Ballad Health Foundation to host Wine Women & Shoes event to support breast cancer screening programs
(Ballad Health – April 3, 2026)

A day of wine tasting, designer shopping, a glamorous fashion show and more awaits attendees of Ballad Health Foundation’s Wine Women & Shoes event, presented by Paragon Anesthesia, on Saturday, April 18. Held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lodge and Pavilion at The Olde Farm in Bristol, Virginia, the annual fundraising event benefits Ballad Health’s breast cancer screening programs and women’s health services by expanding its ability to provide 3D mammograms, breast MRI scans, BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic analyses and genetic panels to people who need them.

ECMO Support After Lung Transplant – Antonia’s Story
(UVA Health – April 2, 2026)

For Antonia Hernandez Ortiz, her journey with ECMO began in 2022 with a diagnosis of pulmonary artery hypertension. A kind of high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, pulmonary hypertension lowers how much oxygen gets into your blood and makes it harder for your heart to pump blood properly. Over time, it can lead to heart failure. For two years, her treatment was intense. “I was on 24/7 treatment, with it through an IV port in my chest,” recalls Antonia. But, by the summer of 2024, “It got to a point where my body couldn’t keep up with the treatments and the disease progressing,” she says. “And then my doctors had that hard conversation with me of, ‘We’re running out of parachutes, we need to reconsider transplant.'” Antonia was put on the lung transplant list and had her lung transplant at UVA Health.

Fauquier Health Names DAISY Award Honoree
(Fauquier Health – April 2, 2026)

Olivia (Livi) Perez, RN, BSN was named Fauquier Health’s DAISY Award Honoree for the fourth quarter of 2025. The DAISY Award celebrates and recognizes nurses by collecting nominations from patients and their families.  Livi, who began her career at Fauquier Health as a tech before going to nursing school, has been a nurse at Fauquier Health for seven years. She works in the Emergency Department (ED). A DAISY nomination was submitted for Livi sharing how she went above and beyond to ensure a patient “received the treatment and care that he desperately needed. Recently, a patient came in with some very concerning symptoms and was told that they needed to be admitted. The patient lived alone with his elderly dog and stated that he couldn’t stay because he didn’t have anyone to take care of his dog. Livi called the dog’s veterinarian and obtained a copy of its vaccination records and then called local boarding facilities. None were able to accept the dog due to its age,” the nomination stated.

Inside Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s dining operation, serving 4,500 meals a day
(13 News Now – April 2, 2026)

The kitchen never really stops running at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Before the sun rises, bakers are already at work. By mid-morning, breakfast is wrapping up and lunch prep is underway. By the end of the day, the hospital’s dining services team will have prepared roughly 4,500 meals for patients, staff and visitors– enough to feed a small town. That means they serve about 135,000 meals every month. It’s a massive operation. But inside a hospital, the challenge isn’t only volume– every meal must be safe, accurate, and tied to a patient’s care.

Many Virginians drop ACA coverage and more likely will, SCC hears
(Richmond Times-Dispatch – April 3, 2026)

Tens of thousands of Virginians have dropped Obamacare coverage after costs soared, and tens of thousands more could do so in the next few days now that a grace period for paying premiums is ending.

Social media tips for parents
(Children’s National Hospital – April 2, 2026)

Your teenager just asked you if she can start an Instagram account. What should you do? We’ve put together some social media tips for parents to help you and your kids navigate the online world. It’s okay for your teen to be online. We’ve all heard the horror stories of kids being bullied on social media or friending sexual predators pretending to be kids. But it really is okay for your teen to be online. In fact, online relationships are part of typical adolescent development. Social media can support teens as they explore and discover more about themselves and their place in the grown-up world by giving them access to communities they might not find locally.

