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Physicians who use artificial intelligence (AI) are perceived less favorably than those who don't use it, a survey showed. In a survey of 1,276 U.S. adults who were shown fake social media or billboard advertisements for family doctors, physicians portrayed to use AI were perceived as significantly less competent, trustworthy, and empathetic compared with those whose AI use was not mentioned, reported Moritz Reis, MSc, of the University of Wuerzburg in Germany, and colleagues. (Henderson, 7/17)

Hospitals are working with states to prepare bids for a $50 billion fund that aims to bolster rural healthcare, though the program may not be enough to sustain providers. States have until the end of the year to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services their plans for the Rural Health Transformation Program funding that was part of the new tax law. However, industry observers are concerned the program won’t ultimately benefit the highest-need rural hospitals and will not be enough to mitigate looming Medicaid and Medicare cuts. (Kacik, 7/17)

It’s a directive that hospitals and health systems of every size know well — whether sprawling academic medical centers, multistate nonprofit systems or rural, independent 25-bed hospitals. While the phrase isn’t new, the urgency behind it is intensifying. The nation’s healthcare workforce remains fragile, forcing leaders to distinguish between staffing gaps that are temporary hurdles or structural limitations. Revenue projections for health systems have shifted dramatically — even within the last six months — as federal spending plans tighten, particularly around Medicaid. Funding for clinical research, once considered a durable pillar of U.S. healthcare post-World War II, is also undergoing one of its most significant shakeups, underscoring a stark reality: Even the most established sources of support are no longer guaranteed. (Woldenberg, Gooch, Taylor, Bruce, Kuchno and Cass, 7/17)

The drugmakers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer plan to sell the widely used blood thinner Eliquis directly to patients at a discounted cash price—a move that follows the Trump administration’s pressure on the industry to cut drug prices. The companies, which have a joint venture that markets Eliquis, said the new service will allow uninsured or underinsured patients to buy the pill at more than 40% off the current list price starting Sept. 8. The service will provide direct shipping of the drug to patients in the U.S. (Loftus, 7/17)

Novartis AG announced disappointing sales for a key psoriasis drug and the looming retirement of its respected finance chief, which overshadowed a modest outlook raise. Harry Kirsch will be replaced by Mukul Mehta as chief financial officer next March, the Swiss drugmaker said Thursday. Kirsch, who will retire after more than a decade as finance chief, “is widely considered the best CFO in the industry,” said Naresh Chouhan at Intron Health. (Loh and Kresge, 7/17)

Around the winter holidays, Scout Stephen found herself unraveling. She desperately needed to speak to someone. She reached out to her therapist, but they were on vacation. Her friends were unavailable. She tried calling a suicide crisis hot line, but it felt robotic and left her feeling more alone and disconnected. (Gagosz, 7/17)

A Trump-aligned legal group is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate what it claims are “illegal DEI practices” at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. America First Legal, founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in 2021, filed a complaint Thursday demanding the DOJ investigate the university for “systemic, intentional, and ongoing discrimination” through its diversity, equity and inclusion admissions and hiring practices. (Schumer, 7/17)

When Atrium Health and the Wake Forest University School of Medicine announced plans in 2021 to build Charlotte’s first four-year medical school, they said they wanted it to have “one of the most diverse learner bodies in the country.” But now that the campus has opened its doors, it’s hard to determine whether they hit that goal. (Crouch, 7/18)

Ernest Talarico Jr.’s students, for a brief moment, had a serious-yet-somewhat amusing question to ponder: Should a middle-aged male triathlete wear boxers or briefs if he and his wife want to conceive a child? (Quinn, 7/17)