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Today a new study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) linked to contaminated bone allografts (tissue transplant) from the same donor. On July 7, 2023, a patient who had spinal fusion surgery that incorporated a bone allograft product containing live cells experienced symptoms of meningitis 5 weeks after surgery. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient, and state health authorities contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Soucheray, 1/5)

CVS Health predicts its Aetna subsidiary will enroll one-third more Medicare Advantage beneficiaries than previously projected this year. Aetna signed up more people than anticipated for individual and Dual Eligible Special Needs plans during the open enrollment period that ended Dec. 7, CVS Health disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday. The company now expects 800,000 new enrollees in 2024. (Tepper, 1/5)

Memphis, Tennessee-based Methodist allegedly paid West Clinic, a physician group of oncologists and other specialists based in Memphis, for Medicare beneficiary referrals. The allegations stem from a federal whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2017 by Jeffrey Liebman, former president of Methodist University Hospital, and David Stern, former dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The federal government intervened in the whistleblower lawsuit in 2022. (Kacik, 1/5)

The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa will pay more than $19.5 million in a settlement related to improper billing of government health care programs, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. (1/5)

Marshfield Clinic Health System and Essentia Health called off their merger plan, the nonprofit health systems said Friday.Marshfield, of Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota-based Essentia signed an integration agreement in July to form a 25-hospital system with roughly $6 billion in annual revenue. The heath system CEOs said in a news release that the “combination at this time is not the right path forward for our respective organizations, colleagues and patients,” but did not elaborate. (Kacik, 1/5)

Medical professionals face barriers to building and sustaining families, research published late last month in JAMA Network Open suggests. The study points to a variety of factors that make it hard for those with medical careers to have children, especially those with infertility or who decide on surrogacy, foster care or adoption. Researchers drew on data from a 2021 survey of 2,025 medical students, residents, fellows and practicing physicians. Ninety-two percent of the respondents were women, and 85 percent identified as heterosexual. The survey asked respondents to answer three open-ended questions about how their careers affected their family planning. (Blakemore, 1/6)

A group of academic hospitals and technology companies will form a new nonprofit venture to oversee a nationwide network of laboratories to test artificial intelligence tools designed for use in health care. (Ross, 1/8)

Clinicians at some health systems are turning to artificial intelligence-driven tools to predict and avert negative patient outcomes, though stakeholders say caution remains warranted. The provider organizations are using technology to flag patients who may need extra preventive or follow-up attention. Many major electronic health record vendors, including Epic Systems, Allscripts and Oracle's Cerner, have also integrated AI tools into their platforms to help providers forecast risk based on medical history. (Devereaux, 1/5)

New artificial intelligence technologies made headlines last year for their ability to do everything from generating fake musical duets to understanding how proteins fold. But in biotech, one of the most well-funded AI players has been quiet. (Herper, 1/7)

The patient is having trouble remembering things – names, recent events. They and their family are worried. The doctor asks how long it’s been going on, whether they’ve been in any accidents and if they have a family history of dementia. He does a physical and neurological exam, and orders an MRI. Based on the results, he diagnoses the patient with Alzheimer’s. The patient, in this case, is generated by AI. (Cuno-Booth, 1/5)

Former President Donald Trump is doubling down on his vow to repeal Obamacare if he wins the White House again, even though an increasing number of Americans have embraced the landmark health reform law in recent years. (Luhby, 1/7)