Mass General Brigham Laying Off Hundreds Of Employees

The Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham Layoffs The Largest In Its History 
Mass General Brigham said Monday it will let go of hundreds of employees in the next two months, the largest layoff in the organization’s history, as the health system grapples with anticipated financial shortfalls and ongoing operational challenges at its 12 hospitals. (Bartlett, 2/10)

Becker's Hospital Review: Massachusetts Hospitals Face 'Perilous' Dual Crisis
Over the past year, Massachusetts has been facing a growing healthcare crisis as hospitals across the state grapple with widespread financial challenges, leading to closures and layoffs. The situation has been further exacerbated by Dallas-based Steward Health Care, whose financial struggles and bankruptcy have intensified the strain on the state's healthcare system. The closures and restructuring have affected both healthcare workers and communities seeking access to care. (Ashley, 2/10)

More health care and pharmaceutical news —

Fierce Healthcare: Striking Providence Oregon Nurses Reject Tentative Deal In Vote
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) announced over the weekend that a tentative deal with Providence was "overwhelmingly" and "resoundingly" shot down by nurses across eight hospitals, extending the month-long, 5,000-nurse strike. Across seven of the eight bargaining units, the union reported Friday 92% turnout for a ratification vote with 83% no votes. The vote for those at the final hospital, Providence Medford Medical Center, was delayed a day due to inclement weather, but on Saturday joined in rejecting the offer.  (Muoio, 2/10)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Permanente Sees Earnings Boost From Risant Health
Kaiser Permanente reported Friday a $15 billion increase in operating revenue for 2024 with the addition of Risant Health. Treasurer Tom Meier said about 60% of the revenue growth stemmed from Kaiser's core hospital and health plan operations, while the rest can be attributed to Risant and its acquisitions of Geisinger Health in March and Cone Health in December. The combined operating revenue of $115.8 billion in 2024 includes nine months of Geisinger operations and one month of Cone operations, he said. (Hudson, 2/10)

Modern Healthcare: FTC's Premerger Notification Has A New Form. Here's What To Know
The Federal Trade Commission's new premerger notification goes into effect Monday, but some health systems plan to put filings on hold to see if the regulation will stick. Last year, FTC amended the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act form, which had not been updated for nearly five decades. (Kacik, 2/10)

Axios: Nonprofit Hospital Draws Backlash For Super Bowl Ad
A New York City academic medical center is drawing unexpected fire from doctors, patients and others in health care for buying a pricey Super Bowl ad touting its services. NYU Langone's ad comes amid heightened scrutiny of nonprofit hospitals, which don't pay federal income taxes, and as Americans' frustration with the broader health care system is cresting. (Goldman, 2/11)

MedPage Today: Bill Would Allow AI To Prescribe Drugs
Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to prescribe medications to patients -- if a new bill makes its way through Congress. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify that AI and machine learning technologies can qualify as a practitioner eligible to prescribe drugs if authorized by the state involved and approved by the FDA. (Henderson, 2/10)

Modern Healthcare: Medline, Department Of Veterans Affairs Sign 5-Year Contract
Medline Industries announced a five-year contract Monday with Veterans Affairs Department to supply the agency with medical-surgical products. The contract includes supplying products to the majority of the agency's medical centers, along with products to the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Prisons and the Health and Human Services Department. The new contract, along with existing ones, have an estimated value of over $1 billion annually and cover more than 90% of the department's integrated service networks, according to the company. (Dubinsky, 2/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Novartis To Buy Anthos Therapeutics From Blackstone For Up To $3.1 Billion
Novartis agreed to acquire Blackstone Life Sciences’ Anthos Therapeutics for up to $3.08 billion to boost its cardiovascular-drug pipeline. The deal means the Swiss pharmaceutical company retakes control over a treatment candidate for blood clots it licensed to Anthos when the Boston-based firm was launched in 2019. (Figueras, 2/11)