Â鶹ŮÓÅ

The American Medical Association signed a multi-year agreement with an artificial intelligence clinical decision support company, allowing the startup to use content from AMA’s publications. The Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA Network Open and 11 JAMA specialty journals, will inform answers delivered on AI startup OpenEvidence's platform, the companies said on Tuesday. OpenEvidence has developed an AI search tool that allows clinicians to input details about a patient’s clinical presentation into its search bar. (Turner, 6/5)

By prolonging the search for a provider, ghost networks can delay patients’ ability to get diagnosed and treated, or cause them to forgo care altogether. But regulatory efforts to force insurance companies to update their directories or penalize them for inaccurate provider information have fallen short, prompting some patients to turn to the courts. (Bendix, Herzberg and Nguyen, 6/5)

The No Surprises Act may be reducing the amount of "surprise billing" patients face when they encounter an out-of-network provider in an in-network facility, but there's one area where the law's effects don't reach: ground ambulances. The law, signed in December 2020 by President Trump, exempts patients from having to pay out-of-network charges under certain circumstances, such as when they are transported to an out-of-network hospital during an emergency, or when they unexpectedly get a service such as anesthesia from an out-of-network provider at their in-network hospital. (Frieden, 6/5)

Two federal agencies cannot punish Catholic employers and health care providers if they refuse for religious reasons to provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients or won’t provide health insurance coverage for such care to their workers, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Peter Welte, the chief federal judge in North Dakota, bars the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing a health care rule it imposed in 2024 under Democratic President Joe Biden. (Dura and Hanna, 6/6)

High manufacturing costs could limit the federal government's efforts to increase pharmaceutical production across the U.S. An aging population with increasingly complex medical conditions is driving pharmaceutical growth. Health systems aim to capitalize on that expanding sector through in-house pharmacies, which executives say will help increase medication adherence, reduce hospital admissions, improve access to care and diversify revenue — if they can overcome cost barriers. (Kacik, 6/5)

More than a month after the Crozer Health system collapsed, some laid-off employees are struggling to get the unemployment benefits they're entitled to. ... A total of 2,651 employees were laid off when Taylor Hospital shut down on April 26 and Crozer Chester Medical Center permanently closed on May 2. Julia Simon-Mishel, supervising attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, said many people face challenges when trying to access unemployment benefits. (Wright, 6/5)