Simplicity is a virtue.

From Washington, DC

• AHIP reports,
  • “The House Ways and Means Committee’s recent advancement of the Apples to Apples Comparison Act (H.R. 4093) signals policymakers recognize the growing need for more accurate data and assessments comparing Medicare Advantage (MA) and fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. If enacted, this legislation would require Medicare to report more complete expenditure data and direct the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to compare MA and FFS using a more transparent and reliable methodology. 
  • “Key Context: Accurate and reliable analyses are essential to understanding how MA compares to FFS. It requires accounting for key differences between the programs – including the benefits provided within MA, different enrollment requirements, and demographics and health characteristics among MA enrollees. 
  • “A growing body of research points to significant questions and concerns with MedPAC’s current approach to comparing spending in MA and FFS, including its estimates of alleged favorable selection into MA and failure to account for the key programmatic, enrollment, and other differences.
  • “The Apples to Apples Comparison Act would address these concerns and ensure that policymakers have the information needed to accurately assess both programs.
  • “Why It Matters: Accurate comparisons between MA and FFS show that MA provides better care at lower costs than FFS. With 36 million American seniors and people living with disabilities choosing MA, policymakers should ensure they protect and strengthen MA for the seniors who count on it.”

• Beckers Behavioral Health relates,
  • “HHS will provide $96 million over four years to eight communities through its new Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support program.
  • “The funding will help communities build coordinated systems of care for people who are homeless and have serious mental illness, substance use disorders or co-occurring disorders.
  • “The program combines street-based engagement and treatment with recovery supports, housing and other community services.
  • “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will administer the STREETS program, according to an Oct. 2 news release from HHS. Each selected community will receive $3 million a year for four years.”
• and
  • “The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has brought back specialized crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth through its “Press 3” option, with the service available again starting Sept. 30, the Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 1.
  • “Launched in 2022 in partnership with the Trevor Project, the option connects callers and texters directly with counselors trained to support young LGBTQ+ people. The service was suspended in July 2025 after the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said it would “no longer silo LGB+ youth services” from the general hotline.”

• Over the past week, CMS has issued news releases about contributions to the following State rural health programs:
  • Alabama
  • Colorado
  • Montana
  • South Dakota
  • Texas

• STAT News tells us,
  • “Finding information from the National Institutes of Health about human health, disease, and biomedical research is about to look a lot different. On Monday, the NIH will unveil a new version of its website that shifts attention away from individual institutes and centers and towards eight thematic hubs focused on health, research, data, clinical studies, rare diseases, technology, cancer, and grants.
  • “Agency officials say the redesign — which is part of an ambitious project to consolidate the NIH’s digital footprint — is intended to streamline what was a sprawling and fractured information ecosystem, requiring users to understand NIH’s organizational structure, into an intuitive experience that more closely reflects what type of information people seek out most often.
  • “The goal, said NIH deputy director for public affairs, Amanda Fine, is “to make trusted NIH information across the agency easier and faster to find.”
  • “The beta version, which was soft-launched this week, is still under development and will continue to evolve in the coming months, NIH officials told STAT. Some functions, including search, do not yet appear to be operational. During this transition period, NIH’s existing websites will continue to remain available, and they will sunset on a rolling basis “as critical and mandated content is verified and redirects are put in place,” Fine told STAT.” 

From the Medicare Advantage front,

• Beckers Hospital Review reports,
  • “SCAN Health Plan and Costco shared Oct. 1 that their co-branded Medicare Advantage plans will go live in California and Nevada in 2027.
  • “The HMO will be available in 17 California counties and two Nevada counties on Jan. 1, a SCAN news release said. This is Costco’s first time offering MA.
  • “Entering Medicare Advantage is a natural extension of our commitment to delivering quality and value for our members,” Richard Stephens, Costco’s senior vice president of pharmacy, said.
  • “The plans do not include Costco memberships, but non-Costco plan members can use over-the-counter benefits and get hearing aids and eyewear elsewhere.”

