What You Should Know:
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is deploying a massive $50 billion investment across all 50 states to overhaul the nation's rural healthcare infrastructure starting in 2026.
- Under the guidance of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, the program prioritizes not just workforce expansion, but a significant technological shift toward AI adoption, cybersecurity resilience, and "food-as-medicine"
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Technology
Surviving the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Technology Strategies for Safety-Net Providers Facing Medicaid Cuts
Financial challenges are not new to healthcare. A perfect storm of converging trends has left many organizations operating within razor-thin margins in recent years.
For safety-net providers, the latest financial uncertainties introduced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act present yet another hurdle. Many financial executives may fear making the wrong move and choose to “freeze” in response to Medicaid funding cuts that will equate to nearly $800 million.
Yet inaction is likely
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Top Affordable Telemedicine Solutions for Hospitals: Features and Pricing Compared
Telemedicine has become indispensable to hospital systems seeking to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. For providers, the challenge lies in recognizing the need for virtual care and navigating the market to find the best solutions. The right partner can unlock efficiencies and improve patient outcomes. Here are the best value telemedicine software platforms for hospital systems that help secure a competitive advantage.
What Are the Best Value Telemedicine Software
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Advanced Primary Care 2026: Top 6 Investments for Health Systems According to Harvard Medical School
What You Should Know
- Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care has released a comprehensive "Primary Care Investment Guide," providing the first evidence-based roadmap for deploying capital into team-based care models.
- The report identifies six critical "Advanced Primary Care" (APC) services—including behavioral health integration and e-consults—that demonstrate measurable ROI through reduced hospitalizations and improved equity.
- With the U.S. spending only 4.6% of
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CMS Launches WISeR Model: New Medicare Prior Authorization Rules Start Jan. 1
Earlier this year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced the "Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction" model, a series of prior authorization requirements designed to ensure timely and appropriate Medicare payment for select items and services in six states (New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington) that take effect Jan. 1.
As part of the “WISeR” requirements, CMS selected tech vendors to implement enhanced technological models to
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Cornell Survey: Experts Warn HSA Conversion and Small Premiums Threaten ACA Affordability
What You Should Know:
- A new survey from the Cornell Health Policy Center reveals that 70% of health policy scholars believe converting ACA subsidies into Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) would worsen affordability for enrollees.
- Additionally, 81% of experts agree that ending automatic renewals—a policy slated for 2028 under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"—will substantially reduce Marketplace enrollment. These findings come as policymakers scramble to find alternatives to enhanced
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Why Rural Health Transformation Must Include Maternal Health
Congress’ most recent budget reconciliation bill included controversial cuts to Medicaid spending. The legislation slashed hundreds of billions of dollars from the program over the next decade, a move that is likely to disproportionately affect rural hospitals and safety-net providers.
To offset the cuts, lawmakers introduced the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a five-year initiative (2026-30) meant to
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Expert Insight on Silicone Products for C-Section Scar Support
C-section recovery brings a mix of physical changes and new routines, and many parents look for simple ways to support their scar as it heals. Silicone products offer gentle comfort while helping the area feel protected during movement. They rest softly on the skin and fit easily into everyday postpartum habits. This guide explains what experts say about silicone for C-section scars and how it supports smoother healing.
Many new mothers begin with silicone strips for scar reduction once the
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Prenatal Compliance: Solving SDOH Needs Builds Trust with Moms
Pregnancy is one of the most-expensive episodes for insurers, averaging about $19,000 for pregnancy, vaginal delivery and postpartum care, and $26,000 for cesarean births. Compared with other industrialized nations, costs in the U.S. are nearly eight times higher.
And what do mothers in the U.S. get in return for this high-priced care? They get the highest death rate per 100,000 live births in the developed world, with 18.6 deaths recorded in 2022, compared with 5.5 deaths per 100,000 in the
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Auxira Health Raises $7.8M to Solve the Cardiology Shortage with Virtual Clinical Pods
What You Should Know:
- Auxira Health, a virtual cardiology company co-developed by MedStar Health, has secured $7.8M in seed funding to address the growing cardiologist shortage and clinician burnout crisis.
- Unlike standard telehealth platforms, Auxira embeds dedicated "clinical pods" of nurses and advanced practitioners directly into existing practice workflows, training them on-site to ensure seamless integration.
- The funding will fuel the company's expansion,
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