Aetna pulling out of Virginia ACA marketplace next year
(Insurance News Net – July 26, 2025)

Starting next year, Aetna clients in Virginia and other states will no longer be able to purchase individual or family health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The ACA is a 15-year-old federal law that allows people who don’t have employer-provided insurance to purchase their own through the ACA marketplace. Congress also created associated tax credits that have helped some offset those costs even further. More than 261,000 people in Virginia have Aetna health care, according to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, and the soon-to-be extinguished plans cover nearly 5,000 enrollees as of January of this year. Aetna is under the CVS umbrella and has participated in the ACA marketplace. Recipients have received emails this summer alerting them of the forthcoming change, and the company website outlines it as well.

Can Psilocybin Help People With Prolonged Grief?
(UVA Health – July 25, 2025)

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers will examine whether psilocybin can help people who are experiencing persistent, intense grief, also known as prolonged grief disorder. Backed by a $895,866 grant from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, this clinical trial will enroll 20 participants with prolonged grief disorder, which affects approximately 10 percent of people in mourning following the loss of a loved one.

Carilion Clinic opens new children’s pediatric medicine in Rocky Mount
(WFXR – July 24, 2025)

It’s a new chapter for children’s health care in Rocky Mount. Carilion has opened what it’s calling a state-of-the-art pediatric clinic on the campus of Franklin Memorial Hospital. The clinic will offer expanded services with eight exam rooms, including two for specialty clinics and one procedure room. The goal, to meet the growing needs of families across the region. “Taking care of all the patients we serve where they live,” said Andrew Herman, chair of pediatrics. “So, with a need here in Franklin County, it was clear that it was a perfect spot to put a formal pediatric clinic for those kids who we mentioned that higher level of care don’t have to travel to Roanoke for that.”

Centra earns national accreditation for nurse residency program
(The News & Advance – July 27, 2025)

Centra Health recently earned a national accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its nurse residency program. The Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) designation recognizes Centra’s yearlong initiative, which is designed to support newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) as they transition into clinical practice. This designation sets Centra apart as one of only a handful of hospitals in the state to meet the rigorous national standards for nursing residency programs. Centra officially received its accreditation in June, becoming the fifth hospital in Virginia to do so.

Could uncertainty over ACA tax credits spur a special session for Virginia lawmakers?
(Virginia Mercury – July 27, 2025)

Special tax credits that help people purchase health insurance are set to expire later this year if Congress doesn’t renew them. Virginia lawmakers are planning ahead should the credits lapse and trying to understand the ripple effects the loss would spur in the state. Federal lawmakers didn’t take action to renew them when passing a reconciliation bill this summer (which will adjust other healthcare affordability measures in the future), leaving state lawmakers wondering how and if they will be able to make up for lost federal assistance.

Community partnership to launch innovative healthcare pathway program in D.C.
(Children’s National Hospital – July 25, 2025)

Children’s National Hospital has received a $1.2 million grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF in support of a collaborative new effort to strengthen the healthcare workforce and expand career opportunities for frontline workers through a pathway initiative to meet the evolving healthcare needs in the Washington, D.C., community. The Bedford Falls Pathfinder Program is designed to create long-term, sustainable workforce development by identifying local talent and leveraging local partnerships and resources. It is supported by a multi-year grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF and developed in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank, Catholic Charities – DC, Children’s National Hospital, So Others Might Eat (SOME), Trinity Washington University and Unity Health Care. Research will also be conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago throughout the program to share learning and impact with a broader community.

Medicaid cuts could incur USD 26B loss to Virginia hospitals
(Medical Buyer – July 24, 2025)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called some estimates of the impact “literally made up.” Virginia hospitals will lose out on $26 billion over 14 years under changes to the Medicaid program in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law, according to new state estimates.