• “KFF Examines the 2027 Marketplace for Medicare Advantage and Part D Stand-Alone Drug Plans.”
  • “A companion analysis of the stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) marketplace finds that the number of stand-alone plans available to the average beneficiary will fall for the fourth year in a row, from 11 in 2026 to 9 in 2027. It also finds that many PDP enrollees will see premium reductions or only modestly higher premiums in 2027 if they keep their current plan, while others will face substantially higher premiums unless they switch.
  • “Notably, there will be no zero premium PDPs available for Part D enrollees in 2027 (except low-income beneficiaries who receive extra financial help from the government.) That means that 4 million PDP enrollees who paid no monthly premium in 2026 will face higher premiums in 2027 if they keep PDP coverage.” 

From the U.S. Office of Personnel Management front,

• Govexec reports today,
  • “Federal employees and retirees will pay an additional 10.9% on average toward their health insurance premiums in 2026, the third straight year of double-digit increases, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
  • “The government’s share of Federal Employee Health Benefits Program premiums will increase by an average of 8.6% in 2026, making the overall cost increase 9.3%. This year, the increase in employees’ share of insurance premiums was 12.3%, and in 2025 that increase apexed at 13.5%.”
  • “Unlike past years, OPM did not provide reporters with the average premium increases for the three plan types—self, self plus one and family—on a per paycheck basis. When asked for the information, the agency sent a copy of its “Open Season Highlights” document, and then a collection of spreadsheets listing every FEHB plan’s premium increase.” * * *
  • As in past years, OPM encouraged federal workers to shop around from among the more than 100 insurance plan offerings and to take advantage of using pre-tax money to pay for out-of-pocket costs via a flexible spending account. New for next year is the availability of a debit card via FSAFEDS, reducing some of the administrative burden of needing to submit paperwork and receipts for reimbursement.
  • Kevin Moss, a senior editor with Consumers’ Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, said it is more important than ever to actually follow that advice. That’s because hidden behind the average premium increase figures are a number of wide swings on the individual plan level.

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration front,

• Fierce Pharma reports,
  • “The FDA has approved Bristol Myers Squibb’s application to expand the label of its cardiac myosin inhibitor, Camzyos, to include pediatric patients.  
  • “Camzyos is used to treat symptoms and improve functionality in patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM), a genetic condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken. Camzyos was first approved to treat adults in 2022, and the new approval makes it the first oHCM treatment available to pediatric patients.” 

• Cardiovascular Business relates,
  • “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted CeleCor Therapeutics‘ new drug application (NDA) for zalunfiban (Disaggpro). The investigational drug was developed to treat ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) heart attacks to dissolve clots and reopen the coronary artery as soon as possible to prevent death or irreversible heart damage.
  • “Zalunfiban is a new type of small-molecule inhibitor of the platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor that is designed to quickly prevent clotting during a heart attack.
  • “The company presented positive Phase 3 clinical trials results from its CeleBrate study at the 2025 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions, and those findings were later published in The New England Journal of Medicine Evidence.[1] The multinational CeleBrate study found that rapid zalunfiban treatment for STEMI at the first point of medical contact reduced the risk of cardiovascular events over 30 days following treatment.”

No Surprises Act news,

• Per a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services news release,
  • “On Thursday, October 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened leaders from across the federal government and from certified independent dispute resolution (IDR) entities to discuss issues impacting the federal IDR process. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Department of Labor Assistant Secretary Daniel Aronowitz, and officials from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury (the Departments) met with representatives from all certified IDR entities to address the increasingly high IDR-associated costs affecting the United States healthcare system. The ideas discussed in the meeting build on the system reforms that were a part of the Federal IDR Operations final rule as well as the fundamental technological evolution of the Federal IDR Portal into the IDR Gateway, which will launch in late 2026.” * * *
  • “The No Surprises Act has succeeded in its primary objective: protecting American consumers from surprise medical bills. The Departments and certified IDR entities expressed their shared responsibility to improve the federal IDR process. The participants, representing all active certified IDR entities, are committed to enhancing their processes in collaboration with the Departments. 
  • “The Departments will consider the insights offered by the certified IDR entities as they continue to explore all available regulatory and operational solutions.”

