Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abu Dhabi Grows Health Care Presence In San Francisco To Lure More Startups
Bloomberg: Abu Dhabi Looks To Draw Healthcare Startups With California Push
State-run Abu Dhabi Investment Office is expanding its presence in San Francisco, part of a push to build a healthcare cluster in the emirate. The expanded office will tout “fast-track” clinical validations and regulatory approvals as Abu Dhabi looks to attract startups to underpin the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine initiative launched last month, according to a statement Thursday. (Short, 5/8)
Modern Healthcare: NeueHealth CEO G. Mike Mikan Says Company Going Private Mid-2025
Value-based care provider NeueHealth will convert to a privately held company within months, CEO Mike Mikan said Thursday. The company formerly known as Bright Health Group and its majority owner, venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, announced the plan in December. Shareholders approved the $1.3 billion transaction Wednesday, Mikan said during a call with investor analysts. (Tepper, 5/8)
Modern Healthcare: New York-Presbyterian Layoffs Affect 2% Of Employees
New York-Presbyterian Health System said it has laid off an estimated 2% of its staff in order to stay afloat in a difficult financial environment. A spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the system anticipates more challenges ahead. The cuts affect both administrative and clinical employees across all levels, a person familiar with the plans said Thursday. (DeSilva, 5/8)
KFF Health News: Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils Of Elderspeak
A prime example of elderspeak: Cindy Smith was visiting her father in his assisted living apartment in Roseville, California. An aide who was trying to induce him to do something — Smith no longer remembers exactly what — said, “Let me help you, sweetheart.” “He just gave her The Look — under his bushy eyebrows — and said, ‘What, are we getting married?’” recalled Smith, who had a good laugh, she said. Her father was then 92, a retired county planner and a World War II veteran; macular degeneration had reduced the quality of his vision, and he used a walker to get around, but he remained cognitively sharp. (Span, 5/9)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: Mass General Brigham Develops AI To Predict Cancer Outcomes
Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that uses a photo of a person’s face to predict their biological age and cancer outcomes. The tool, called FaceAge, could be effective in helping inform clinical treatment decisions in cancer care, according to a study published Thursday in medical journal The Lancet Digital Health. Researchers trained FaceAge on nearly 59,000 photos of presumed health individuals from public data sets. (Turner, 5/8)
Stat: Five Questions About FDA's Speedy Rollout Of AI For Scientific Review
The Food and Drug Administration said it will rapidly roll out a generative artificial intelligence model to assist scientific reviews across the agency, setting up a high-stakes test of the technology’s use in vetting products used in the care of millions of Americans. (Palmer and Ross, 5/8)
