Epic Gives Rural Hospitals A Platform For Electronic Health Records

Modern Healthcare: How Epic's Community Connect Program Brings EHRs To Rural Areas
Epic is bringing its electronic health record system to rural America through a program that highlights the company’s larger ambitions. Its Community Connect program, which allows smaller providers to link to Epic through a larger “host” health system, has emerged as a key tool as the company seeks to expand its fortunes beyond large health systems. It also is courting payers, digital health players, life science companies and international health systems. (Perna, 9/12)

Stat: Hospital 'War Rooms' Are Bracing For Impact Of GOP Medicaid Cuts
In the war rooms hospitals have stood up to respond to the historic Medicaid cuts enacted by Republicans earlier this year, leaders are planning substantial financial moves and innovative solutions as they brace for revenue dips. The reactions are split between the haves and have-nots, according to hospital leaders and their advisers, nearly a dozen of whom spoke to STAT for this story since the cuts were signed into law in July. (Payne, 9/15)

Crains Chicago Business: AMA CEO John Whyte Seeks To Restore The Doc Group’s Lost 'Luster'
The new CEO of the American Medical Association says the nation’s largest physicians advocate can have a bigger impact on the practice of medicine and take a greater leadership role in the health of the United States. Just over two months into the job, Whyte sat down with Crain’s to discuss his plans for the chief executive role, following 14 years under the stewardship of Dr. James Madara. (Asplund, 9/12)

Actor Noah Wyle thanks doctors after Emmy win —

Deadline: Noah Wyle Thanks Doctors Coming Off Shift For First Emmy Win: “Thank You For Being In That Job, This Is For You”
After seven nominations, Sunday marked Noah Wyle's first Emmy win in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for his work on The Pitt. “What a dream this has been,” he said as he accepted the award. ... After all of his thanks, Wyle ended his speech with a nod to hospital workers. “Mostly, to anyone who is going on shift tonight or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job,” he says. “This is for you.” (Fleming, 9/14)

In pharma and tech news —

Medical Xpress: Higher Doses Of Semaglutide Can Safely Enhance Weight Loss For Adults Living With Obesity, Clinical Trials Confirm
A higher weekly dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg) can significantly improve weight loss and related health outcomes in adults living with obesity, including those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of two large-scale, international phase 3 clinical trials. The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, suggest that a higher dose of semaglutide offers a promising new option for people with obesity, including those with T2D, who have not achieved sufficient weight loss with existing treatments. (9/14)

Medical Xpress: A Pathological Partnership Between Salmonella And Yeast In The Gut
University of Illinois Chicago-led researchers have found that a common gut yeast, Candida albicans, can help Salmonella Typhimurium take hold in the intestine and spread through the body. When interacting, a Salmonella protein called SopB prompts the yeast to release arginine, which turns on Salmonella's invasion machinery and quiets the body's inflammation signals. (Jackson, 9/13)

KFF Health News: An AI Assistant Can Interpret Those Lab Results For You
When Judith Miller had routine blood work done in July, she got a phone alert the same day that her lab results were posted online. So, when her doctor messaged her the next day that her overall tests were fine, Miller wrote back to ask about the elevated carbon dioxide and low anion gap listed in the report. While the 76-year-old Milwaukee resident waited to hear back, Miller did something patients increasingly do when they can’t reach their health care team. She put her test results into Claude and asked the AI assistant to evaluate the data. (Ruder, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Siemens Healthineers, Cook Medical Partnering On IMRI
Imaging company Siemens Healthineers and minimally invasive medical device maker Cook Medical announced a partnership Saturday to offer one of the first turnkey interventional MRI suite solutions. The solution comprises Siemens Healthineers’ MRI technologies and services like its interventional planning software along with Cook Medical‘s medical devices designed for MRI, including catheters, guidewires and sheaths. Both companies will provide specialized training and ongoing clinical support. (Dubinsky, 9/13)

Phys.org: Mini Microscope Enables Real-Time 3D Brain Imaging In Freely Moving Mice
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a miniaturized microscope for real-time, high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of brain activity in mice. The device is a significant step toward revolutionizing how neuroscientists study the brain. (Marcure, 9/13)