Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS Generates 400 Medicare-Funded Residency Slots
MedPage Today: CMS Funds 400 New Residency Slots
The decision to fund 400 new medical residency positions at hospitals across the U.S. marks a meaningful -- though limited -- step toward addressing a looming physician shortage expected to worsen over the next decade, public health officials said. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week allocated the 400 Medicare-funded residency slots to 135 hospitals in 37 states. Nearly two-thirds of the positions will support primary care and psychiatry residency programs. (McCreary, 12/22)
Modern Healthcare: The Medical Devices Coming In 2026 Ready To Fuel Medtech
The medtech industry has grown beyond its pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels due to the introduction of new device categories and fresh applications for existing technologies. Large-cap medtech revenues on average grew 5% to 6% before the pandemic, have averaged 7% to 8% growth the last 10 quarters and are expected to grow about 7% going forward, said David Roman, managing director at Goldman Sachs Research, who covers U.S. medical technology and healthcare information technology. (Dubinsky, 12/22)
Modern Healthcare: CVS' 2025 Reset Driven By Aetna Market Exits, Oak Street Closures
CVS Health shuttered faltering business units and overhauled its C-suite during a year that saw the insurance, pharmacy benefit manager and drugstore conglomerate rethink its strategy. A reset was deemed in order after earnings plummeted 45% in 2024, leading to slashed executive bonuses and nearly 3,000 layoffs. CVS Health initiated a $2 billion cost-cutting plan and considered divesting businesses. (Tong, 12/22)
Bloomberg: Truemed Raises $34 Million In Series A Led By Andreessen Horowitz
Truemed, a wellness company, closed a $34 million Series A fund-raising round led by Andreessen Horowitz, Chief Executive Officer Justin Mares told Bloomberg Television. The company, which helps people use tax-advantaged health savings accounts for wellness products like exercise equipment, saunas and supplements, isn’t profitable yet, said Mares, who co-founded the company with Calley Means, a top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Cohrs Zhang, 12/22)
KFF Health News: After Outpatient Cosmetic Surgery, They Wound Up In The Hospital Or Alone At A Recovery House
Lisa Farris worried that a nasty infection from recent liposuction and a tummy tuck was rapidly getting worse. So she phoned the cosmetic surgery center to ask if she should head to the emergency room, she alleges in a lawsuit. The nurse who took the call at the Sono Bello center in Addison, Texas, told her she “absolutely should not” go to the ER — even though Farris “had a large gush of foul fluid” leaking from the incision, according to records in the malpractice case she filed against the cosmetic surgery chain in 2024. (Schulte, 12/23)
