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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
UnitedHealth Group has tapped a new CEO for Optum, promoting the head of the company’s pharmacy division, Patrick Conway, MD, to lead the full organization. According to an announcement, Conway is a veteran in health policy related to medical insurance and has served in leadership roles at Optum Rx and OptumHealth.
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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
Cookies from Google Analytics led to 4.7 million Blue Shield of California members having their data exposed to the tech giant, according to the federal government’s healthcare data breach tracker.
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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has sent an open letter to Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm set to buy the pharmacy chain Walgreens, seeking assurances it will not create “pharmacy deserts” through mass store closures. The $10 billion acquisition is being financed largely with debt—as much as 83%, a report from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project revealed. Warren fears this heightens the risk of Walgreens going bankrupt, resulting in layoffs and shuttered stores.
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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
In a 7-2 decision released Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a case challenging the formula used to calculate Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments. The lawsuit was filed by more than 200 hospitals—many in low-income areas—that argued the government failed to pay additional reimbursement for especially needy patients, as required by law.
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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
Earlier this month, Yale New Haven Health revealed it has experienced a “data security incident” that resulted in protected personal information being exposed to hackers. While the investigation into the breach is ongoing, a report with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reveals the incident impacted roughly 5.6 million people.
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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are being sued by a coalition of city and county municipalities over the $11 billion in cuts the agency made to COVID-19 legacy programs, now meant to broadly stop the spread of infectious disease and improve public health.
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2 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year pleaded not guilty during a Friday arraignment in federal court. Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged with murder, in addition to a firearms offense and two counts of stalking. He entered not guilty pleas on all counts, meaning the case is expected to go to trial. On Thursday before the arraignment, the Department of Justice officially filed to seek the death penalty, should the trial result in a conviction.
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3 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis siphoned $10 million from a settlement fund meant to return Medicaid dollars to taxpayers, diverting the cash to a charity managed by his wife, Casey DeSantis, according to a report. The Tampa Bay Times reported that when the governor settled a lawsuit against insurer Centene for $67 million last year, the entire amount was expected to be returned to the government.
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3 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
United Parcel Service has entered into an agreement to buy Andlauer Healthcare Group (AHG), a Canadian company that specializes in temperature-controlled shipments of sensitive products used by researchers, manufacturers and hospitals, for $1.6 billion, the companies announced Thursday. The acquisition will grow the portfolio of UPS Healthcare, a division of the courier that works globally on supply chain shipments.
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3 weeks ago | 
healthexec.com | Chad Van Alstin
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Amneal Pharmaceuticals have announced a recall on two lots of Ropivacaine Hydrochloride Injection infusion bags, due to polypropylene material coming loose in the fluid. Ropivacaine solutions are used as anaesthesia during surgeries, and particles entering the epidural space can cause severe inflammation at the infusion site.
