From Washington, DC,

• Govexec.com reports,
  • “While the Homeland Security Department is shut down, the vast majority of employees—about 92%—are still reporting to work. In some cases, however, workers are finding creative solutions to get out of their regular duties and save money while their paychecks hang in the balance. 
  • “My unit is rotating voluntary furlough days,” said one DHS staffer.  “Workers in that office are taking turns to take time off work, which, during a shutdown, entails being placed in an unpaid furlough status. 
  • “[We] conserve finances by not commuting, since we’re only allowed to telework in emergency situations,” the employee said, noting some employees in the unit commute 80 miles per day and are therefore seeing significant savings on gas when they do not go to work. The employees who accept the furloughs have used the time to schedule medical appointments, handle errands or tackle home projects.” * * *
  • “Most DHS employees will not miss a full paycheck until the beginning of March. Craig Carter, president of the Federal Managers Association, said the impacts are already being felt across the DHS workforce.” 

• The OPM Office of Inspector General has posted its semi-annual report to Congress for the period ended September 30, 2025. Here is a link to the OPM management’s response to this report.

• Legistorm tells us about GAO report number GAO-26-107169 which was issued yesterday.
  • “What GAO Found
    • “The No Surprises Act, among its provisions, generally prohibits providers from balance billing in certain circumstances—such as emergency services—for individuals with private health insurance. Balance billing is when insured patients receive a bill from an out-of-network health care provider for the amount above any applicable cost-sharing that exceeds the health plan or issuer’s payment. An unexpected balance bill is referred to as a surprise bill.
    • “GAO analyzed the percentage of claims that were in-network for selected specialties to examine potential changes in network participation after the act’s implementation. Increases in the percentage of in-network claims may indicate increases in provider participation, while decreases may indicate reduced participation.
    • “Among specialties likely to be affected by the No Suprises Act protections—emergency medicine, radiology, anesthesiology, and air ambulance—the percentage of in-network claims increased for three of the four specialties after the act took effect. For example, GAO found the percentage of in-network facility claims (typically submitted by hospitals) and professional claims (typically submitted by physicians) for emergency medicine declined before the No Surprises Act took effect, then increased afterward.
    • “Payment changes for the selected services largely reflected continuations of trends prior to the No Surprises Act taking effect. For example, the inflation-adjusted payment for in-network emergency medicine services billed by facilities increased in 2022 and 2023, continuing the trend since 2019. Meanwhile, the inflation-adjusted payment for in-network emergency services billed by physicians or their practices decreased in 2022 and 2023, continuing previous trends.”
  • FEHBlog note: This is encouraging news.

• NCQA writes in LinkedIn
  • “NCQA has updated its State of Health Care Quality Report to include data for HEDIS® Measurement Year (MY) 2024. This free resource, available on the NCQA website, offers valuable insight into healthcare quality performance nationwide.
  • “You can use this report to:
    • “Learn more about each quality measure, how it is defined and why it matters.
    • “Access national averages and historical trends for over 90 measures of clinical quality and patient satisfaction.
    • “Compare performance across different products, like Commercial, Medicare and Medicaid.
    • “We will add data for MY 2025 in February 2027, or you can get it sooner through NCQA’s Quality Compass®.
  • “The report is available through this link. You can also find a link to the report on the HEDIS Measures and Technical Resources web page.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• STAT News reports,
  • “Tracy Beth Høeg, the top drug regulator at the Food and Drug Administration, indicated in her first address to staff that she’ll scrutinize antidepressants and the shots used to protect babies from RSV.
  • “Høeg told employees on Thursday that her top priorities include two issues she’s focused on in the recent past: evaluating the safety of antidepressants taken by pregnant women and of monoclonal antibodies that protect infants against RSV.
  • “I’ve been interested to learn we really haven’t been doing sort of thorough safety monitoring of these products during pregnancy, and so I think we could do a better job,” Høeg said. “I actually think that there’s agreement about that, and among the CDER staff that I’ve been working with on this issue, so I’m excited to see that.”
  • “Høeg also discussed her interest in vaccine policy, and mentioned she’d like to “bring that interest” into the drug center.”

