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In UnitedHealth Group’s first public appearance since the killing of a top executive, leaders acknowledged the public’s discontent with the health care system, but quickly piled blame on drug companies and hospitals. (Herman and Bannow, 1/16)

Nurses at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah joined thousands of fellow caregivers nationwide Thursday morning to express concerns over low staffing levels, the need for up-to-date equipment, quality health insurance and artificial intelligence safeguards. The march was organized by the National Nurses United to highlight broad support among nurses for solutions that prioritize patient care. (Cooper, 1/16)

Thousands of registered nurse members of National Nurses United, including many in Northern California, participated in marches and rallies on Thursday, demanding safe staffing levels and patient safeguards with the introduction of artificial intelligence, the NNU says. More than 100,000 NNU members are entering contract negotiations, saying they "plan to confront industry decisions that undermine patients' health and well-being and fail to address chronic RN recruitment and retention issues –  in favor of increasing profits." (Downs, 1/16)

Telehealth companies are unsure they'll feel the impact of the Drug Enforcement Administration's proposed rule on remote prescribing of controlled substances. ... The timing of the proposal, issued in the final days of Biden administration, has led to uncertainty among telehealth companies that aren't sure if the Trump administration will finalize it. (Turner, 1/16)

Three federal agencies on Wednesday said "more effective and vigorous" enforcement is needed to protect patients harmed by healthcare's continued consolidation. In a report released just days before a new administration takes over, the Health and Human Services Department, Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department said comments they sought earlier this year on the state of the industry made clear that worries about access to services and costs have intensified as consolidation and private equity's role have grown. (DeSilva, 1/16)

OrthoCarolina, one of the nation’s largest independently owned orthopedic practices, is close to a deal to sell its physical therapy business to PT Solutions Physical Therapy, an Atlanta-based company backed by private equity, the Charlotte Ledger/NC Health News has learned. (Crouch, 1/17)

Surgeons with higher physiological stress in the first 5 minutes of surgery had fewer major surgical complications, a post-hoc analysis of a prospective study found. Increased sympathovagal balance -- which was used as a measure of surgeon stress -- at the beginning of surgery was significantly associated with reduced major surgical complications (adjusted OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.98, P=0.04), reported Jake Awtry, MD, of the department of general surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues in JAMA Surgery. (Robertson, 1/16)