The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved the first gene therapy treatment that could offer a permanent cure for patients who suffer from a rare blood disorder, which the manufacturer priced at $2.8 million per patient. The cost would make the therapy one of the most expensive treatments of all time. The therapy was developed by bluebird bio […]
Last week, Houston Methodist became the first healthcare-centric entity to take up room in the Ion, a 16-acre innovation district established by the city of Houston and Rice University. The health system is currently still building out its space there, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The 1,200-square-foot space will be modeled after Houston […]
A New Jersey hospital and an anesthesia group are in court over disagreements about staffing and contract agreements. Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health hospital in Livingston, New Jersey, alleges that American Anesthesiology of New Jersey “chronically” understaffed the facility, forcing delayed and canceled surgeries and blaming it on industry-wide workforce shortages. The hospital’s lawsuit in state court accuses North American Partners in […]
As the 2022 mid-term elections approach, inflation and gas prices are on the top of voters’ minds. While health care prices have often risen faster than the rest of the economy, the prices for medical services are generally set in advance – often tied to the calendar year – creating a delay between wage and cost increases due to inflation […]
KeyCare, a Chicago and Madison-based startup, is seeking to solve healthcare’s access problem by proving that the country doesn’t have a shortage of physicians, but rather “a shortage of using them efficiently,” according to founder and CEO Lyle Berkowitz. On Wednesday, the company announced it had closed a $24 million Series A funding round backed by 8VC, LRVHealth, Bold Capital, […]
Sanford Health, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based not-for-profit health system, will continue to expand its operations internationally, said Dr. Luis Garcia, president of Sanford’s clinic division. Sanford said in 2018 that it would expand into Costa Rica, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Vietnam, and those projects are still in the works and on track despite the COVID-19 disruption, a […]
St. Louis Veterans Administration Health (VA; St. Louis) is planning a $1 billion renovation for its John Cochran Veterans Hospital in St. Louis, according to the website stlpublicradio.org. Plans include adding 700,000 square feet of new buildings, including a 142-room patient tower with private rooms, and expanding the existing emergency department and operating space. The project is expected to utilize earthquake-resistant […]
A group of Democratic members of Congress from New York on Wednesday called on President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to enhance the production of vaccines for monkeypox. In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers, led by New York Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler and Ritchie Torres, said ,”It is clear that vaccine demand is quickly outpacing supply throughout […]
On March 15, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law, extending Medicare telehealth reimbursement flexibility for 151 days following the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE). As such, the telehealth industry is ripe for greater investment from technology providers, creating the conditions to develop better telemedicine solutions and giving healthcare organizations a greater competitive advantage in a […]
The head of the nation’s top public health agency on Wednesday announced a shake-up of the organization, intended to make it more nimble. The planned changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC leaders call it a “reset”— come amid ongoing criticism of the agency’s response to COVID-19, monkeypox and other public health threats. The changes include […]