The problem is limited to surgical stapler reloads used by the da Vinci robot, specifically those manufactured by Intuitive Surgical. The FDA said it’s currently investigating why the reloads are leaving incomplete line formations. For now, they need to be pulled from all patient care settings. 

A new Doximity survey shows 94% of American physicians using AI or at least keen on it. Just as tellingly, the pace of adoption is brisk and accelerating. 

The two not-for-profit health systems announced the merger on Wednesday. Although the deal won’t be finalized for some time, they teased new investments that will bring 39 hospitals and more than 400 primary and specialty care sites under the banner of a new Sutter Health. 

Market forces like competition cannot stem the urge to merge among and between payers and providers, so neither will they staunch the price hikes in premiums. 

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has tested nearly 40 APMs, of which only two turned out to be successful, which does not bode well for meeting a 2030 deadline to transition to value-based payments.
 

Medusa, an infamous ransomware cybercriminal organization, has claimed credit for the February data breach at University of Mississippi Medical Center. In a post on its leak site, the gang is asking for $800,000 for the sale or deletion of the information it said it stole. An ominous ticking clock sets the deadline for March 20. 

Judge Brian Murphy with the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts sided with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other plaintiffs who challenged the authority of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to effectively remove the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices from the process put in place to make changes to CDC vaccine recommendations. 

Sycamore Partners took over the struggling retail pharmacy chain roughly six months ago, and the Private Equity Stakeholder Project fears early staffing cuts and store closures could spell trouble for the long-term health of the newly restructured business.

The recall has been designated as the most serious, Class I, but the issue can be remedied with a software update. The affected devices are Ivenix Large Volume Pumps manufactured by Fresenius Kabi.

Study participants who ate high amounts of ultra-processed foods were 66.8% more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest than those who did not.

The hope is that the new service will open the door for patients to undergo treatment and diagnostic exams locally instead of having to travel long distances.