As if healthcare chief information security officers didn't already have enough on their minds, they are now dealing with increasingly sophisticated international cybercriminal and ransomware organizations targeting U.S. hospitals and health systems. 

District commissioners voted unanimously to put a $130 million construction bond request for the construction of a new hospital for Moses Lake, Wa.-based Samaritan Healthcare to a special election, the Columbia Basin Herald reported Feb. 1.

Seven New Jersey health systems are partnering with digital health company Wildflower Health to boost maternity care in the state.

On Feb. 2, the American Hospital Association released its advocacy agenda for 2023, which features the group's key priorities for Congress, the Biden administration, regulatory agencies and courts.

Liberty (Mo.) Hospital tapped Dr. Chakshu Gupta as chief medical officer.

One year after reigniting the Cancer Moonshot goal, the White House has announced 13 more initiatives to further reduce cancer death rates and improve the experience for families surviving cancer.

The American Hospital Association sent a letter to HHS on Feb. 1 requesting a meeting in a "sincere attempt to accelerate the regulatory process" of 340B repayments after years of wading through litigation. 

St. Augustine, Fla.-based Flagler Health+ plans to join UF Health, the University of Florida's academic health center, in 2023.

Cleveland Clinic has tapped Dennis Laraway as its new CFO. 

Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare reported positive operating net income of $60.7 million in fiscal 2022 even as its overall income dipped amid losses on investment values.

A new preprint study found that Merck's COVID-19 pill, Lagevrio (molnupiravir), creates new mutations of the virus in some patients who take the drug, validating concerns scientists had warned about before it was authorized at the end of 2021, Bloomberg reported Feb. 1. 

Instead of studying the connection between hospital staffing shortages and patient outcomes and satisfaction, it's time to implement effective strategies that focus on solutions. 

At least three Austin, Texas-area hospitals are working through power outages as the region continues to be hit by a severe ice storm.

Alphabet's Verily has partnered with Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company Otsuka Pharmaceuticals on a trial for a new antidepressant. 

Nashville, Ark.-based Howard Memorial Hospital notified 53,668 patients that some of their protected health information may have been compromised in a December cybersecurity incident after an unauthorized party stole files from its network. 

Compared to 2016, nearly twice as many Michigan nurses in 2023 say they know of an instance of a patient dying due to excessively high patient loads, according to polls commissioned by the Michigan Nurses Association. 

The number of hours physicians spend doing paperwork and other administrative duties rose to more than 15 hours a week in 2021, up from 10 hours per week in 2018, according to a Medscape report.

Valentine, Neb.-based Cherry County Hospital and Clinics has chosen Meditech Expanse for its EHR.

Kaiser Permanente Ventures and Cigna Ventures participated in a $34 million funding round for NOCD, a company that offers virtual treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Larry Gray will retire later this year as president of Baptist Health Louisville (Ky.).