Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospital At Home Programs Grind To A Halt Amid Government Shutdown
Stat: Home Hospital Programs In ‘Terror’ As They Grind To Halt Ahead Of Government Shutdown
On any given day, dozens of patients waiting for hospital rooms line the hallways of the emergency department at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s University Campus. It’s one reason the Worcester-based health system dove into delivering home hospital care four years ago. (Aguilar, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare: Why Intermountain Health, OSF Healthcare Are Pushing Home Health
Some health systems are keeping home health services in house to counter rising costs associated with patients staying hospitalized too long or bouncing back to acute care. Boston-based Mass General Brigham, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, Peoria, Illinois-based OSF Healthcare, Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida and Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health, are among the providers doubling down on home health, even as other health systems are shedding similar assets ahead of federal funding reductions in the new tax law. (Eastabrook, 9/30)
Fierce Healthcare: Integrated Insurers, Providers May Skirt MLR Rules, Experts Say
Insurers that own medical clinics may be able to use these relationships to game medical loss ratio requirements, according to a new analysis. The Health Affairs Forefront article, written by experts at consulting firm Bailit Health Purchasing, notes a recent study found that across several states in 2023 there was a significant increase in payments that were not related to specific claims, particularly in Medicare Advantage (MA). (Minemyer, 9/30)
And it's that time of year again —
KFF Health News: Summon Your Spookiest Halloween Health Care Haikus
Sharpen your quills, brave souls. The spirits of health care bills past, present, and future are calling … and they demand haikus. Submissions are now open for KFF Health News’ seventh annual Halloween haiku competition. KFF Health News has been publishing reader-submitted health care haikus for years and is dying to read your frightful inspirations. We want your eeriest health care or health policy haiku. Submissions will be judged by a body of experts from our newsroom. (10/1)
On medical devices and tech —
The Wall Street Journal: AI Chatbots, Home Medical Tests And Tech Advances Fuel Do-It-Yourself Healthcare
Healthcare is fast becoming a do-it-yourself project for patients. With a shortage of doctors, long wait times for appointments and an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes earlier in adulthood, patients are taking a more active role in managing their own health. (Landro, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare: Medtech Companies See Drop In M&A Activity, But Bigger Deals
Medical technology companies are seeing a drop in merger and acquisition activity — but the value of the deals has jumped. Accounting company EY’s 2025 Pulse of the MedTech Industry Report analyzed financial trends in the sector from July 2024 to June 2025. It found larger companies have made several big-ticket acquisitions despite economic challenges plaguing the industry. (DeSilva, 9/30)
MedPage Today: Remote Monitoring App For Heart Failure Can Pick Up Sounds Of Congestion
People with heart failure (HF) may have congestion events detected early using a speech processing app on their smartphone, according to preliminary training data from HearO technology. (Lou, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare: FDA Early Alert Recall Program Expanded To All Medical Devices
The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its early alert recall communication programs to include all medical devices after a successful pilot. The pilot, which launched in November 2024, issued early alerts about potentially high-risk device recalls or corrections involving cardiovascular, gastrorenal, general hospital, obstetrics and gynecology and urology devices. (Dubinsky, 9/30)
