Â鶹ŮÓÅ

The U.S. Supreme Court made its first move toward weighing in on whether Dignity Health and faith-based companies have to comply with federal regulations for costly worker pension plans. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy granted Dignity Health a temporary reprieve from complying with the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act until the eight justices decide whether or not to take up their appeal. In July, the Ninth Circuit determined that Dignity Health didn't qualify for a religious exemption from ERISA and its employee pension system couldn't be considered a church plan. (Teichert, 9/22)

The proposed merger of Medford’s Hallmark Health System and the parent company of Tufts Medical Center took a step closer to completion on Thursday after a state watchdog blessed the deal, saying it would not put upward pressure on health care costs. In fact, the state Health Policy Commission said the merger is likely to decrease hospital market concentration and may reduce costs by directing more patients away from higher-priced Boston hospitals. (Dayal McCluskey, 9/22)

The trend of hospitals nationwide employing physicians and buying medical practices does not benefit patients any more than other employment models, according to a recent study. About 42% of hospitals in 2012 directly employed clinicians, up from 29% in 2003. The moves are primarily aimed at increasing productivity and leveraging the local market, but it's often touted as a way to coordinate care and improve quality. (Castellucci, 9/21)

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Friday announced that the founding family of Comcast Corp. has given $25 million toward a new $50 million initiative designed to put CHOP at the forefront of pediatric genetics research and development. The Roberts Collaborative for Genetics and Individualized Medicine will unite and accelerate the cutting-edge research already going on at CHOP in fields including inherited disorders, mitochondrial disease, cancer, and autism. (McCullough, 9/22)

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, on Thursday proposed creating an "MD Anderson of the brain" on the site of the troubled Austin State Hospital, a psychiatric facility that has been plagued with staff shortages, crumbling facilities and a failure to meet federal health standards. ... A 2015 study from the Texas Department of State Health Services, which oversees state hospitals, identified the Austin campus as one of five facilities that were beyond repair and should be replaced. Last year, Medicare and Medicaid inspectors cited the Austin State Hospital twice in one month for nursing shortages and restraint violations, according to the Austin American-Stateman. (Cobler, 9/22)