More than 300K Virginians are in jeopardy of losing health care coverage
(12 On Your Side – July 24, 2025)

Healthcare coverage could change for millions of Americans in the coming months. Experts say President Donald Trump’s budget bill, also dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” threatens health coverage for America’s most vulnerable population and puts a burden on Healthcare providers. “For uninsured people, that means that there is more uncompensated care,” said Julian Walker, who works with Virginia Hospitals and Healthcare Association. “With that, [it] means people who get healthcare they are unable to pay for that care. They don’t have insurance, and the cost of that care is initially absorbed by the healthcare provider, like the hospital.”

UVA hospital recognized by the American Heart Association
(CBS 19 News – July 25, 2025)

All four of the University of Virginia’s medical centers are now nationally recognized for outstanding work in patient care. This includes Culpeper Medical Center, Haymarket Medical Center, Prince William Medical Center and University Medical Center. The American Heart Association granted the medical institutions the awards for their high-quality heart and stroke care. UVA Health’s Eric Swensen said the award speaks to the hard-work and dedication of its researchers and medical professionals who work tirelessly to help patients.

VHHA Patients Come First Podcast – Dr. Muhammad Saeed
(Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association – July 28, 2025)

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Muhammad “Irfan” Saeed, Kidney Transplant Surgical Director at the VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center, for a conversation about his work, National Minority Donor Awareness Month, the critical need for more living kidney donors, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to pcfpodcast@vhha.com or contact on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

14 rural WA hospitals deemed at risk of closure from Medicaid cuts
(Cascade PBS – July 25, 2025)

Like many other hospitals, Three Rivers Hospital is facing fallout from the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and its cuts to Medicaid, the federally funded insurance program. The Central Washington hospital has already seen the effects of President Trump’s policies. The hospital in Brewster, a city in rural north-central Washington, has had a notable drop in patient visits during times when the hospital is usually busy. Officials attribute the drop to increased actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The city is in a major agricultural area and has a sizable Latino population.

Minnesota officials note rise in tularemia cases in humans and pets
(CIDRAP – July 24, 2025)

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today announced that they are tracking a rise in tularemia cases in humans and in companion animals, especially in Twin Cities residents and in cats. Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which can be found in wildlife, particularly rabbits, squirrels, beavers, muskrats and other rodents, MDH said. Pets are usually exposed through hunting those animals. Humans can also become infected through tick bites or by touching animals that have the disease.

More cuts threaten Indiana’s rural hospitals
(WTHR – July 24, 2025)

If you live in Columbus, Indiana, a new billboard that went up in town this week near Columbus Regional Health might have caught your eye. The Democratic National Committee is hoping the message on it will draw attention to a statewide issue. The billboard, located along State Road 7, is one of four billboards going up around the country, paid for by the Democratic National Committee.

1st pill for obstructive sleep apnea could be around the corner
(ABC News – July 24, 2025)

The first oral pill for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be around the corner after pharmaceutical company Apnimed Inc. reported positive results from its stage III clinical trial. Currently, many people diagnosed with OSA patients require a machine that covers their nose or both the nose and mouth during sleep and delivers air through a mask to help keep their airways open. Apnimed’s lead candidate AD109 showed “clinically meaningful and statistically significant reductions” in airway obstruction after 26 weeks, the company said in a press release.

7 leaders on how EHRs must evolve by 2030
(Becker’s Hospital Review – July 25, 2025)

As hospitals and health systems push to reduce friction in clinical workflows, EHR optimization has become mission-critical. Seven executives at the nation’s largest health systems told Becker’s they need systems that support real-time clinical decision-making without disrupting workflows. Tools like ambient listening, automated summaries and clinical decision support rank high on their lists.

AI tool flags heart disease with 77% accuracy
(Becker’s Hospital Review – July 24, 2025)

Researchers from New York City-based organizations Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian have developed an AI tool capable of identifying patients at risk of having undiagnosed structural heart disease. The tool, called EchoNext, was trained on more than 1.2 million electrocardiogram and echocardiogram data pairs from 230,000 patients, according to a July 16 news release from NewYork-Presbyterian. Upon validation, the tool accurately identified 77% of structural heart problems in 3,200 electrocardiograms compared to 64% accuracy of 13 cardiologists analyzing the same data.

