On April 11, CMS instructed state Medicaid agencies to not cover hormone therapies or gender-affirming surgery for children.  In a letter to state agencies, CMS said medical interventions for gender dysphoria, such as puberty blockers, “lack reliable evidence of long-term…

The longest-living recipient of a genetically engineered pig kidney has had the organ removed after experiencing acute organ rejection, surgeons at New York City-based NYU Langone told The New York Times.  Towana Looney, a woman from Alabama, had lived with…

Violence against healthcare workers made national headlines in March after the American Hospital Association warned of an alleged coordinated, multicity terrorist attack on hospitals in the coming weeks. The FBI found that the threat was not credible, but the incident…

CMS is proposing to modify several hospital quality measures and remove four others, including those focused on health equity and social drivers of health. The agency outlined the changes April 11 as part of its 2026 proposed rule for the…

Confirmed measles cases in the U.S. have risen to 712, more than doubling last year’s total, according to an April 11 CDC report.  Health officials across several states, including Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, are investigating new clusters of cases as…

A recent safari in Tanzania is informing how Stephanie Clements, BSN, RN, is approaching her transition to chief nurse executive of Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy on April 28.  Ms. Clements currently serves as community chief nursing officer for Mercy’s Oklahoma hospitals…

An independent consulting firm found that operating a freestanding birth center is not feasible in Windham, Conn., according to an April 10 Connecticut Mirror report. The consultant’s report was triggered after Windham Hospital stopped performing birthing services in 2020 and…

Researchers at Columbus-based Ohio State University have designed and developed the world’s first noninvasive devices aimed at improving a person’s ability to smell.  In a clinical trial, 58 healthy people and 54 patients with self-reported smell deficits received two “smell…

For many rural hospitals, hosting formal residency programs is not feasible given the financial and structural resources required to train new medical school graduates.  This poses a significant challenge for recruitment efforts in rural areas, as most physicians tend to…

Despite growing emphasis on maternal health, pregnancy-related death rates remain high in the U.S., increasing nearly 28% from 2018 to 2022, according to a study published April 9 in JAMA Network Open.  The study is based on information from a…