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FDA clears new AI model for pulmonary hypertension
DOJ accuses New York health system of engaging in anticompetitive business practices
Patient injected with acid instead of saline earns undisclosed settlement
FDA sees promise in voice-based AI model for heart failure
Software errors lead to major insulin pump recall—manufacturer shares a fix
Hospital gurneys
Lawsuit dropped against squatter patient who refused to leave hospital room for 5 months

It’s unclear why Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare dropped its lawsuit, but it did so with prejudice, meaning the hospital cannot refile. There are many unanswered questions surrounding the unusual case, including how common incidents like this are and whether or not the hospital can technically bill for the time the room was occupied.

UnitedHealthcare Avery AI Application
UnitedHealthcare launches generative AI ‘companion’ for patient care coordination

The new agentic program, called “Avery,” is now available to millions of UnitedHealthcare members through insurer's existing app. The company said the model will help patients find providers, understand their benefits, get updates on claims and more.

The U.S. Congress is working on healthcare legislation to fix medicare reimbursements and end annual cuts to physicians.
Report: GOP looking to cut healthcare to offset $200B Iran war spending

Republicans are said to be considering cuts to cost-sharing programs through the Affordable Care Act as a means to save money and fund the U.S. Department of War, which is looking for $200 billion to cover not only the conflict in Iran but also domestic immigration enforcement.

Cigna logo
Cigna strikes back against Carl Icahn over Express Scripts deal

Cigna executives are moving ahead with the planned acquisition of Express Scripts—despite objections by activist investor Carl Icahn.

Why smartphones won't help with EHRs

In a recent conversation with AMA Wire, Blaine Takesue, MD, a research scientist and assistant professor of clinical medicine, argued why smartphones and newer devices won’t help with EHR training, saying smartphones and newer devices cause challenges because of smaller screens, newer systems and intuitiveness.

ProPublica reports VA is run by informal 'Mar-a-Lago Crowd'

Three members of President Donald Trump’s private beach club, Mar-a-Lago, are running the show at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) despite not being government officials or veterans, according to a bombshell report by ProPublica.

CVS launches new telehealth service on smartphones

CVS Health is rolling out MinuteClinic Video Visits, a new telehealth service that provides patients with minor illnesses and injuries access to healthcare services at any time from their mobile device.

Blockchain generic
20% of healthcare organizations to use blockchain by 2020

By 2020, about 20 percent of healthcare organizations will be using blockchain for operations management and patient identity, according to an IDC Health Insights report cited by ComputerWorld.

ONC's Blue Button 2.0 attracts plenty of interest ahead of developers conference

CMS is working on a program to allow Medicare beneficiaries to share their data with third-party apps—and it appears to be popular with developers. The effort, called Blue Button 2.0, has attracted 500 organizations and 700 developers who are interested in experimenting with the data.

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
FDA confirms another recall for Johnson & Johnson’s Impella heart pumps

More than 33,000 devices are affected by this recall. Customers may need to return and replace the purge cassettes included with their devices due to a risk of serious injury or death.