• Radiology Business relates,
  • “GE HealthCare has secured three notable new MRI clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 
  • “On Thursday, the company announced the clearance of two MRI systems, Signa Sprint with Freelium and Signa Bolt, and one artificial intelligence-enabled workflow platform. Each of the three cleared produts were designed with the rising demand for MR imaging in mind, according to the company’s president and CEO of MR, Kelly Londy. 
  • “Achieving FDA clearance of our next-generation Signa MRI technology underscores our commitment to expanding access to high-quality imaging and elevating the standard of care for patients everywhere,” Londy said in an announcement. “As MRI demand continues to rise across clinical areas, providers need solutions that deliver greater efficiency without compromising diagnostic precision.”

• BioPharma Dive informs us,
  • “Roche said Friday that the Food and Drug Administration will decide by Dec. 18 whether to approve its experimental drug giredestrant in breast cancer, setting the stage for a verdict that could intensify the competition surrounding a new class of oral, tumor-fighting medications.  
  • “Roche’s submission was based on the results of a Phase 3 study that found giredestrant superior to older hormone therapies at keeping people with a certain type of advanced breast cancer alive without their disease getting worse. The pill has also since proven helpful to people in the “adjuvant” setting after surgery. 
  • “If approved, giredestrant would become the third new oral “SERD” on the market, following clearances for Menarini Group’s Orserdu and Eli Lilly’s Inluriyo. Roche believes giredestrant has the potential to stand out from its competitors, but faces persistent doubts about the class’ commercial outlook.”

From the judicial front,

• The American Hospital Association News reports,
  • The Supreme Court Feb. 20 ruled [in a 6-3 opinion written by the Chief Justice] that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act [of 1977] does not authorize the imposition of global tariffs. The court held that IEEPA does not provide the president with “the independent power to impose tariffs on imports from any country, of any product, at any rate, for any amount of time.” The court did not address whether the government will have to refund the tariff revenue or what other legal authorities the president may have to impose similar tariffs. [The Court remanded those decisions to the lower courts.]
    
• Bloomberg Law reports,
  • “The FTC has asked a federal appeals court to revive requirements for companies to divulge more information to US antitrust regulators ahead of potential mergers.
  • “The Federal Trade Commission Wednesday appealed a Feb. 12 decision from a US district court judge in Texas blocking a 2024 Biden-era rule. The case is pending in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
  • “The regulation updated a decades-old US pre-merger notification program to require companies share more about overlapping business lines and ownership structures, among other details. Companies seeking combinations valued at $133.9 million or more must undergo an initial 30-day review by the FTC and Justice Department under the notice system.”
• and
  • “The [U.S. Court of Appeals for the] First Circuit rejected a lawsuit accusing Cigna Health & Life Insurance Co. of obesity discrimination, shutting down an attempt to broaden coverage of blockbuster GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
  • “Pressure to cover the drugs is growing for insurers and employers as their uptake among the general public increases. One in five adults has taken a GLP-1 drug at some point, according to a November 2025 poll from health-care think tank KFF.
  • “The US District Court for the District of Maine previously dismissed Jamie Whittemore’s case, along with a similar case against Elevance Health Inc. The district judges determined that Whittemore didn’t prove that obesity qualified her as disabled.” * * *
  • “Here, even if Whittemore plausibly alleged that obesity is a physical impairment, she failed to allege sufficient facts to support an inference that her obesity substantially limits her major life activities,” Judges Lara E. Montecalvo, Sandra L. Lynch, and Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson wrote in their opinion Thursday.”

• Per a Justice Department news release,
  • “The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, together with the Attorney General of Ohio, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today challenging OhioHealth Corporation’s (OhioHealth) anticompetitive contract restrictions that force Ohio patients to pay higher prices for healthcare.
  • “The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, seeks to enjoin OhioHealth, the largest healthcare system in central Ohio, from enforcing its anticompetitive contractual terms and continuing to suppress healthcare competition.”

