Poll: Prior auth remains top burden for patients | Takeaways from Dr. Wachter’s ‘Giant Leap’ | Humana, Google partner on AI

In a new poll, more insured adults listed receiving coverage approval for treatment and medications as the single largest burden they face when navigating the U.S. healthcare system than any other issue. KFF found that 47% experienced “denied, delayed or altered” patient care over the last two years. 

Someday the computerization of medicine will be recognized as the game-changing, paradigm-shifting, everything-upending “disruptive innovation” that so many healthcare watchers and stakeholders have been waiting for. “Today,” however, “it’s often just plain disruptive.”

The insurer said Google’s Gemini was part of the new AI’s core development. The system will support customer service interactions by automatically summarizing calls and pulling up relevant information, without the need for manual input. The Google Cloud will be providing the necessary data security to ensure patient privacy, the companies added. 

E-mails sent to the full workforce at hospitals and health systems are costly due to the time they take away from recipients’ other essential duties and tasks. How costly? Researchers have done the math.

The U.S. Department of Justice said MultiCare admitted in court documents to ignoring warnings from a whistleblower and staff who said a neurosurgeon was performing spinal surgeries on patients without medical need and billing the procedures to Medicare.

Discounts represent out-of-pocket costs and come in the form of direct-to-consumer sales through manufacturer websites or via a coupon. AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer have all listed some of their most popular drugs on the TrumpRx.gov portal.

UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley is expected to make the announcement in front of Congress, where he will also offer other policy solutions. The company said it’s still working out details on how to best distribute its profits to customers. 

The judgment includes $30 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit was brought by Maria Gatchalian, a NICU nurse who said she was fired for reporting patient safety concerns to management. The health system said it intends to appeal the court's decision. 

HRS has shared an updated guidance on managing Boston Scientific defibrillation leads at risk of experiencing a significant malfunction. The issue, first reported in July 2025, is believed to impact approximately 350,000 leads still being used today.

Despite diagnostic imaging leading with over 1,000 FDA-cleared AI tools, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects radiology to see 5% job growth through 2034.