From the judicial front,

• The SCOTUSblog reports today,
  • “On Thursday, the Supreme Court added three new cases to its oral argument docket for the 2026-27 term, including a case on the Trump administration’s policy of detaining noncitizens apprehended within the United States (as opposed to at the border) without the opportunity for a bond hearing and a dispute over the enforcement of zoning ordinances against religious institutions.” * * *
  • “Unlike past years, OPM did not provide reporters with the average premium increases for the three plan types—self, self plus one and family—on a per paycheck basis. When asked for the information, the agency sent a copy of its “Open Season Highlights” document, and then a collection of spreadsheets listing every FEHB plan’s premium increase.” * * *

From the public health and medical /Rx research front,

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
  • “COVID-19, flu, and RSV are key indicators of overall respiratory illness activity
  • “The amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care is very low.
  • “RSV activity is very low in most areas of the country.
  • “COVID-19 activity remains elevated in some regions but is declining nationally.
  • “Seasonal flu activity is low but is increasing.
  • “Rhinovirus/Enterovirus (RV/EV) and group A strep are increasing nationally.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP calls to our attention
  • “With three months left of 2026, the United States is closing in on a number of measles cases that would have been unheard of just a couple years ago. With 228 new cases logged this week, the country reached 3,886 infections, just 114 shy of 4,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) weekly update today.
  • “It could top that milestone next week. And US cases could be more than double the 2025 total this month.
  • “The national wave comes as Pennsylvania, the nation’s hot spot, adds more than 100 new cases in the past week to its total for the year. More than two-thirds of the cases in the state involve adults. * * *
  • “Cases in other states are also climbing. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services today added 72 infections to its total, which has now grown to 243. Kentucky added 27 new cases and has 94 for the year. And Ohio’s health department lists 206 measles cases, which is 17 more than last week. Utah lists 527 cases, nine of which are new.”
• and
  • “Measles infections make people miserable for up to two long weeks, commonly causing dangerously high fevers, a painful sensitivity to light and, of course, a tell-tale red rash.
  • “Sufferers who escape without developing pneumonia, brain swelling, or other serious complications may believe the worst is over. 
  • “Yet the measles virus has only gotten started.
  • “The virus also damages the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to other infections for up to five years.
  • “The rash and the fever, that’s the tip of the iceberg,” Michael J. Mina, MD, PhD, coauthor of two seminal studies in Science on the effect of measles on the immune system, told CIDRAP News. “The majority of the damage being done is under the surface.”

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “Grip strength is increasingly being viewed as an important biomarker of our overall strength and fitness.
  • “While not used as widely as body-mass index, or BMI, as a screening tool for health, doctors and researchers say awareness of its value is growing. That’s happening as research shows that grip strength is associated with future health risks and even longevity. 
  • “At the University of Michigan Medical School, many clinics test patients’ grip strength, says Mark Peterson, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 
  • “We do it with our older populations but I have also gotten it pulled into clinics in our neurological population,” he says.
  • “Some doctors think grip strength should be used more routinely in wellness appointments. “I have really tried to encourage geriatricians to think about incorporating grip strength, it seems to trump almost every single measure including cardiovascular fitness training,” Peterson says.
  • “Even in children, studies have found grip strength to be associated with cardiometabolic health.” 

