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Ascension said Monday patients have been exposed to another data breach — this time due to a former third-party vendor getting access to private information from the health system. The January breach involved patients' personal information as well as some healthcare-related information, according to a Monday news release. None of Ascension's electronic health records, systems or networks were impacted by the breach, a spokesperson said. (DeSilva, 4/28)

The personal information of more than 9,300 people may have been exposed in a recent data breach at health insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, according to the company. (Schencker, 4/28)

Novant Health lost its bid to grow its North Carolina acute care network as state regulators approved an Atrium Health hospital expansion. Novant and Atrium, Advocate Health’s North Carolina division, are competing for 89 beds that state regulators say Mecklenburg County will need by 2027. The health systems applied for those beds via the certificate of need process, which caps healthcare service expansions and requires the state to sign off on new healthcare projects. (Kacik, 4/28)

A nonprofit EMS provider is stepping up as Delaware County's largest health system gets ready to shut down in just four days. VMSC Emergency Medical Services, based in Lansdale, Montgomery County, has signed an agreement to respond to 911 calls in the City of Chester starting Saturday. The agency will station three ambulances at the Chester Bureau of Fire. "The first priority obviously is making sure there's no lapse in coverage," Shane Wheeler, CEO of VMSC Emergency Medical Services, said. (Wright and Sylves, 4/28)

Days after Elevance Health assured investors it remains optimistic about Medicare Advantage, the health insurance company announced it will stop marketing most products under the program. Effective May 1, the Blue Cross Blue Shield company will remove nearly all of its Medicare Advantage plans from online marketing platforms, according to a notice sent to marketers on Friday. The company will require agents and brokers to submit paper applications for enrollees located in 22 states. (Tepper, 4/28)

Elevance Health is facing a second lawsuit accusing it of maintaining inaccurate provider directories, also known as “ghost networks.” The plaintiffs are three people covered under New York state employee health benefits who allege that Elevance Health division Carelon Behavioral Health misrepresented providers as in-network, causing them financial harm. The attorneys are seeking class-action status. (Berryman, 4/28)

Sutter Health agreed to pay $228.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleges the health system forced insurers into anticompetitive contracts. Northern California residents and businesses sued Sutter in 2012, alleging the Sacramento, California-based nonprofit health system made insurers include all of Sutter’s facilities in their networks, regardless of cost. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California still needs to approve the draft settlement. The court set a hearing for May 22. (Kacik, 4/28)

Early adopters of ambient artificial intelligence have seen positive results from pilots to gauge how effectively the technology saves time and money. Providers are adopting generative AI tools that can automatically chart patient-clinician conversations into their electronic health record systems. A host of vendors — both upstarts and established players – have developed products to win over clinical users and gain market share. (Perna, 4/28)