The Gist Healthcare Podcast

Hospital deal activity slowed in the first quarter of this year. Refurbished medical equipment helps fill gaps in supply. And the City of Philadelphia and several universities reinstate mask requirements as COVID cases rise in half of states. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walgreens provides opens dozens of Health Corners to provide more in-store care. Medicare limits coverage of the new Alzheimer’s drug to participants in clinical trials. And a National Academy of Sciences report calls for action on reforming the country’s broken nursing home care system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnitedHealth Group's Optum makes a play to buy a large Houston area multispecialty group. Millions have left their jobs to care for aging family members. And an FDA advisory panel discusses the agency's COVID booster strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walmart opens five health clinics in Florida. President Biden announces plans to fix the family glitch. And Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and Broomfield, Colorado-based SCL Health officially complete their merger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senators reach a $10B COVID funding compromise. Medicare is now covering over-the-counter covid tests. And funding for virtual behavioral health tools geared towards kids takes off.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last few years, momentum has been growing to repeal Certificate of Need (CON) laws, currently in effect in 35 states. In this episode Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University discusses the catalysts and effects of CON reform.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An alarming number of primary care doctors say they are planning to leave practice. States are expanding pharmacists' role in patient care. And despite new surprise billing protections, patients are still concerned about the bills according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Biden presses Congress to authorize more COVID relief funding after receiving his second booster on live television. Physicians continue to leave HCA Healthcare-owned Mission Health in Western North Carolina. And amid medical supply shortages, people with chronic illnesses struggle to get equipment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnitedHealth Group’s health services unit, Optum, announced plans to buy the home health, hospice, and long-term acute care hospital company LHC Group for $5.4B. The Food and Drug Administration expands authorization of fourth shots of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines for adults 50 and older. And rising supply and labor costs combined with people returning for delayed care are expected to increase healthcare spending this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Tennessee nurse is convicted of negligent homicide after a fatal medication error. Cleveland Clinic’s new 184-bed London hospital will start seeing new patients as early as this week. And 16 drugmakers are now limiting discounts to safety-net hospitals in the 340B program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.