• Per Beckers Payer Issues,
  • “An insurance brokerage president and the CEO of a marketing company were each sentenced to 20 years in prison for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently enroll individuals in subsidized ACA plans to obtain commission payments from insurers.”

From the public health, medical and Rx research front,

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced,
  • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. RSV activity is elevated and increasing in some areas of the country. Emergency department visits for RSV are highest among infants and children less than 4 years old. RSV hospitalizations are highest among infants and children less than 4 years old. COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.
  • “COVID-19
    • “COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.
  • “Influenza
    • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. Influenza A activity is decreasing while influenza B activity is increasing nationally and in most areas of the country; however, trends vary by region.
    • “Additional information about current influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC
  • “RSV
    • “RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits among infants and children 4 years and younger. Hospitalizations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.
  • “Vaccination
    • “National vaccination coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines remains low for children and adults. COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines can provide protection against severe disease this season. It is not too late to get vaccinated this season. Talk to your doctor or trusted healthcare provider about what vaccines are recommended for you and your family.

• Per the AHA News,
  • “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Feb. 19 released a report on the low use of COVID-19 antiviral drugs among individuals age 65 and older, a population at high risk of severe illness from the disease. The report found that from June 2023 through September 2025, 16%-23% of COVID-19 patients older than 65 received an antiviral prescription during low occurrences of COVID-19, compared to 37%-38% during higher occurrences. Adults ages 75-84 and 85 and older were more likely to receive an antiviral prescription than those ages 65-74. “COVID-19 vaccination and treatment can prevent severe COVID-19 among older adults,” the CDC wrote. “Efforts to improve health care provider and patient knowledge regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and antivirals, especially for older adults, are needed to reduce the risk for severe illness and death.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP adds,
  • “Two studies examined the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, with one estimating that full vaccination and a booster dose reduce the risk of preeclampsia (PE) by 15% and 33%, respectively, and the other finding no elevated risk of miscarriage before 20 weeks’ gestation among pregnant or soon-to-be-pregnant recipients of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.”

• The CDC also announced,
  • “As of February 19, 2026, 982 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 976 measles cases were reported by 26 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York City, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 6 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States. 
  • “There have been 7 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 89% of confirmed cases (870 of 982) are outbreak-associated (73 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 797 from outbreaks that started in 2025).”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP adds,
  • “Utah has confirmed 300 measles cases in an ongoing outbreak, with the virus now spreading in Salt Lake County and new exposures at high schools in that county, according to an update yesterday from the Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD).
  • “The first measles symptoms are often cold- or flu-like, with cough, runny nose, red/watery eyes, and fever, so you may think you have a common respiratory illness and can continue engaging in normal activities,” said Dorothy Adams, executive director of SLCoHD. “But please stay home if you have any signs of illness, especially now that we know measles is actively circulating in our community.”

• Per the AHA News,
  • “The ongoing measles outbreak in South Carolina has reached 973 cases, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Feb. 20. Of those, 906 cases are unvaccinated, 26 are fully vaccinated, 20 are partially vaccinated and the vaccination status of 21 cases is unknown. Nationally, 982 confirmed measles cases across 26 jurisdictions have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since Jan. 1. The CDC said there have been seven outbreaks reported in 2026 and that 89% of confirmed cases are outbreak-associated.” 

• Cardiovascular Business informs us,
  • “The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) have developed their first clinical practice guidelines focused on the treatment and management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). The new document, published in full in JACC and Circulation, highlights the importance of diagnosing patients as quickly as possible and determining the best course of action.
  • “A PE is a potentially fatal blood clot that travels through the heart and then becomes lodged in an artery in the lungs. Treating PEs quickly—and effectively—can help minimize the patient’s risk of death and cardiac arrest. Anticoagulants are the most common PE treatment, but catheter-based interventions and surgery may be necessary for more severe cases.
  • “There have been significant advances in the understanding of PE and treatments to effectively manage this condition,” Mark A. Creager, MD, chair of the document’s writing committee and director emeritus of the Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth Health, said in a statement. “This guideline is a road map to help clinicians navigate these advances for the safest and most effective approaches to care for people with this condition.”

