Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Gastroenterologists Top Specialty Starting Salaries This Year
MedPage Today: These Specialties Had The Highest Starting Salaries This Year
Most physician specialties had an increase in average starting salary from last year, according to AMN Healthcare's 2026 report on recruiting incentives. Gastroenterology had the highest average starting salary this year at $654,000, which is a significant 18.5% bump from last year's $552,000. (Robertson, 9/30)
More healthcare industry news —
The Baltimore Sun: MyChart Back Online For Luminis Patients After Cyberattack
Luminis Health has announced that its MyChart patient portal service is back online to manage appointments, prescriptions and providers. This comes four weeks after the company reported that it had experienced a cyberattack, which took down its systems, including MyChart. The company says that the system that stores patient records was not affected. (Rothstein, 9/29)
Modern Healthcare: UPMC Acquires Trinity Health System From CommonSpirit
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will acquire Ohio-based Trinity Health System from CommonSpirit Health Oct. 1. The deal involves four Ohio hospitals: Trinity West and Trinity East in Steubenville; Trinity Twin City Medical Center in Dennison; and Trinity St. Clairsville Neighborhood Hospital in St. Clairsville, in addition to associated clinics and care sites, according to a Wednesday news release. (Hudson, 9/30)
The Baltimore Sun: CareFirst Names Faith Groups In $66M Racketeering Suit
CareFirst of Maryland has named several Jewish leaders, institutions and property owners as defendants in its $66 million racketeering lawsuit against two brothers, expanding its allegations of a conspiracy the insurer described as one “of breathtaking scale and audacity.” (Parker, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare: Ambulatory Surgery Centers Post High Profits: JAMA Report
Providers are pouring billions of dollars into ambulatory surgery centers, and data from a recent report published in JAMA suggests the investments are paying off. Surgery centers in Pennsylvania reported “remarkably high profitability,” with roughly a quarter of nonprofit and for-profit facilities reporting margins above 51% and 29%, respectively, according to researchers at Texas Christian and Johns Hopkins universities and the Health and Human Services Department. (Hudson, 9/30)
On artificial intelligence —
The New York Times: Medical Records Firm Uses AI Tool To Expose Flaws That Threaten Patient Privacy
Epic Systems, the nation’s largest medical records vendor that is relied on by thousands of hospitals and doctors’ offices, is using artificial intelligence tools to patch security risks that could give hackers undetectable access to patient health data, company officials said. The unusual nature of the vulnerability and the urgency to fix it prompted Epic to slow down development of some product lines while it sent engineers into a sprint to patch security holes. (Rowland, 9/30)
The New York Times: A.I. Anxiety Is Showing Up In Therapy
For Candice N. Thompson, a therapist in Silicon Valley, discussing fears and worries about A.I. has now become a regular part of her workday. Her clients, mostly high-achieving tech industry employees, have practical concerns about how A.I. is affecting their work life, but they also worry about broader problems like its effects on the future of humanity — a topic that was widely discussed last month when a former industry insider warned that the rapidly evolving technology might kill us all. “In my clinical lifetime, I’ve never seen an existential threat like this,” said Ms. Thompson, who has practiced therapy for more than 17 years. (Caron, 10/1)
In pharma and tech news —
Stat: Sanofi, Regeneron Expand Collaboration After Dupixent Success
Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the duo behind the hugely successful drug Dupixent, are re-upping their partnership, with the companies announcing Thursday an expanded collaboration on a new series of antibodies for immunological diseases. (Joseph, 10/1)
The New York Times: Clues To Why A Breakthrough Pancreatic Cancer Drug Eventually Stops Working
Last week, the former senator from Nebraska Ben Sasse announced that his Stage 4 pancreatic cancer had developed resistance to a cutting edge treatment. Cancer specialists were not surprised: Nearly every pancreatic cancer patient taking that drug, called daraxonrasib, eventually develops resistance, said Dr. Andrew Aguirre, a pancreatic cancer specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The drug, which was approved in August, electrified patients and doctors by doubling the median survival time of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. And yet like other targeted cancer drugs, it is not a cure: Even for patients in which the treatment is effective, it can suddenly stop working after about seven months. (Kolata, 9/30)
HealthDay: Odds Of Losing Your Nails Rise With GLP-1 Use
You're up to four times more prone to losing a nail after you start a GLP-1 medicine than before, a new study suggests. Risk for nail discoloration also rises when taking GLP-1s, according to a French study. The findings were presented Wednesday in Vienna at the annual meeting of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. (Mundell, 10/1)
HealthDay: Two Charged In Scheme To Sell Counterfeit Ozempic — How You Can Spot Fake Meds
Federal prosecutors have charged two people in an alleged scheme to bring fake versions of the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic from China and sell them to U.S. distributors. Swapnadip Roy, 33, and Vicky Ramancha, 37, are both Indian citizens. They face federal conspiracy and smuggling charges, the U.S. Department of Justice and federal prosecutors in Florida announced Tuesday. (Vohnoutka, 9/30)
HealthDay: Big Drop In U.S. Prescriptions For Meds Like Xanax, Valium
Fewer Americans are saying "I took a Xanax" these days as prescriptions for benzodiazepine sedatives have dropped by more than a quarter over the past decade. In the study, researchers tracked 1.1 billion benzodiazepine prescription fills nationwide between 2013 and 2024. They found that prescriptions declined by 26.7% over that time. (Mundell, 10/1)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: If you’re an older patient taking a long list of medications, consider reviewing them with a primary care provider to make sure they’re helping more than hurting. Plus, states are experimenting with Medicaid meal deliveries to cut costs and improve patients’ health. (10/1)
