Top Stories of the Week: Epic legal battle | Grocer pharmacy scandal | Medicaid cut woes | OhioHealth network changes | more

Epic Systems, the market leading EHR vendor, sued California-based Epic Staffing in 2024, arguing that the company’s name created confusion in the market. The lawsuit was settled out of court, with the employment firm agreeing to a full rebrand.

One of the largest food retailers in the world—and the fourth biggest in this country—got itself into hot water with the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly cheating on drug prices it charges to federal healthcare programs.

New federal limits on state-directed payments are set to cut Medicaid funding in most states. Hospitals are expected to bear the brunt since they account for the majority—84%, around $78B a year—of state-directed healthcare spends. 

The U.S. Department of Justice said the settlement will save citizens of the state money and open up the market to competition.

Either the stakeholders issuing the warnings overstated the risk of widespread closings—or COVID-era emergency funds succeeded in heading off a calamity of national proportions. Either way, patient access has taken a hit here and there.