VHHA Patients Come First Podcast – Daryl Washington
(Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association – April 5, 2026)

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Commissioner Daryl Washington, the recently appointed leader of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). He joins us for a conversation about his career in community-based behavioral health, public demand for mental health and substance use treatment services, his vision for DBHDS, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to pcfpodcast@vhha.com or contact on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

Virginia sees 33,000 ACA enrollment drop since subsidies expired, more likely on the way
(Virginia Mercury – April 3, 2026)

What might be pocket change to some can be a breaking point for others — forcing tough choices between health insurance and everyday essentials. As Virginians, and Americans nationwide, face premium spikes in the Affordable Care Act marketplace after Congress failed to renew subsidies, many are weighing the cost of coverage against paying rent or mortgages, making car payments or paying for public transit, and buying groceries. A new federal report indicates 1.2 million fewer Americans signed up for ACA insurance during the most recent open enrollment period nationwide. In Virginia, about 33,000 people have dropped off, State Health Exchange Director Keven Patchett said at a forum with the State Corporation Commission.

After four patients died, Idaho governor approves restoring cut Medicaid mental health programs
(News from the States – April 3, 2026)

Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday signed into law a bill to restore Medicaid mental health treatment programs that the state cut to comply with the governor’s order for budget cuts. In less than three months since an Idaho Medicaid contractor cut a mobile treatment program for people with severe mental illness, four patients died, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. In the 18 months before the cut, providers say just one patient died. The program was designed for people who have struggled in routine treatment settings.

Concerns over a Nebraska hospital show how a $50B rural health fund is coming up short
(ABC News – April 3, 2026)

Rick and Jane Saint John chose to live in the small town of Creighton, Nebraska, for one main reason: its hospital. The couple has a child with nonverbal autism and epilepsy who requires up to three hospital visits a week. And Creighton’s critical access hospital has been a lifeline for Jane: not only is she employed there, but three years ago, doctors saved her life when she contracted bacterial pneumonia. If she had waited another day for care, doctors said, her organs would have begun to shut down. “And if we had had to drive the hour to the Yankton (South Dakota) hospital,” Rick Saint John said, his voice breaking with emotion, “it could have cost her her life.”

Connecticut ED boarding rate falls despite higher volumes
(Becker’s Hospital Review – April 3, 2026)

Connecticut’s emergency department boarding rates declined to 38.1% in 2025 from 38.7% in 2024, even as patient volumes increased, according to a public dashboard from the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians. The dashboard, launched with 2024 data and later updated to add 2025 data, includes hospital boarding statistics such as total patients treated and admitted, average wait times and boarding percentages. Hospital boarding — keeping patients physically in the emergency department after a decision to admit — remains a persistent operational challenge nationwide.

State public health labs step up as CDC pauses testing for various pathogens, including rabies, mpox
(CIDRAP – April 3, 2026)

Work with raccoons and need a rabies test? Don’t send samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for at least the next couple of weeks. The agency has temporarily paused testing for a host of infectious diseases, including poxviruses, various parasites, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a rodent-borne virus that can cause meningitis. Testing is a vital aspect of disease surveillance. It allows public health officials to identify outbreaks early or track how a disease is spreading through a region. State and local public health labs, particularly those in smaller jurisdictions, rely on the CDC for testing, because they lack the staff and resources to handle every possible test that might be required.

Medicare Advantage plans win extra $18.6 billion as feds cut star ratings measures
(STAT News – April 2, 2026)

The Trump administration is slashing the number of quality and care measures that Medicare Advantage plans will be graded on, a move that will funnel an extra $18.6 billion toward health insurers over the next decade. The final regulation, released Thursday by President Trump’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is significantly more beneficial for the insurance industry than originally expected. CMS previously estimated these changes to star ratings would cost $13.2 billion between 2028 and 2036 when the rule was proposed in November.

Tax Time Brings Surprises for Some Who Receive ACA Subsidies
(KFF Health News – April 3, 2026)

Tax time can come with big surprises for some people who have Affordable Care Act coverage, including owing money back to the government for premium subsidies received during the previous year. More changes lie ahead that make it important for those getting subsidies in 2026 to track their income and take steps to protect against that kind of financial hit. First, the basics of how the subsidies work. Enrollees pay a percentage of their household income toward their health insurance premiums based on a sliding scale, ranging in 2025 from nothing for very low-income people to 8.5% at higher income levels. Subsidies, usually paid directly to insurers, cover the rest.

