Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio Pediatricians Claim They Were Fired After Raising Safety Concerns
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Doctors Claim Retaliation, Defamation In Lawsuit Against University Hospitals
Two pediatricians say they were fired from University Hospitals after raising concerns about patient safety. Dr. Lauren Beene and Dr. Valerie Fouts-Fowler filed a lawsuit Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court against the hospital for claims that include wrongful termination and defamation. (Gambino, 12/15)
More about health care workers —
The Washington Post: Rural Healthcare Workers Go Beyond Emergencies
In this remote corner of western North Carolina, some of the people whom paramedics Evan Carroll and Nicole McKinney serve don’t have cellphone service, and bridges that once took the two to isolated homes deep in the mountains were washed away by Hurricane Helene. And instead of simply responding to emergencies, Carroll and McKinney make old-fashioned medical house calls for nonurgent care. They help elderly patients monitor their high blood pressure and other chronic conditions. They advise people on what they should be eating, even dropping off meals and produce. They set up transportation and help make sure people are following doctors’ orders. (Joyce, 12/15)
AP: Prison Health Workers Are Among The Best-Paid Public Employees. Why Are So Many Jobs Vacant?
Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fill vacant medical and mental health positions at prisons and state hospitals, California has little to show for it, according to a new report from the state auditor. Job vacancy rates have increased since 2019 at the three facilities examined in the audit, as has the state’s reliance on pricey temporary workers. Atascadero State Hospital, Porterville Developmental Center and Salinas Valley State Prison had health-related vacancy rates topping 30% during fiscal year 2023-24. At Salinas Valley State Prison more than 50% of health positions were unfilled. (Hwang, 12/15)
The Baltimore Sun: Loyola Maryland Lands $10M Gift For Science, Nursing And Business Expansion
Loyola University Maryland has received a $10 million commitment from Ellen and H. Edward Hanway, a gift that will help expand science and nursing programs and strengthen risk-management education, the Baltimore-based Jesuit institution announced on Monday. (Carlton, 12/15)
St. Pete Catalyst: Tampa Surgeon Performs Milestone Robotic Procedure To Treat Lymphedema
Dr. Nicholas Panetta performs the nation's first fully robotic lymphovenous bypass with NanoWrist Dissection Instruments on Dec. 5, 2025. The device uses smaller components and “enhanced controls.” (Connor, 12/15)
In other health care industry updates —
MedPage Today: Lung Cancer Screening Follow-Up Often Inadequate
After finding abnormalities on low-dose CT lung cancer screening, many patients don't get the recommended level of follow-up care, a Medicare-linked registry analysis showed. Only 59.7% of such patients received guideline-concordant follow-up care, while 32.3% had less intensive and 7.9% had more intensive follow-up than recommended, reported Paul F. Pinsky, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues in the Annals of Internal Medicine. (Phend, 12/15)
Stat: How Humana Tweaks Data To Promote Medicare Advantage Benefits
Executives at Humana had great news. The insurance giant’s senior-focused primary care clinics were generating extraordinary medical benefits for older Americans, keeping them out of hospitals and away from emergency rooms, they told investors in the fall of 2022. (Ross and Bannow, 12/16)
Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth's Year Of Medicare Changes, DOJ Probes, Optum Moves
UnitedHealth Group spent 2025 striving to polish its reputation. The healthcare conglomerate’s share price has declined more than 35% since the start of the year after cuts to its earnings guidance, a sudden replacement of top executives and disclosures of federal probes spooked investors. Once known by financial analysts as the bellwether for the healthcare sector, UnitedHealth Group’s new leaders have described 2026 as a comeback year. (Tepper, 12/15)
St. Louis Public Radio: Patients Caught In The Middle Of UHC, SSM Insurance Fight
Tens of thousands of SSM Health patients in the St. Louis area could lose access to in-network health providers if the Creve Coeur-based health system and UnitedHealthcare don’t reach a deal. Time is running out for the two health companies. Their existing agreement expires at the end of the year, on Dec. 31. SSM Health representatives estimate failure to reach an agreement could affect about 100,000 patients in the area. (Fentem, 12/16)
Modern Healthcare: Bayada, Enhabit, Compassus Push For Value-Based Care Contracts
Home health operators plan to push other providers harder next year for value-based contracts that can offer enhanced reimbursements in exchange for post-acute access and improved patient outcomes. Bayada Home Health Care, Enhabit Home Health and Hospice, and Compassus say value-based care contracts with health systems and accountable care organizations could help them blunt the impact of a $220 million Medicare rate cut starting Jan. 1. (Eastabrook, 12/15)