• Per Radiology Business,
  • “New research highlights the potential for a PET- and MRI-based imaging approach for differentiating a new type of dementia from Alzheimer’s disease. 
  • “Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, also known as LATE, was recently recognized as a type of dementia that occurs in older adults, typically presenting as memory-related cognitive decline. Due to its impact on memory, it is often mistaken for AD. 
  • “However, both LATE and Alzheimer’s present differently on imaging. While AD is identified due to the accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins on the brain, LATE involves clumps of the protein TDP-43 in the limbic system. It is important to differentiate between the two due to the differing treatment methods for each. 
  • ‘A new paper in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine describes how combining PET and MRI imaging data can help distinguish between the two in living patients. 
  • “The distinction in the causes of these types of dementia is critical, especially in the era of anti-amyloid therapies,” Satoshi Minoshima, MD, PhD, professor of radiology and imaging sciences at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, said in a news release. “Because LATE has a different underlying pathology and a seemingly different prognosis, it cannot be diagnosed or treated in the same way as Alzheimer’s disease.” 

• The University of Connecticut, the FEHBlog’s alma mater, writes in LinkedIn about research on Parkinson’s Disease treatments.

• Per BioPharma Dive,
  • “Grail’s multi-cancer early detection test failed to meet its primary endpoint in a key study, sending the company’s shares tumbling about 50% in Friday trading.
  • “The NHS-Galleri trial evaluated annual screening with the Galleri MCED test in England’s National Health Service over three years in 142,000 asymptomatic participants aged 50 to 77.
  • “Grail said the study aimed to show testing could help reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses and increase detection rates to support national screening in England. A U.S. premarket approval application for Galleri, submitted earlier this month, includes data from the trial on test performance, clinical validation and benefit of detection at stages I through III, including reduction in stage IV cancer diagnoses, the company said.”

• Per Health Day,
  • “An ancient Chinese mind-body practice can lower a person’s blood pressure as well as medication or a program of brisk walking, a new study says.
  • “Baduanjin is a widely practiced eight-movement sequence that combines slow, structured movement, deep breathing and meditation.
  • “The practice lowered people’s blood pressure by about 3 to 5 points, similar to benefits sustained by people asked to take up walking, according to clinical trial results published Feb. 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.”

• Per Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News,
  • “Stanford Medicine researchers and collaborators have developed a universal vaccine candidate that studies in mice suggest protects against a wide range of respiratory viruses, bacteria, and even allergens. Unlike any vaccine used today, the new vaccine, delivered intranasally, was found to provide broad protection in the lungs for several months. The novel vaccination strategy integrates the two branches of immunity—innate and adaptive—creating a feedback loop that sustains a broad immune response.
  • “The research team, headed by Bali Pulendran, PhD, the Violetta L. Horton Professor II, director of the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, and a professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, demonstrated that vaccinated mice were protected against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses,  Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii (common hospital-acquired infections), and house dust mite allergen. Pulendran said the new vaccine has worked for a remarkably wide spectrum of respiratory threats that the researchers tested. Speaking to GEN, Pulendran emphasized that the reported work is preclinical, and the team’s goal is to translate their research carefully and responsibly. “If it ultimately proves safe and effective in humans, the potential impact could be transformative: simplifying seasonal vaccination and improving readiness for emerging respiratory threats,” Pulendran said.”

From the U.S. healthcare business and artificial intelligence front,

• Beckers Payer Issues reports,
  • “Medicare Advantage now covers about 55% of eligible beneficiaries nationwide — more than 35 million people — but health systems are confronting a question that until recently felt almost taboo: What happens when participation in the country’s fastest-growing Medicare program no longer makes financial sense?
  • “Over the past three years, Becker’s has reported on roughly 90 hospitals and health systems that have terminated some or all of their commercial Medicare Advantage contracts. In 2026 alone, at least 15 systems have gone out of network with one or more Medicare Advantage plans, and the trend is showing no signs of slowing down. 
  • ‘This year, 1 in 10 Medicare Advantage enrollees — about 2.9 million people — will be forced to disenroll from their plan following a spike in plans exiting the market, according to a Feb. 18 study published in JAMA.
  • “Behind many of those decisions lies what Scripps Health CFO Brett Tande describes as a classic “sunk-cost” dilemma: after years of building infrastructure, staffing and strategy around Medicare Advantage, can systems realistically walk away — even when contracts are losing money?
  • “For a growing number of health systems, the answer is becoming clearer.
  • “Becker’s connected with executives from Providence, Scripps Health, Ascension, MemorialCare and Mayo Clinic to understand how they are reassessing their participation in Medicare Advantage and what that shift could mean for providers, payers and patients.”

