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Health systems are boosting investment in outpatient expansion as some convert acute care hospitals to meet the growing demand for mental health, long-term care and other ambulatory services. Health systems are pumping billions of dollars into outpatient construction, which executives say their organizations will need as the population ages and as patients spend less time in the hospital. At the same time, some health systems are downsizing their acute care network to make space for an increasing number of patients managing anxiety, depression and other mental health issues and recovering from major procedures. (Kacik, 12/2)

The number of men in the U.S. with the job of registered nurse has nearly tripled since the early 2000s. Many come to the field after working in the military or in jobs, such as paramedics or firefighters, that exposed them to the work of nurses. “What I hear a lot from female students is, ‘I’ve always wanted to be a nurse, I like helping people,’ where the men tend to look more at job security and job stability,” said Jason Mott, president of the American Association for Men in Nursing. (Torry, 11/30)

Dietitian Emily Frymark slid open a drawer inside a Children’s National Hospital clinic that looks as though it should store bandages or medicine to reveal a surprise: heaps of onions and garlic bulbs. The produce is part of the food pharmacy at the Northwest Washington hospital, where patients can pick up fresh fruit and vegetables, pasta, cereal, canned foods and other supplies at their regular medical checkups. The program is one way the Capital Area Food Bank is bundling what it knows best — feeding people — with other basic services to help them manage health issues. (Portnoy, 12/2)

Patient education materials (PEMs) in rheumatology and general medicine demanded greater literacy than is typically recommended, researchers found. Handouts from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the JAMA Network group required a 10th-grade reading level on average by one metric, and a college-sophomore level by another, according to Yazmin Rustomji, MD, and colleagues at Rush University in Chicago. Those from JAMA were particularly difficult, with means of 121 "complex words" per piece and 21 words per sentence, the group reported in Arthritis Care & Research. (Gever, 12/2)

CVS Health Corp. is talking to investors about possibly selling as much as $2.5 billion of bonds, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The health care company asked Barclays Plc, Citigroup Inc., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to arrange investor calls on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. (Joshua and Mutua, 12/2)

Former CVS Health executive Mario Ramos is the new chief financial officer at WellBe Senior Medical. Ramos will oversee financial decision-making within WellBe’s value-based care model, the in-home healthcare provider said in a Monday news release. Ramos served in several leadership roles at CVS from 2013 to 2019, including as CFO of CVS Caremark, its pharmacy benefit management unit. Prior to joining WellBe, Ramos was the CEO of money management company RWA Wealth Partners. (Eastabrook, 12/2)

Community Health Systems' Northwest Healthcare acquired 10 urgent care centers in Arizona from Carbon Health. The transaction grows Northwest's network across the Tucson, Arizona, area to more than 80 care sites, according to a Monday news release. One of the 10 centers was not in operation when the deal closed and is awaiting a certificate of occupancy from the state of Arizona, a CHS spokesperson said. (Hudson, 12/2)