Patients and former employees are still grappling with unpaid wages and hospital bills a year after private-equity backed Noble Health abruptly shuttered two rural hospitals in Missouri, Kaiser Health News reported March 22.

EHR giant Epic is partnering with medical genetics company Invitae to make genetic test results available through Aura, Epic's specialty diagnostics suite.

Lanham, Md.-based Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center and Diagnostic Imaging Associates have agreed to pay more than $2 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act. 

The MetroHealth System in Cleveland and its board of trustees have filed a motion to dismiss retaliation and intimidation claims from its former president and CEO, Law360 reported March 20. Akram Boutros, MD, was fired after allegedly authorizing more than $1.9 million in supplemental bonuses for himself without notifying the board.

Pfizer Ventures co-led a $123 million series B financing round for Flare Therapeutics, a biotech company working to discover precision medicines for cancer and other diseases.

The dust is settling on the national nursing degree scheme, but many questions still linger, with the most pressing being: Who are these nurses, and where are they practicing? As investigations continue and disciplinary actions are taken, another intriguing question has emerged: How were so many nurses able to pass the National Council Licensure Examination? 

Philadelphia-based Fox Chase Cancer Center is trying a less invasive treatment for prostate cancer that does not necessitate removal of the organ, CBS Philadelphia reported March 21.

Drug shortages, which increased nearly 30 percent from 2021 to 2022, pose health and national security risks, according to a new report from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 

The American Hospital Association has pushed back against proposed site-neutral payment cuts, arguing that they would reduce access to key healthcare services, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

The rapid spread of Candida auris in hospitals is highlighting poorly funded and understaffed infection prevention efforts, The Washington Post reported March 21.

Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health has reported net operating income of $121 million on revenue of almost $14 billion in 2022.

Ascension is restructuring the leadership team for its Wisconsin market and parting ways with several top leaders, the St. Louis-based system said March 21.

Spring Valley, Ill.-based St. Margaret's Health is in talks with a larger health system about a potential sale and has hired investment bankers to ensure it gets the most value out of a possible deal, Shaw Local News Network reported March 21.

Brockton, Mass.-based Signature Healthcare is partnering with internet-of-things company SmartSense to implement new monitoring and compliance solutions after its Brockton Hospital temporarily closed due to a fire.

Hollister, Calif.-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital is withdrawing its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice, first issued in December 2022, after the hospital has improved its financial situation. 

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed into law a measure that will boost Medicaid payment rates for outpatient procedures, legislation designed to protect rural hospitals in the state.

Artera, a company using artificial intelligence to develop predictive cancer tests, launched with a $90 million funding round that saw participation from Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff.

Morristown (N.J.)  Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, has named Stanley Fiel, MD, chief medical officer. 

Large health systems are more likely to say they don't have an optimistic view of Oracle Cerner, with reasons including delays in its revenue cycle product and staffing issues, a March 21 KLAS Research report found.

General acute care hospitals don't need a significant increase in 2024 Medicare rates to stay afloat, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's annual March report to Congress.