• Nature relates,
  • “Armed with new tools and fresh optimism, researchers seeking to subdue pancreatic cancer — one of the world’s deadliest — are chasing a radical strategy: cancer interception.
  • “In this approach, tissues that are growing abnormally are treated to keep them from turning cancerous and spreading. Interception is already being trialled for breast and skin cancers, among others. But now the success of a new drug that quashes pancreatic tumours is raising scientists’ hopes that interception could succeed even for this recalcitrant cancer.
  • “Cancer interception was one of the main themes at September’s American Association for Cancer Research Conference (AACR) on Pancreatic Cancer in San Diego, California — the first such meeting since the US Food and Drug Administration approved the landmark pancreatic-cancer drug daraxonrasib (Rasonque) in August. Its success has renewed optimism that researchers can combine it or other emerging therapies with early-detection methods to revolutionize how pancreatic tumours are treated.
  • “A combination of early-detection techniques and interception is “going to be the breakthrough strategy that really changes survival”, says Diane Simeone, director of the Moores Cancer Center at University of California San Diego Health. At the AACR meeting, Simeone argued that such an approach could more than triple the proportion of people who survive for five years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, from 13.7% to 50%.
  • “It’s a lofty aspiration, but other researchers are also eyeing interception. “We’re so excited that we are at this juncture now to even be considering this,” says Anirban Maitra, director of the Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health in New York City. “This wasn’t possible even a few years ago.”

• CNN adds,
  • “Sugary foods combined with antibiotic treatment can damage the gut microbiome in ways that could leave people vulnerable to dangerous infections, a new study shows.
  • “The new research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, took advantage of a natural experiment: It looked at what happened to gut bacteria in cancer patients who were hospitalized and treated with sustained antibiotics before receiving stem cell transplants. Because the patients only ate food prepared by the hospital, researchers knew exactly what and how much food they ate – a rarity in nutrition studies, which typically rely on participants to recall what they ate hours or days earlier, something people are notoriously bad at.

• Health Day tells us,
  • “Functional decline begins many years before clinically apparent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in JAMA Cardiology.
  • “Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo, Ph.D., from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues examined how functional performance trajectories change in the years preceding a CVD event. The analysis included data from 12,015 participants (2,403 cases and 9,612 matched controls) in the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly cohort.”
  • “Results of this nested case-control study show that declines in functional aging markers were prominent before clinically apparent CVD, suggesting that they may represent the culmination of progressive multisystem aging and indicating a prolonged window of opportunity for closer clinical evaluation and early intervention,” the authors write.”
• and
  • “Isometric exercises like wall sits may help lower your blood pressure.
  • “And just one session a week could help you maintain those healthier numbers.
  • “A team led by Harry Swift of King’s College London studied 100 adults with an average age of 37 who had normal to high-normal blood pressure. Eighty were assigned to do wall sits three times a week.
  • “After four weeks, their systolic blood pressure — the top number in a blood pressure reading — had dropped by an average of about 9.5 points compared with the control group.
  • “For the next month, participants either kept the same schedule, cut back or stopped.
  • “Cutting back to once a week still left systolic pressure about 6.6 points lower than at the start.
  • “But three sessions a week delivered a much bigger benefit — down nearly 14 points.
  • “When participants stopped exercising, the improvements reversed.”

• The American Medical Association lets us know how to do a wall sit.

• Per BioPharma Dive,
  • “An experimental eczema drug from Pfizer met its primary goal in a mid-stage clinical trial, achieving stronger skin clearance in significantly more people at multiple doses compared to a placebo after 16 weeks.
  • “According to detailed data from an ongoing Phase 2 trial shared at a European medical meeting Thursday, a substantially higher percentage of patients given Pfizer’s three-pronged antibody drug, tilrekimig, as opposed to a placebo experienced a 75% reduction in the scope and severity of their disease. The trial enrolled participants with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, and the latest results build on data previously announced in March.
  • “Analysts described the findings as “very strong” and indicative that Pfizer’s drug could compete with already approved therapies like Eli Lilly’s Ebglyss and Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ market-leading Dupixent. In a statement Thursday, Pfizer said it has pushed tilrekimig into advanced testing for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and atopic dermatitis — including a head-to-head trial against Dupixent.”

