Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital First in the Region to Offer New FDA-Approved Atrial Fibrillation Treatment
(Bon Secours – September 8, 2025)

Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital is proud to announce the treatment of the first patient in the Richmond region with the FDA-approved Medtronic Affera™ Mapping and Ablation System with Sphere-9™ Catheter, providing an innovative treatment option for patients living with persistent atrial fibrillation (AFib). AFib is the most common atrial arrhythmia, affecting nearly 60 million people worldwide, and is associated with serious complications including heart failure, stroke, and increased risk of death. The Affera™ System is a first-of-its-kind, all-in-one high-density mapping and dual-energy ablation catheter that combines pulsed field (PF) and radiofrequency (RF) energies. It is designed for the treatment of persistent AFib and for RF ablation of cavotricuspid isthmus-dependent atrial flutter. By integrating mapping, ablation, and validation into a single catheter, the system allows physicians to tailor treatment to each patient’s unique needs, while prioritizing safety and improving procedural efficiency.

Navigating life with sickle cell anemia
(HCA Virginia – September 8, 2025)

Sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 Americans, with the condition being most prevalent among Black people and some Hispanics. Sickle cell disease, also referred to as sickle cell anemia, refers to a group of inherited blood disorders characterized by sickle-shaped red blood cells that can block blood flow to vital organs and tissues, causing serious complications. Those living with sickle cell anemia will benefit from education on how to manage their condition effectively, not just from a medical standpoint, but a psychological one, which is the case with many lifelong medical conditions.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: Survivors share their story and message to other men
(WFXR – September 10, 2025)

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and officials say one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. One of those men is Rick Forney. Forney was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 after a blood test showed his prostate-specific antigen levels, or PSA levels, were elevated. “He looked up and he said, ‘I want you to know you have prostate cancer.’ And right then, everything else just went quiet,” said Forney. “I had no symptoms. It was just a matter of the PSA being checked on a regular basis, and it kept climbing,” he said.

Report: Va. outpaces national Medicaid drug spending, but solutions are set to be tested next year
(Virginia Mercury – September 12, 2025)

Virginia has outpaced the national average in Medicaid spending, an analysis of data by groups of pharmacists found. The state agency that oversees Medicaid benefits has countered that the group’s report is based on “inaccurate” data that it is working to correct. Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency and Strategic DirectionsRX conducted an analysis of state Medicaid prescription drug spending between 2017 and 2023. It found that Virginia has spent between $1,000 more to $1 million more than the national average in recent years.

South Africa HIV epidemic led UVA scientist to dedicate his work to finding a cure
(WVIR – September 10, 2025)

“Growing up shapes who you are” comes true for one UVA Research Scientist. Godfrey Dzhivhuho was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up, Godfrey experienced an HIV epidemic that changed the trajectory of his future. Dzhivhuho knew he wanted to become a doctor and help people, but he wasn’t sure what kind. He decided to dedicate his future to HIV research in hopes for finding a cure. “Cause HIV and Aids is one of the diseases now, if left unchecked, it can be a serious epidemic,” Dzhivhuho said. “I think, I’ve seen that in South Africa and I think it goes under control once you have more investments into treatment and research towards getting better treatment.”

Study identifies risks for repeated self-poisoning
(Children’s National Hospital – September 10, 2025)

Intentional self-poisoning among children and adolescents carries serious risks, with nearly half of patients requiring medical intervention. Alarmingly, recurrence is seen in one out of every eight patients. Findings in a new study in Pediatrics led by Children’s National Hospital highlight the key risk factors for repeat self-poisoning and underscore the urgent need for targeted prevention strategies.

Surgeon’s tiny invention is revolutionizing nerve repair surgery
(VCU Health – September 11, 2025)

What do fishing hooks, jewelry and scotch tape have in common? They all played a part in the development of Nerve Tape. The tiny biologic wrap repairs severed peripheral nerves, a condition that can happen, for example, as a result of a mastectomy or even a bad fall. Fifteen years ago, Jonathan Isaacs, M.D., chair of VCU Health’s Division of Hand Surgery and a professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, set his sights on solving a maddening problem: Even the most skilled surgeons repairing major peripheral nerves could only promise patients a 50-50 chance at full recovery.

