Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Tech Med School Says It Won't Consider Race For Admissions
The Texas Tribune: In Lawsuit Settlement, Texas Tech’s Med School Promises It Won’t Consider Race In Admissions
A group led by Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, is claiming victory after it got a commitment from Texas Tech’s medical school not to consider race in admission decisions, which the school continues to deny ever doing. (Priest, 3/13)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: An Ohio Medical School Cut Its Black History Month Funding. ACLU Is Pushing Back.
The ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to the president of Northeast Ohio Medical University, saying the school’s decisions to stop funding Black History Month to comply with federal directives is “a disturbing overcorrection.” The ACLU also accused the school of intending to deny “university funding to any student organization whose mission pertains to race, unless those organizations agree to revise their governing documents to eliminate references to race.” (Hancock, 3/13)
More health industry news —
MedPage Today: MedPAC Report Calls For Increases In Doc Pay For Medicare Services
Physician and other health professional services should get an annual 1.3% increase in Medicare claims reimbursement, and Congress should set a separate safety-net payment averaging 1.7% more for clinicians serving low-income fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries. Those were two recommendations from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March report to Congress. The independent agency advises Congress on issues related to payment, quality of care, and access to care for 65 million beneficiaries. (Clark, 3/13)
Fierce Healthcare: Doc Hiring, Turnover Increases After Practices Acquired By PE
Private equity acquisitions of physician practices fuel rapid growth in head counts as well as clinician turnover, according to data published in the March issue of Health Affairs. The findings land shortly after another recent analysis on the seller’s side of PE transactions, which was published in JAMA and also found increased turnover. Both come as researchers and others have warned of increased consolidation, higher prices and other downstream effects from PE’s increasing participation in the physician practice ecosystem. (Muoio, 3/12)
Fierce Healthcare: PE-Backed Healthcare Companies Falling Behind In Cybersecurity Preparedness, Report Finds
A new report by Clearwater Security found that incident response and resilience was a major issue for private equity-owned healthcare companies, which need to improve consistency in cybersecurity governance in light of their high-growth business model. The assessment found systemic gaps in security preparedness, as healthcare organizations need more documented policies for cybersecurity practices from provider practices to digital health companies. Private equity firms need to consider the cybersecurity risk profiles of companies when deciding whether to acquire them or merge them with other businesses, Clearwater writes. (Beavins, 3/13)
Military.Com: VA To Step Up Rollout Of New Electronic Health Records System In 2026
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to bring its new Federal Electronic Health Records system to nine more medical centers in 2026 than previously announced, VA officials said earlier this month. The program, which has suffered multiple setbacks since it was first introduced in the Pacific Northwest in late 2020, was to restart at four sites in Michigan in 2026. However, following meetings between the VA, medical center personnel and Oracle Health, the company that designed the system, more sites will be added in locations that will be determined following an in-depth analysis, according to the VA. (Kime, 3/13)
Modern Healthcare: Cigna Names Brian Evanko President, Eric Palmer To Leave Company
Cigna is reshuffling its top leadership by promoting Brian Evanko to president and chief operating officer and elevating Ann Dennison to executive vice president and chief financial officer, the company announced Thursday. Eric Palmer, president and CEO of the Evernorth Health Services subsidiary since 2020, will end his lengthy tenure at Cigna on April 26, the insurer said in a news release. (Berryman, 3/13)