HIMSSCast: Trends and strategies from the HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum
(Healthcare IT News – July 25, 2025)

At the HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum earlier this month, more than 400 senior clinical, operational and information technology leaders from healthcare organizations of all shapes and sizes gathered in Brooklyn, New York, for two days of energetic discussion. The presentations, panel chats and networking breaks were all buzzing about the promise and potential – and the plenty of not-insignificant hurdles along the way – of deploying artificial intelligence and machine learning to help solve myriad health system challenges.

SARS-CoV-2 detections in wastewater accurately predict illnesses within 1 week, study finds
(CIDRAP – July 24, 2025)

A new study from the University of Minnesota found that SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater accurately predicted the subsequent COVID-19 case count the following week in the community, adding further evidence to the usefulness of wastewater detection. The observational study was published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The authors said the study was conducted to assess the usefulness of wastewater detections for COVID-19 now that widespread community immunity has been obtained through infection and vaccination.

Here Come the ACA Premium Hikes
(KFF Health News – July 24, 2025)

Much of the hubbub in health care this year has been focused on Medicaid, which faces dramatically reduced federal funding as the result of the huge budget bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month. But now the attention is turning to the Affordable Care Act, which is facing some big changes that could cost many consumers their health coverage as soon as 2026. Meanwhile, changes to immigration policy under Trump could have an outsize impact on the nation’s health care system, both by exacerbating shortages of health workers and by eliminating insurance coverage that helps keep some hospitals and clinics afloat.

Medicare Advantage markets highly concentrated, KFF finds
(Healthcare Finance News – July 24, 2025)

Medicare Advantage markets are very concentrated across the U.S., with 79% of counties considered “high concentrated” and 18% considered “very highly concentrated” in a new analysis from KFF. Fewer than 1% were moderately concentrated, and no counties were unconcentrated. Two percent of counties had low or no Medicare Advantage enrollment. Medicare Advantage markets were more concentrated in rural counties than in urban counties: 39% of the most rural counties were very highly concentrated in 2024, compared with 15% of rural counties that were near urban areas and 6% of urban counties.

New bill aims for ‘adequate’ Medicare Advantage reimbursement
(Healthcare Finance News – July 24, 2025)

New bipartisan legislation introduced by two U.S. Representatives would require Medicare Advantage to “adequately reimburse” healthcare providers for services offered to enrollees. Introduced by U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, and Health Subcommittee member Dr. Greg Murphy (R-NC), the Prompt and Fair Pay Act establishes a floor requiring MA plans to reimburse for all covered healthcare items and services at least what would have been paid under Medicare Parts A and B. Plans and providers would be able to continue negotiating higher reimbursement rates.

RFK Jr. plans to remove all members of US Preventive Services Task Force: WSJ report
(Fierce Healthcare – July 27, 2025)

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering ousting all the members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a key advisory panel that offers guidance on preventive services, according to media reports. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that RFK Jr. plans to dismiss all 16 panel members of the USPSTF because he views them as too “woke,” according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the media outlet. A HHS spokesperson told NBC News in an emailed statement Friday that “no final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS’ mandate to Make America Healthy Again.”

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow NIH to cancel health grants
(The Hill – July 24, 2025)

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to continue moving forward with canceling National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants over their connections to diversity initiatives. The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the court for an emergency stay that would stop Boston-based U.S. District Judge William Young’s ruling last month, which halted the cancellation and forced the government to reinstate several of the grants.

Trump administration releases AI adoption plan
(Healthcare Dive – July 25, 2025)

The Trump administration released an “action plan” on artificial intelligence on Wednesday, part of a push to spur implementation of the emerging technology in the U.S. One of the plan’s major themes is removing “onerous” regulations that slow the development and deployment of AI across industries. The plan rarely mentions healthcare, but it serves as one the administration’s first moves to set federal policies for AI development — which experts say is important to safely roll out the technology in the sector.