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

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “Bayer BAYN  said it plans to spend $2.2 billion to build a new manufacturing site in Ohio for its pharmaceutical business, becoming the latest European drugmaker to invest in the U.S.
  • “The German agricultural and pharmaceutical group said Friday that its new site in New Albany will create around 600 jobs, with plans to open a first module dedicated to drug substance manufacturing in 2031, followed by a second module for finished products in 2034.
  • “Bayer’s pharma business has been looking to expand in the U.S., betting that an enlarged presence in the world’s largest drug market can help it revive sales growth after two key products went off patent.
  • “With the move, the company joins a growing list of European pharma companies committing to invest in the U.S. Under pressure from the Trump administration’s tariff threats, big drugmakers like AstraZeneca, Novartisand Roche, as well as smaller rivals, pledged to make multibillion-dollar investments in the country and have started to execute their plans.
  • “The U.S. is our largest and fastest-growing market,” Bayer’s U.S. president, Sebastian Guth, said in an interview.”
• and
  • “Novartis NOVN struck a deal valued at up to $7.8 billion to license a messenger RNA drug candidate from Abogen Biosciences and gain options over future therapies, turning to China to fill its pipeline.
  • “Many of the world’s biggest drugmakers have set their sights on China to look for new drug ideas, seeking to bolster their portfolios in preparation for older medicines going off patent. Novartis has sealed several tie-ups with emerging Chinese biotech players in recent years.
  • “Novartis is paying $575 million upfront and could make additional payments of up to $7.2 billion if options on all programs are exercised and targets are met, Abogen said Friday.
  • “Under the deal, Novartis will acquire worldwide rights over Abogen’s lead drug candidate, called ABO2203, which uses mRNA to boost the production of so-called T-cell engagers within the body to fight malignant cells. Abogen said its lead drug has potential to transform the treatment landscape for patients with autoimmune diseases—those in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells instead of protecting them.”

• Modern Healthcare relates,
  • “HCA Healthcare has completed a deal to sell 31 home health and hospice locations in eight states to Deaconess Associations.
  • “The former HCA sites and their employees are now part of Deaconess subsidiary Central Pyramid, the Cincinnati-based provider announced in a news release Thursday. Neither Deaconess nor Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA disclosed the financial terms of the transaction.
  • “The home health and hospice locations are spread across Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The companies agreed to the transaction in June.”
    
• Beckers Payer Issues tells us,
  • “San Francisco-based Dignity Health, part of Chicago-based CommonSpirit, reached an agreement to transfer its share of co-owned Arizona managed care health plan, Mercy Care, to CVS Health subsidiary Aetna.
  • “CommonSpirit had a 49.75% ownership interest in Mercy Care as of June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2025, according to CommonSpirit’s fiscal year 2026 report. 
  • “Dignity Health co-owns the plan with Ascension, which said it had also reached an agreement with Aetna to transfer its portion of Mercy Care to the company. 
  • “The transaction is expected to close in fiscal year 2027, subject to required regulatory reviews and approvals, a spokesperson for Aetna said in an Oct. 2 statement shared with Becker’s.” 
• and
  • “New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill launched the State Health Benefits Program Reform Working Group on Oct. 1 to review and advise on health coverage for public employees.
  • “Ms. Sherrill announced the working group following a Sept. 2 agreement with 17 state employee unions. Along with unions, participants include public employer organizations, legislative offices and healthcare groups, such as the New Jersey Association of Health Plans and New Jersey Hospital Association. Aetna, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, and UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, are all vendors serving the benefits program. All three are also members of the working group.
  • “The working group will form advisory recommendations for the governor, focusing on benefits administration, provider network structures and payment, plan pricing and premium contributions, plan design, employer and member participation, and whether the program has resources to manage costs. The working group will have subcommittees targeting these areas.”

• Fierce Healthcare adds,
  • “Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System is set to launch its own health plan next year, the organization announced Thursday.
  • “The creation of the plan—dubbed the MultiCare Health Plan—is part of the organization’s continuing advancement from a traditional provider to an integrated organization, executives say. It will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the health system, with support from MultiCare’s population health partner, PSW.”

