Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
2 Minnesota-Connected Doctors Among The Missing After Nepal Floods
MPR News: Two Doctors With Minnesota Ties Missing After Nepal Flooding
Two doctors with ties to Minnesota are among the thousands of people missing after last month’s flash flooding in Nepal and Tibet. (9/9)
MPR News: Allina Health Doctors File 10-Day Strike Notice
Doctors at Allina Health’s Mercy hospital campuses in Coon Rapids and Fridley filed a 10-day strike notice Friday that could lead to doctors walking off the job if a deal isn’t reached on a new contract. (Wurzer and Woldeslassie, 9/9)
STLPR: Hospital CEOs Got Pandemic Pay Raises
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the heads of the largest hospital systems in the St. Louis area came together for a public service announcement. “When times are tough, we come together as a system, as healthcare workers, and as a community,” said Richard Liekweg, who was CEO of BJC Healthcare at the time. (Wicentowski, 9/9)
North Carolina Health News and Charlotte Ledger: Atrium Health Boosted Executive Compensation By 21 Percent In 2025
The compensation of Charlotte-based Atrium Health’s top executives rose by an average of 21 percent in 2025, according to newly released records, as the hospital giant seeks to combine with Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals. (Crouch, 9/9)
Also —
HealthDay: Fake Doctor Reviews Look More Trustworthy Than Real Ones, Study Finds
People may need to be as wary of fake reviews when they’re shopping for a new doctor as they would be scrolling on Amazon, a new study says. Fake reviews not only show up in some online doctor review platforms, but are often seen as more trustworthy and helpful than genuine reviews, researchers reported recently in the journal Internet Research. (Thompson, 9/9)
CIDRAP: Study: Candida Auris Often Spreads From Patients To Gloves, Gowns Of Healthcare Workers
A new study indicates that transmission of a multidrug-resistant fungus from patients to the gloves and gowns of healthcare personnel (HCP) occurs frequently during routine patient care, researchers reported yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Labeled an urgent threat by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Candida auris is difficult to eradicate and spreads rapidly in healthcare settings. Invasive infections are fatal in 29% to 62% of patients, many of whom have weakened immune systems and require complex medical care. A total of 6,304 clinical cases were reported in the United States in 2024. (Dall, 9/9)
