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  • Flu hospitalizations outpace SARS-CoV-2 in 2025-2026

    The risk of hospitalization during the latest respiratory virus season was greater for influenza than SARS-CoV-2, according to a study from the Department of Veterans Affairs published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The research, which involved nearly 13,000 patients, showed that the likelihood of being admitted to a hospital was 43% higher for patients with the flu, with 160.4 hospitalizations per 1,000 people, compared with 112.1 for SARS-CoV-2. The researchers attribute the higher severity of flu to more virulent strains and a mismatch between the vaccine and circulating variants. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (6/15) Learn More

  • Virtual care may help prevent hospital readmissions

    More hospitals than last year are expected to be hit with readmission penalties of 1% or higher in fiscal 2026, according to the CMS, but keeping in touch with patients after discharge can help reduce readmissions. For example, Vanderbilt University Hospital's Discharge Care Center reduced readmissions from 10.6% to 9.9% by maintaining communication with patients through texts and calls. The University of California San Diego Health system's virtual transitions of care clinics also reduced 30-day readmission rates to 14.9%, compared with 20.1% in a benchmark group. Medscape (6/16) Learn More

  • Tool IDs inpatients who may benefit from palliative care

    Mayo Clinic is using an AI tool developed with Bayesian Health to identify hospitalized patients who might benefit from palliative care. The tool analyzes more than 300 variables to generate risk scores, and increased timely palliative care consultations by 44% in clinical trials. A palliative care nurse checks the charts of patients who have been identified for care, checks the summary and notifies a clinician to send a prepopulated referral if appropriate. Mayo's palliative care team is monitoring the tool's impact to ensure the right patients are being identified and to see whether clinicians agree with the tool's recommendations. HealthLeaders Media (6/11) Learn More

  • Hacking dominates health care data breaches in 2026

    Hacking remains the primary cause of health care data breaches reported to the HHS Office for Civil Rights, affecting more than 19 million people in the first half of 2026. Major incidents include breaches reported by TriZetto Provider Solutions, QualDerm Partners, Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and NYC Health + Hospitals. The largest one of these, TriZetto, impacted more than 3.4 million people. TechTarget (6/16) Learn More

  • Rural physicians are opting out of Medicare at higher rates

    Physicians in rural areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas are opting out of Medicare at higher rates than their urban counterparts, driven by declining Medicare reimbursement, according to a study in JAMA. The decline in Medicare participation is leading to more practice closures and a shift toward vertically integrated entities, posing challenges for independent practices and ambulatory surgery centers. Becker's Hospital Review (6/16) Learn More

  • Wearable pacemaker uses ultrasound for noninvasive treatment

    Researchers in California and Massachusetts have created a wearable pacemaker system that makes use of ultrasound waves and gene therapy to regulate heartbeats without surgery. The device, comparable in size to an iPod Shuffle, attaches to the chest and works by prompting heart cells to respond to ultrasound signals. While the technology has shown success in animal tests and human heart cells, experts highlight challenges such as the need for reliable long-term performance data, and the complexities of gene therapy. IEEE Spectrum (6/10) Learn More

  • Study to evaluate molecular testing for superbug detection

    The Fleming Initiative and Cepheid are studying the use of Cepheid's Xpert Carba-R molecular assay to identify patients infected with antibiotic-resistant, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales bacteria. The two-and-a-half-year Trace-CPE study will compare the molecular assay with traditional culture-based testing. GenomeWeb Daily News (6/15) Learn More

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