Charlotte, North Carolina-based Carolinas HealthCare System is renaming itself Atrium Health, a rebranding the 40-hospital system said reflects it growth from a Charlotte-centric provider to a regional powerhouse.

The legislation to keep the federal government running past Thursday, Feb. 8, includes many provisions related to healthcare, including adjustments to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and delaying Medicare cuts to hospitals while cutting billions from the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund.

In 2000, less than 25 percent of U.S. hospitals with more than 50 beds had palliative care teams. By 2015, that number had jumped to 75 percent, which, according to a study published in Health Affairs, can be largely attributed to training and leadership initiatives.

Utilization of health information technology (HIT) can improve medical outcomes, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

While not all models developed and tested through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) were successful, each provided valuable lessons for future experiments in care delivery and payment from both government and private payers, according to an article published by Health Affairs.

In a proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Louisville, Kentucky-based Kindred Healthcare urged its shareholders to follow the recommendation of Kindred board members and vote yes on the proposed $4.1 billion sale of the company to insurer Humana and two private equity firms.

A legislative committee in California is hearing proposals about how to achieve the goal of universal healthcare in the state, with advocates looking for inspiration in Canadian, British and German models.

Andy Slavitt, the last administrator of CMS under President Barack Obama, has announced the launch of a new group bringing together former politicians, healthcare executives and regulators to advocate for bipartisan changes in health policy.