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Doctors could qualify for exemptions from the Trump administration’s new $100,000 fee for high-skilled H-1B visa applications, the White House said Monday, after some of the biggest medical bodies called out the risk to rural America where there’s already a dearth of providers. ... “The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email Monday to Bloomberg News. “Ultimately, the Trump Administration defers to the language in the proclamation.” (Zhang, Tozzi and Nix, 9/22)

The Trump administration’s $100,000 fee for high-skilled visa applicants threatens to worsen a shortage of US doctors and make it harder for rural hospitals to operate, medical groups warned. The fee for H-1B visas “risks shutting off the pipeline of highly trained physicians that patients depend on, especially in rural and underserved communities,” said American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala, a Michigan head and neck surgeon. (Tozzi, Porzecanski, Kang and Zhang, 9/22)

Patient deaths have been found to increase in U.S. hospitals after being acquired by private equity firms, according to one study. The death rates rose in the emergency departments of these hospitals, in comparison to similar hospitals not acquired by private equity, the study says. This nationwide study of hundreds of hospitals by researchers at Harvard Medical School, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago builds on previous evidence demonstrating the link. (Millington, 9/22)

Aging hospital infrastructure, staffing shortages and expanding competitors contributed to the shuttering of some urban hospitals. The Government Accountability Office in a Friday report outlined a range of factors that brought about the financial decline of five unnamed hospitals that closed in 2022 and 2023. The analysis included for-profit and nonprofit hospitals, with independent and system-owned locations represented. (Kacik, 9/22)

The number of hospitals faced with readmissions penalties of at least 1% come Oct. 1 is set to rise to the highest number since fiscal 2022. Prior to fiscal 2026, the number of hospitals facing readmissions penalties of 1% or more had dropped for five consecutive years. But preliminary data released Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed the number of hospitals set to pay penalties of 1% or more under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program will increase to 8.1%, or 240 hospitals, in fiscal 2026 compared to 7%, or 208 hospitals, in fiscal 2025. (Eastabrook, 9/22)

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Premier Inc. has agreed to a $2.6 billion acquisition that will take the healthcare group purchasing, technology and intelligence organization private under an affiliate of healthcare investment firm Patient Square Capital. The definitive agreement, announced Monday morning, is subject to regulatory approvals as well as shareholder sign-offs but is expected to close by the first quarter of 2026. (Muoio, 9/22)

Aetna unveiled plans to further expand a key program in working with hospitals. The Aetna Clinical Collaboration Program aims to improve outcomes for members in Medicare Advantage plans by reducing hospital readmissions and unnecessary emergency room visits. Through the program, Aetna places nurses on-site to assist hospital staff with care transitions. (Minemyer, 9/22)