‘AI avalanche’ descends on surgery | Nonprofit health system sues PBMs | ‘Pill mill’ doctor charged | HIV drugs from Turkey

AI is an icy landslide sweeping through healthcare. Even surgeons must choose between two stark options: Ride the crest of the powder cloud now or dig yourselves out of a deep runout zone later. 

Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health has accused the three biggest PBMs—Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx—of a de facto collusion scheme involving the primary makers of insulin, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi. The lawsuit alleges rebates offered by the manufacturers unfairly burden self-insured and public health plans, like the one the health system uses for its employees.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that 52-year-old Ritesh Kalra, MD, wrote 50 prescriptions a day for addictive painkillers and billed New Jersey Medicaid for patient visits that never occurred. The alleged incidents occurred between 2019 and 2025.

Numerous “alternative funding programs” are named as defendants in what is a larger challenge of the right of these third-party organizations to import drugs from overseas, bypassing FDA regulations. 

Keto-diet champions will like the new food pyramid’s emphasis on proteins, including those high in saturated fats. Not everyone shares their predisposition. 

Lawyers representing Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, cite Attorney General Pam Bondi's tenure with Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm whose clients include UnitedHealth, as evidence of her conflict of interest. In response, the prosecution called the claim “misleading.”

During a recent segment on Fox Business, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, clarified new guidance on AI, meant to provide companies with the flexibility to gather and provide data without the agency's approval. However, medical devices that provide "clinical-grade" data will still need to be cleared.

That number includes signups on both state and federal exchanges. To date, roughly 400,000 new plans have been sold on exchanges, year over year. But the still-unknown details will determine what exactly it all means.

The American public’s trust in healthcare institutions, long a matter of common courtesy, fell off a cliff after the COVID-19 crisis. Two academic physicians propose a treatment pathway for the injured patient—aka our healthcare system’s reputation for reliability. 

A vulnerable heart patient required TAVR, but he faced an extremely high risk of coronary obstruction. Leaflet modification and snorkel stenting were not possible, so the group turned to a brand new treatment option: the VECTOR procedure.

The health tech company announced the news Thursday, noting that the platform should help facilities address the growing demand for imaging.