• Kaufmann Hall notes,
  • “Partnerships, like all relationships, are de facto collaborative. Certain success factors are well known, including the importance of cultural alignment, constant communication and effective post-closing integration. Based on our collective experience assisting health systems with the negotiation of strategic partnerships, we share other lessons learned that are important considerations. These are tangible steps that require intentional focus and may require hard choices during the partnership development process but are important for ensuring long-term success. We hope these “inside baseball” lessons and case studies are useful for organizations when negotiating their next strategic partnership.”
• and
  • “Amazon last week announced it would expand its same-day pharmacy delivery service to 4,500 cities nationwide. The move expands Amazon’s market share against other drug delivery providers like Walmart and CVS Caremark. It adds same-day delivery services to 2,000 communities, including remote areas in Alaska, the Navajo Nation and islands only accessible by ferry and only navigable by horse-drawn carriage. The expansion demonstrates the retail giant’s ability to scale its logistics network in healthcare, offering faster access to medications compared with traditional mail-order pharmacies, which can take up to 10 days to deliver drugs.”

• Behavioral Health Business relates,
  • “Madison Health Group (MHG) has announced its plans to purchase managed behavioral health provider Magellan Health.
  • “This comes roughly five years after payer giant Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) bought Magellan Health at a valuation of $2.2 billion.
  • ​”Magellan Health manages behavioral health services for health plans, employers and government agencies.
  • ​”Following the deal, Magellan will become an independent organization, with MHG’s backing to support innovation. Specifically, the new funds will be used to expand its clinical programs into new markets, leveraging “enhanced technology, AI, data and analytical solutions” for its clients, according to social media posts.”
    
• Fierce Healthcare tells us,
  • “Carrot is expanding its parenting benefits with on-demand virtual pediatric care through Blueberry Pediatrics. 
  • “Carrot, a fertility and family-building benefits platform working with payers and employers, will offer Blueberry as an add-on. The new offering will be available to families with kids under 12. It is expected to roll out in the next few months. The offering will be covered by the plan sponsor, and members are not expected to incur out-of-pocket costs.
  • ‘Parents will have 24/7 access to on-demand virtual visits with board-certified pediatricians from Blueberry for common issues like ear infections, rashes, colds and the flu. Families can connect with pediatricians around the clock via secure messaging, video or audio. Members will also get a home medical kit with a wireless digital ear scope, pediatric pulse oximeter and thermometer. This will help Blueberry clinicians remotely assess children.”

• Per Modern Healthcare,
  • “Early lessons are emerging as the digital health sector’s ambient AI focus shifts from clinical documentation to prior authorization.
  • “Companies such as Abridge, Suki and Cohere say their solutions can do for prior authorization what ambient AI has done for documentation and clinician burnout. The importance of partnerships become an integral part of their efforts in this area.
  • “In August, Abridge announced a partnership with Pittsburgh-based insurer Highmark Health and its integrated health system Alleghany Health Network to develop a tool that would approve prior authorization requests at the point of care. Prior authorization was the logical next step for Abridge after clinical documentation, said Clinical Strategy Principal Matt Troup.
  • “Six months in, the collaboration has shown the importance of building connections with providers and payers when developing ambient AI for prior authorization.
  • “[Our partnership] just gave us access to bring everyone to the table, to figure out, what we can possibly do in this space,” Troup said. “Is it actually possible to get these approvals in real-time, upstream in the conversation, if both the payer and provider are aligned on the impact that this can have in healthcare.”