A deadly bacterial disease is returning, doctors warn, as vaccination rates fall
(NBC News – April 2, 2026)

A scar that runs along the base of Dr. Lara Johnson’s neck serves as a permanent reminder of the devastating effects of a vaccine-preventable disease. When Johnson was 4 years old, she caught a dangerous, potentially deadly bacterial infection: Haemophilus influenzae type b, commonly called Hib. The bacteria attacked her epiglottis, the piece of cartilage that covers the windpipe when eating so food doesn’t get into the lungs. Her airway was closing up and she couldn’t swallow. “I had a fever and felt like I was choking,” recalls Johnson. “I thought I needed to throw up.” She was taken to Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, where she now serves as chief medical officer, for an emergency tracheostomy. Doctors had to cut through her neck and into her windpipe so she could breathe. Antibiotics treated her infection, the plastic airway was removed and she recovered.

Healthcare adds 76,000 jobs in March: 5 things to know
(Becker’s Hospital Review – April 3, 2026)

Healthcare employment rose by 76,400 in March, well above the 12-month average of 29,000 monthly job gains, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau released the March jobs report April 3. Here are four more takeaways: 1. Healthcare employment increased in March after a February decline of 32,400 jobs. 2. Ambulatory healthcare services employment rose by 54,300 in March, including a 35,000 increase in physician offices as workers returned from a strike, the bureau said. Becker’s has reported on nearly a dozen healthcare strikes since the beginning of 2026 and nearly 40 in 2025 across hospitals, clinics and other care settings.

Kids may be more likely to get the new ‘Cicada’ variant of Covid-19, scientists say. Here’s what to know about BA.3.2
(CNN Health – April 2, 2026)

A heavily mutated variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 appears to be affecting primarily children, scientists say, though it’s not causing more severe disease – in kids or in adults. Rather, experts say the fact that the virus is breaking with its pattern of being a menace, primarily, of older adults is a telling detail. It’s something to study and understand so that scientists can better predict the behavior of this ever-evolving virus. Although Covid-19 is circulating at a very low level right now, the US is just starting to contend with this sleeper branch of the Omicron family tree, a variant called BA.3.2, which has been nicknamed “Cicada,” after the insect’s ability to disappear and then reemerge after years underground.

To fix a patient’s irregular heartbeat, doctors first tested its digital ‘twin’
(CNN Health – April 3, 2026)

Scientists created virtual replicas of patients’ diseased hearts so precise that blocking a dangerous irregular heartbeat in these digital “twins” showed doctors how to better treat the real thing. One of the first clinical trials of these custom models suggests it might improve care for ventricular tachycardia, a notoriously difficult-to-treat arrhythmia that is a major cause of sudden cardiac arrest, blamed for about 300,000 U.S. deaths a year. The study, by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, was a small first step. The Food and Drug Administration allowed the digital twin technology to guide treatment for just 10 patients, and much larger studies will be needed.

Workplace Violence Is a Leadership Problem: How One Health System Built a Systemwide Response
(HealthLeaders Media – April 3, 2026)

Workplace violence in healthcare is no longer an isolated safety issue, it’s an enterprise risk that requires coordinated leadership, clinical oversight, and systemwide accountability. For many health systems, the challenge is not recognizing the problem but operationalizing a consistent response across facilities, shifts, and care settings. At Adventist HealthCare, workplace violence prevention has evolved from a frontline concern into a leadership priority led by the C-suite. The organization has developed a systemwide approach that integrates staff training, real-time response protocols, and post-incident support, offering a model for how CMOs can move beyond reactive measures and build a sustainable safety strategy.

CDC temporarily halts testing for several infectious diseases amid staffing shortages
(The Guardian – April 2, 2026)

The US federal agency responsible for monitoring diseases has temporarily halted certain diagnostic testing, including those for rabies, human herpesvirus and several other infectious illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a list on Monday showing that more than two dozen types of testing are now unavailable. The CDC normally conducts testing for a wide range of pathogens to support state and local public health labs that lack the necessary capabilities. In late 2024, the agency began reviewing its testing programs as part of a broader internal evaluation.

