3 Health Care Companies To Lay Off Hundreds Of Workers

Modern Healthcare: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Layoffs To Hit 116 Employees
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is laying off more than 100 employees this summer. The layoffs will affect 116 workers in virtual health services and will begin July 28, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed Thursday. (Hudson, 6/9)

Modern Healthcare: Prime Healthcare Layoffs To Affect More Than 100 Employees
Ontario, California-based Prime Healthcare is consolidating positions at eight of its hospitals formerly owned by Ascension as it navigates financial challenges at the facilities. The consolidation will affect more than 100 positions, or less than 1% of nearly 1,000 newly created roles and nearly 13,000 employees retained from Ascension when Prime acquired the Illinois hospitals in March. Most cuts took effect Friday, with the remainder expected to occur in July. (DeSilva, 6/9)

Modern Healthcare: Bayada Home Health Care Layoffs Hit 100 Employees Bayada Home Health Care Axes 10% Of Headquarter Staff
Bayada Home Health Care will cut 100 administrative and operational jobs due to increased costs and low insurer reimbursements. The layoffs were announced last Friday and are set to take effect Tuesday. They represent 10% of Bayada’s staff at its Moorestown, New Jersey, headquarters, a spokesperson said in an email. She said the reductions would not affect care delivery to Bayada’s approximately 170,000 patients across 22 states. (Eastabrook, 6/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: How Health Systems Are Future-Proofing Their Workforce
With AI becoming a cornerstone of healthcare strategy, hospitals and health systems are moving quickly to prepare their workforces for a tech-enabled future. St. Louis-based Mercy began its workforce preparation several years ago. Through “AI Dev Days” — collaborative innovation sessions involving nurses, engineers, clinicians and change managers — cross-functional teams gained hands-on experience with real-world use cases. (Diaz, 6/9)

More health care industry updates —

St. Louis Public Radio: Affinia Healthcare Starting New Family Medicine Residency Program
Affinia Healthcare is now fully accredited for its new family medicine residency program. That means medical school graduates can soon provide care at a clinic that primarily serves those who are uninsured or have other barriers to receiving health care. Affinia Family Medicine Residency will be based at the provider’s Ferguson clinic in north St. Louis County, where Dr. Kenneth Hemba, the program director, said about 75% of low-income residents do not have a primary care provider. (Mizelle, 6/10)

Modern Healthcare: AMA's Dr. Bobby Mukkamala Focuses On Improving Patient Experience
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala's is tapping into decades of medical experience, as well as his recent time as a patient with a brain tumor, as he begins his one-year term as American Medical Association president. Healthcare runs in the family. His father is a retired radiologist, his mother a retired pediatrician and his wife is a obstetrician-gynecologist. In an interview, the Flint, Michigan-based otolaryngologist said he plans to focus on physician shortages related to burnout and the uptick in non-physician caregivers. (DeSilva, 6/9)

In pharmaceutical news —

Modern Healthcare: CVS Health, Cigna Fight Back Against State PBM Laws
Pharmacy benefit managers are taking states to court over laws that limit or ban core aspects of their business models. CVS Caremark parent company CVS Health and Express Scripts parent company Cigna are battling statutes in Arkansas and Oklahoma, several states implemented new laws this year, and more are considering legislation. (Tepper, 6/9)

Stat: National Resilience, Startup Hoping To Reinvent Drug Manufacturing, Retrenches
National Resilience, a startup that has raised over $2 billion by promising to transform drug manufacturing, said Monday that it would “wind down” many of its facilities. But what remains of the firm has raised an additional $250 million from existing investors to continue to build its business and seek more capital. (Herper, Mast and DeAngelis, 6/9)

Stat: Avidity, FDA Reach Agreement On Accelerated Filing Of Rare Disease Drug
Avidity Biosciences reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to seek accelerated approval of a new treatment for an inherited muscle-weakening disease, the company said Monday. (Feuerstein, 6/9)

NBC News: More States Are Allowing Ivermectin To Be Sold Without A Prescription
Boise, Idaho, pharmacist Matt Murray has no choice but to disappoint the handful of people who call him every day asking for a drug used to treat parasitic worms. He could give them the medication, called ivermectin, but only with a doctor’s note. The callers aren’t in the throes of an active intestinal worm infestation, Murray said. They simply want access to the pills without having to see a doctor first. (Edwards, 6/9)