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The Federal Trade Commission approved a far-reaching noncompete ban Tuesday that could force sweeping changes across the health care industry. But those changes may not take effect for years — if they ever do — because the contentious rule will almost certainly be held up in litigation. (Bannow, 4/23)

Hannah Lucero shows up for her nursing shifts at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and says she’s often told there will be no breaks. Due to a lack of adequate staffing in the hospital’s inpatient psych unit, Lucero said, she and her co-workers are forced to take on extra patients, frequently work mandated overtime and suffer repeated assaults from patients. ... “Unstaffed shifts are not just inconvenient or really busy,” she said. “They’re scary, unsafe, lonely and mentally exhausting.” (Angst, 4/23)

From emergency room visits to childbirth, Morton Hospital is the closest acute care center for nearly 60,000 Taunton residents. Now, with hospital owner Steward Health Care facing a financial crisis, community members worry about what will become of their lifeline. Dozens of medical professionals, community members, and local officials gathered Tuesday at a Taunton park, calling for the for-profit hospital chain to keep Morton open. (Walia, 4/23)

The families of three patients who died before they could receive liver transplants are seeking a temporary restraining order against a Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center doctor accused of manipulating records in a way that potentially prevented some patients from receiving life-saving organs. The request, filed Tuesday in Harris County 295th District Court, asks a judge to prevent Dr. J. Steve Bynon from deleting or destroying critical evidence that may be relevant to a potential wrongful death claim in the future. (MacDonald and Gill, 4/23)

The National Institutes of Health will raise the minimum salary for postdoctoral researchers to $61,008 next year, the agency announced Tuesday, responding to growing calls from young life scientists to provide a living wage. The 8% pay bump is far short of the increase to $70,000 that was recommended by an NIH working group late last year. But the agency noted in a press release that it’s the largest year-over-year update for NIH-funded postdocs since 2017. (Gaffney, 4/23)

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra’s plans to leave the Biden administration and run for California governor are more advanced than previously known — with hiring discussions and spending further developed than he’s letting on. Not only has Becerra had conversations over the past weeks about making the move, he or emissaries have approached political firms about standing up a gubernatorial campaign to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2026, two people briefed on those discussions told POLITICO. (Cadelago and Lippman, 4/23)