CMS finalizes Medicare Advantage star ratings overhaul, sending billions of dollars more to insurers
(Healthcare Dive – April 3, 2026)

The Trump administration has finalized a rule overhauling the Medicare Advantage star ratings system that’s expected to significantly boost insurers’ ratings — and the reimbursement that’s attached. On Thursday, the CMS finalized a rule cutting measures that factor into the MA quality ratings and rolling back health equity initiatives that will funnel billions of dollars more to MA insurers. Specifically, regulators eliminated 11 star ratings metrics measuring administrative processes on which plans perform similarly. The agency is also not implementing a new health equity award put in place by the Biden administration that was set to kick in next year, called the “health equity index.”

CMS locks in MA star ratings overhaul, bumps proposed special enrollment window for provider terminations
(Fierce Healthcare – April 2, 2026)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a Medicare Advantage (MA) rule with substantial adjustments to the metrics used for calculating Medicare Advantage star ratings, but did not lock in a proposal to establish a special enrollment period when providers leave the plan’s network. In line with its proposal back in November, the Contract Year 2027 MA and Part D final rule cuts the Excellent Health Outcomes for All reward. Previously called the Health Equity Index reward, the metric was designed to incentivize better outcomes for a portion of enrollees. CMS affirmed Thursday it will instead use the historical reward factor “that encourages consistently high performance for all enrollees across all quality measures.”

CMS proposes Medicare pay hikes for nursing homes, hospices
(Modern Healthcare – April 2, 2026) SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED

Nursing homes, hospice providers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and inpatient psychiatric facilities would receive payment boosts under a slate of proposed rules the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday.

HHS announces $144 million program to study effect of microplastics on the human body
(CBS News – April 2, 2026)

The Department of Health and Human Services will is introducing a first-of-its-kind program to study microplastics and the effect they have on the human body, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday. Kennedy said the $144 million national program will be called STOMP, which stands for “Systemic Targeting of MicroPlastics.” The program will bring toxicologists, data scientists and other experts together to create standardized tools capable of detecting and quantifying microplastics in the human body, research the effect they have on humans, and develop targeted strategies to remove them from the body, Kennedy said.

HHS reverses ASTP reorg, reinstates ONC as singular office
(Healthcare IT News – April 3, 2026)

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is no longer dually titled with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy as ASTP/ONC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced March 31. In a reversal of a Biden administration reorganization of the IT agencies, HHS published a notice on Tuesday in the Federal Register realigning certain duties under its Office of the Chief Information Officer. While ONC will continue to operate as a staff division within the HHS Office of the Secretary and the National Coordinator will continue to report directly to the health secretary, HHS said it has shifted the roles, responsibilities and offices of its chief technology officer (CTO), chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO) and chief data officer (CDO) out of it.

Trump announces tariffs as high as 100% on pharmaceuticals
(Healthcare Finance News – April 3, 2026)

President Donald Trump has announced a new pharmaceutical tariff that would impose as much as 100% on imported brand-name drugs. The executive order, announced Thursday, is to spur the production of pharmaceuticals in the United States. Exemptions are for generic drugs and companies that have already pledged to build manufacturing facilities in the United States. Pharma companies that lower prices would be subject to a 20% tax. “I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to impose a 100 percent ad valorem duty rate on the import of patented pharmaceuticals and associated pharmaceutical ingredients …” Trump said in Thursday’s proclamation. “I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate that the ad valorem duty rate be 20 percent on imports of patented pharmaceuticals and associated pharmaceutical ingredients produced by companies that have plans, approved by the Secretary, to onshore production of such pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients.”

White House proposes 12% cut to federal health agencies in 2027 budget request
(STAT News – April 3, 2026)

The White House wants Congress to cut spending on the Department of Health and Human Services by more than 12%, according to its proposed 2027 federal budget, released Friday. The budget is broadly similar to what the Trump administration proposed last year. That includes deep cuts to the National Institutes of Health, the elimination of a health research agency, and the creation of a new agency devoted to chronic diseases called the Administration for a Healthy America. The president’s budget is as an agenda-setting document, offering a sense of what the administration hopes to focus on in the coming year. Congress, however, is ultimately responsible for passing laws that set federal spending.