�鶹Ů��

A federal judge in Texas late Monday blocked a federal nursing homes staffing mandate former President Joe Biden's administration rolled out last year. United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said in his decision the Health and Human Services Department did not have the authority to go beyond laws passed by Congress governing nursing homes staffing. (Eastabrook, 4/7)

A government reorganization of a program aimed at keeping older adults out of nursing homes is raising concerns that changes could hamper the program's growth. Some organizations that offer Programs of All-Inclusive Care for Elderly worry changes in how Health and Human Services Department plans to manage PACE could make it more difficult to launch new programs and enroll participants. (Eastabrook, 4/7)

The assisted-living facility in Edina, Minn., where Jean H. Peters and her siblings moved their mother in 2011, looked lovely. “But then you start uncovering things,” Ms. Peters said. Her mother, Jackie Hourigan, widowed and developing memory problems at 82, too often was still in bed when her children came to see her in mid-morning. ... Most ominously, Ms. Peters said, “we noticed bruises on her arm that we couldn’t account for.” Complaints to administrators — in person, by phone and by email — brought “tons of excuses.” (Span, 4/7)

CVS Health Corp.’s chief financial officer plans to leave his post as new Chief Executive Officer David Joyner charts a path forward for the health-care conglomerate. Thomas Cowhey, the current CFO, will leave the position, according to people familiar with the situation. The timing of his departure is unclear. A spokesperson for CVS declined to comment. (Swetlitz, 4/8)

Staffing company Envision Healthcare plans to lay off 120 employees at its subsidiaries by May 31 due to the end of its contract with San Antonio-based Baptist Health System. The cuts are expected to affect physicians, nurse practitioners, practice coordinators and clinical operations specialists at Envision Physician Services, Questcare Hospitals and Questcare Matrix, according to an April 1 letter accompanying the company's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing. (DeSilva, 4/7)

A "first of its kind" surgery developed in Minnesota to provide relief from debilitating back pain is one step closer to FDA approval. WCCO first learned about SynerFuse in 2023 after a patient shared her chronic pain journey and the successful results a year after the surgery. The path ahead looks promising for the innovative technology as researchers learn about more Minnesotans who took part in the initial trial. (James, 4/7)

A new study by researchers at the University of Utah suggests one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) spreads more widely in intensive care units (ICUs) than previously understood. The findings, published last week in JAMA Network Open, are based on genomic analysis of Clostridium difficile isolates collected from two ICUs in Utah in 2018. (Dall, 4/7)

Health care systems can reduce suicides through patient screening, safety planning and mental health counseling, a new study suggests, an important finding as the U.S. confronts it 11th leading cause of death. The “Zero Suicide Model” was developed in 2001 at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, where the focus on people considering suicide included collaborating with patients to reduce their access to lethal means such as firearms and then following up with treatment. (Johnson, 4/7)