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Four regional hospitals are relieving medical debt accrued by hundreds of thousands of Columbus residents, local officials announced yesterday. Medical debt is a leading cause of bankruptcy in America, with major physical and emotional tolls on patients' health. (Buchanan, 10/17)

The city used money from the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021. ... Other Ohio cities are taking steps to relieve medical debt for their residents. Toledo — in partnership with Lucas County — is hoping to spend $1.6 million to wipe away an estimated $240 million in medical debt. The city of Akron allocated $500,00 to purchase debts through RIP Medical Debt. RIP then negotiates with hospitals and debt collectors to buy debts at a substantial discount. (Meighan, 10/17)

Several former employees of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City are alleging the hospital, part of the Saint Luke’s Health System, failed to properly clean and repair operating room instruments, used rusty instruments during operations and failed to address an ongoing problem with cockroaches and other bugs in and around the operating room. (Spoerre, 10/18)

About 350 health care and retail workers associated with Howard Brown Health have voted in favor of a strike, the second of its kind at Howard Brown in less than a year. The strike vote was held Friday among 366 members of Howard Brown Health Workers United. Votes were counted Tuesday morning. (Arougheti, 10/17)

Talks between state officials and Yale New Haven Health over its bid to purchase three ailing Connecticut hospitals have broken down, prompting the state to move ahead on a final decision over whether to approve the acquisition, officials with Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy said Tuesday. (Carlesso and Altimari, 10/17)

Health insurance startup Alignment Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance have signed an agreement to jointly market Medicare Advantage plans for 2024. The Medicare Advantage insurer and retail giant have agreed to offer $0 premium co-branded plans in some counties in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, pending regulatory approvals. They said the effort will reach 1.6 million Medicare-eligible enrollees. (Tepper, 10/17)

Despite recent efforts to address the issue, medical-related websites continue to be mined for data including personal medical information, in an apparent violation of patients’ privacy rights, according to a new study. Some of the most common tracking pixels were from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Microsoft Corp., Meta Platforms Inc. and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, according to a report by the cybersecurity company Feroot Security. (Nix, 10/17)

More home healthcare providers are turning to artificial intelligence-powered tools to improve efficiency and close care gaps. An estimated $265 billion in services for Medicare beneficiaries is projected to move into the home over the next few years as more older adults age in place, according to business consulting firm McKinsey and Company. To meet the demand amid a caregiver shortage, home health agencies, hospital-at-home providers and home care companies are starting to rely more heavily on AI technology. (Eastabrook, 10/17)

Dr. AI will see you now. Microsoft Corp. and Mercy, its hospitals, urgent care centers and clinics, are collaborating on the use of artificial intelligence and other digital technology to give doctors, nurses and other health care providers more time with patients. Immediate uses include AI-assisted communication of lab results and other patient information, appointment scheduling and recommendations for patients to pursue, and, for Mercy employees, AI-assisted HR and information on Mercy policies and procedures. (Mize, 10/17)