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Primary care physicians affiliated with large health systems drive up spending on patient care through increased referrals to specialists, emergency department visits and hospitalizations, per a study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The findings in JAMA Health Forum are the latest to challenge claims by the hospital industry that consolidation leads to economies of scale that result in less spending. (Reed, 9/5)

Physician compensation is on the rise as provider organizations try to attract more doctors in a tight labor environment. ... To recruit more physicians, providers are turning to higher base salaries, in addition to sweetening the deal with signing bonuses or educational opportunities. Productivity remains the largest factor in calculating total compensation, but employers are also incorporating quality metrics. (Hudson, 9/5)

Pennsylvania on Tuesday became the latest state to join the nurse licensure compact, which is expected to aid Pennsylvania providers' efforts to recruit nurses. Its addition means there are 41 states and territories that allow registered, licensed practical and vocational nurses to practice in those areas without obtaining individual state licenses. Nurses who have a multistate compact license will be able to immediately start working in Pennsylvania. As a result, health systems and other provider organizations can more easily send nurses where they are needed, expedite the licensure and onboarding process and recruit nurses from more states. (Kacik, 9/5)

Saint Luke’s East Hospital is in the midst of a major renovation and expansion project that will increase the medical center’s square footage by almost 10%, while renovating around 8% of the current space at the Lee’s Summit campus. “The addition will add capacity to existing programs such as general surgery, oncology, orthopedics and OB-GYN, as well as allow us to bring new programs to the campus, such as vascular and thoracic services,” said CEO of Saint Luke’s South and East Region Bobby Olm-Shipman. (Phelan, 9/6)

Two major health-focused projects in Bentonville are making progress, with one set to open next fall. The Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine — separate entities founded by Alice Walton — are under construction near Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The institute is a nonprofit organization that's already up and running, just without its permanent brick-and-mortar home. (Golden, 9/5)

“Lots of scrambling on the ground.” That’s how Consuelo Wilkins, the senior associate dean for health equity and inclusive excellence at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, describes medical schools’ current efforts to maintain diversity in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action based on race. (Merelli, 9/6)

A Fort Myers oncologist and former president of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in what authorities say was a scheme to limit cancer-care competition in Southwest Florida. William Harwin pleaded guilty Aug. 23 to “conspiracy to allocate oncology treatments,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. (9/5)