• Beckers Hospital Review informs us,
  • “Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health has launched CommonSpirit Ambulatory Ventures, a new division aimed at organizing and expanding the health system’s ambulatory surgery center portfolio.
  • “The move is part of CommonSpirit’s broader effort to diversify beyond acute care and “accelerate growth” in ambulatory services, according to financial documents published Oct. 1. The system said the new division will establish an ASC vertical “from which to organize and enhance our current and future capability in the ASC space.” 
  • “CommonSpirit currently has 239 ambulatory joint ventures spanning dialysis, imaging, oncology and other services. That portfolio includes 80 ASCs, either wholly owned or operated through partnerships, along with six specialty surgical hospital partnerships.” 

• Beckers Physician Leadership points out,
  • “After years of steady gains, compensation for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) showed no measurable growth in 2026 for the first time in the past 5 years, according to a report from Medscape. 
  • “The “Medscape RN/LPN Compensation Report 2026: Where Did the Growth Go?,” published Oct. 2, surveyed 3,253 registered nurses and 1,337 licensed practical nurses on compensation and pay trends.” 

• Per Radiology Business,
  • “Patients grappling with medical debt appear more likely to face later-stage cancer diagnoses, according to new research published Thursday. 
  • “Such financial obligations are a pervasive challenge among U.S. households and a key social determinant of health, experts write in JAMA Network Open. About 1 in 6 individuals here report having at least some medical debt, with millions facing collections—a situation disproportionately impacting low-income households, minorities and the uninsured. 
  • “Researchers aimed to better understand how these IOUs impact patient outcomes, analyzing data spanning nearly 3,000 U.S. counties. They found that higher burden of medical debt was associated with significantly increased incidence of late-stage lung, colorectal, cervical, skin, kidney, bladder, and head/neck cancer. 
  • “These findings suggest that medical debt may be an area-level marker of structural and financial barriers associated with cancer detection and cancer outcomes at the population level,” study co-author Xin Hu, PhD, with the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues wrote Oct. 1.” 

• Per Fierce Pharma,
  • “Eli Lilly’s Foundayo is showing clearer signs of acceleration. Total prescriptions for the oral GLP-1 receptor agonist surged about 21% to 64,268 during last week, according to IQVIA data cited by Citi. That haul came off a 13% sequential increase the week before that.
  • “We’re seeing early signs of growth in Q3 for Foundayo,” Jefferies analysts wrote in an Oct. 2 note.
  • “Recent expansion of Foundayo could be attributed to a direct-to-consumer ad first aired in late August featuring Martha Stewart, as well as the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program which, as of July, offers eligible seniors GLP-1 obesity drugs at a $50 monthly copay.”

• Cardiovascular Business adds,
  • “More and more young children are starting to be prescribed GLP-1 drugs to manage their weight, according to new research published in Pediatrics.
  • “The study’s authors focused exclusively on obese children without diabetes between the ages of 8 and 11. In 2019, just 0.03% of those children were on GLP-1 medications. However, that number skyrocketed to 9.3% in 2026. The group estimated that approximately 20,000 children between the ages of 8 and 11 have been prescribed GLP-1 drugs during that time. 
  • “Our study offers the first national overview in young children of the use of GLP-1 drugs to fight the obesity epidemic in the United States and shows that while the absolute numbers of children under the age of 12 receiving GLP-1 treatment is still low, GLP-1 use is accelerating rapidly,” first author Babak J. Orandi, MD, PhD, MSc, a transplant surgeon and obesity specialist with NYU Langone Health’s NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a statement. “The careful use of GLP-1s remains a valuable tool in confronting the obesity epidemic among young Americans.”

• Beckers Payer Issues lets us know,
  • “Booking an appointment with a provider often means confirming they’re in network, working through an automated phone menu and trading available times with a receptionist. But for some UnitedHealthcare and Aetna members, an AI agent is now handling that work.
  • “Senior executives at both insurers have described their scheduling tools publicly in recent months as part of broader AI investments aimed at cutting administrative costs and simplifying how members get care.
  • “If I would usually schedule an appointment, I’d make a phone call, sit on hold, figure out my calendar, juggle my children. All that is gone, because Avery will do it for me,” Prianka Advani, senior vice president of AI delivery and telephony at UnitedHealth Group, said during a media event in June.”