When the previous administration at CMS finalized rules on mandatory bundled payment models for cardiac and orthopedic care late in 2016, 221 public comments were received. The cancellation of those same bundles, however, drew only 85 official comments as of Oct. 18.

A bill to be introduced by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, and Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, would create new options for Americans under the age of 65 to use Medicare provider networks, effectively serving as the public insurance option that was left out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Four accountable care organization (ACO) models generated more in gross savings in 2016, but unlike in previous years, CMS hasn’t publicly touted the results as it re-examines payment models created under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).

The Alexa Diabetes Challenge, a competition searching for innovators to develop a type 2 diabetes care platform utilizing the Amazon voice-enabled device, has awarded a grand prize of $125,000 to Wellpepper and its Sugarpod concept. The Challenge was sponsored by Merck & Co., supported by Amazon Web Services and run by Luminary Labs.

The Joint Commission has announced it will not move forward in implementing any of its proposed changes to accreditation standards.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has abandoned a lawsuit against UnitedHealth over allegations the insurer submitted false claims in its Medicare Advantage plans, though a similar case remains active.

Operating revenue fell faster than operating expenses for two years at hospitals which had been merged into or acquired by a new system, with no evidence of improvement on quality measures, according to a report released by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

Staff at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in Santa Rosa, California, used whatever was at their disposal—including their own cars—to help patients quickly evacuate when massive wildfires quickly spread close to the hospital. At the same time she was helping those patients, nurse Julayne Smithson’s new home was burning down.