas considered rural in an effort to extend grant eligibility for hospitals. 

Many pregnant physicians are opting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite a lack of clinical trial data, reports Medpage Today.

Daniel Richards, CEO of Draper, Utah-based pharmacy Meds in Motion, is facing a federal charge for allegedly importing hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine from China, according to a complaint filed Jan. 11 in the U.S. District Court of Utah.

A student at the Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina used an artificial intelligence model this past spring to find thousands of adults at high risk of serious complications if they contracted COVID-19, reported The Post and Courier.

More than half of patients who've been receiving remote mental healthcare from Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine, part of the University of Michigan, will want their care to remain remote after the pandemic ends, a recent study found. 

Nurses at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu have authorized their bargaining committee to call a strike, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

Illinois lawmakers have introduced legislation that would stop hospital closures in the state for three years. 

A former account executive claims Irvine, Calif.-based Alliance Healthcare Services fired her after she requested to reduce her hours to accommodate breast cancer treatment demands and raised concerns that she was not paid equitably compared to her male colleagues, according to a lawsuit filed against the healthcare services provider.

The Pennsylvania attorney general has dropped his opposition to Jefferson Health's acquisition of Einstein Healthcare Network, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

MedStar St. Mary's Hospital will go live on Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health's EHR system Jan. 13. 

Bryan Lee was tapped as the new president of St. Mary's and Richmond Community hospitals in Richmond, Va., Bon Secours said.

Athenahealth and Louisville, Ky.-based health insurer Humana inked a multiyear agreement to combine the Watertown, Mass.-based EHR vendor's software with health plan data, according to a Jan. 12 news release. 

The owner of an Orlando, Fla.-based telemarketing call center was convicted of coordinating fraudulent genetic testing services  as part of a $2.8 million telemedicine kickback scheme, the U.S. Justice Department  announced Jan. 11.