Twin County Women’s Health Expo 2025
(Twin County Regional Healthcare – September 11, 2025)

You’re invited to a free Women’s Health Expo hosted by Twin County Regional Healthcare. Date: Thurs., Oct. 2, 2025. Time: 5 – 7:30 p.m. Location: Crossroads Institute 1117 East Stuart Drive, Galax, VA. Join us for an uplifting evening of connection, wellness, and inspiration designed just for women in our community.

Connecticut: Insurance department approves double-digit rate hikes for 2026 health plans
(The CT Mirror – September 10, 2025)

Officials with the Connecticut Insurance Department announced Wednesday they have signed off on an average rate hike of 16.8% for 2026 state-regulated individual health plans. They also approved an average increase of 11% on small group policies. The rate hikes come amid a flood of federal health policy changes, new cuts to Medicaid, tighter restrictions on care at community health centers and expiring federal subsidies. The plans collectively cover about 224,000 residents (158,000 in individual policies and 66,000 in small group).

NJ and Pa. expand COVID-19 vaccine access amid federal confusion
(6ABC – September 11, 2025)

As fall approaches and respiratory illness season looms, health officials in the Delaware Valley are taking steps to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and address public confusion over changing federal guidelines. An executive directive issued this week by the New Jersey Department of Health allows anyone six months or older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A standing order also authorizes pharmacists to administer the shot without a prescription to individuals ages three and older. “We want New Jerseyans to be clear. If they want a COVID-19 vaccine, they can get one,” said Acting Commissioner Jeff Brown of the New Jersey Department of Health.

Rural Washington hospitals brace for fallout from Medicaid cuts
(Cascade PBS – September 11, 2025)

If the hospital in the historic southeast Washington town of Dayton has to close, Acadia Murphey thinks the town will “probably die along with it.” Murphey’s health hasn’t been the same since surviving thyroid cancer in 2007, and she visits Dayton General Hospital for physical therapy twice a week from her home 20 miles away. Diseases like fibromyalgia, endometriosis and Crohn’s disease flare up with regularity – causing extreme fatigue, gastrointestinal difficulties and pain. Her symptoms often lead her to the emergency room in Dayton or in Walla Walla, more than an hour’s drive away.

States taking action on vaccine access: A breakdown
(Becker’s Hospital Review – September 11, 2025)

A growing number of states are taking action to ensure broad access to COVID-19 vaccines as respiratory virus season approaches. The state-level moves come after the FDA limited approval of updated shots to individuals 65 and older, and those with at least one condition that puts them at high risk for severe disease. The narrow approvals drew criticism from healthcare groups, which have said the decision will cause confusion and create new access hurdles, which could limit uptake and further strain the nation’s healthcare system in the coming months. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which provides vaccine recommendations to the CDC, is scheduled to meet Sept. 18-19 to discuss — and potentially vote on — several shots. Vaccines for COVID-19, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and respiratory syncytial virus are on the docket.

Who can get a COVID vaccine in CT? Here’s what to know
(The CT Mirror – September 10, 2025)

Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday issued a slew of executive actions seeking to protect COVID-19 vaccine access in Connecticut amid recent federal changes that are causing confusion over who’s eligible for shots, where people can get them and how much they’re going to cost. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration limited its approval of updated boosters to people 65 and older, as well as those with underlying health conditions that put them at risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. As a result, access to the booster for anyone who falls outside those categories has been in flux.

Among high-income countries, US shows slowest progress in reducing risk of chronic disease deaths, new study finds
(CNN Health – September 10, 2025)

Among all high-income Western countries, the United States has shown the worst performance in reducing the probability of dying from chronic diseases, a new study finds. From 2010 to 2019, deaths due to chronic diseases declined in most age groups in the US but increased among adults 20 to 45, “a rare phenomenon in high-income western countries,” according to the study, published Wednesday in the journal The Lancet. The study, led by researchers at Imperial College London, analyzed data on 185 countries and territories and found that, from 2010 to 2019, the probability of dying by age 80 from a noncommunicable disease — such as cancer, heart disease and stroke — declined in most of those countries, but the decline had slowed compared with the previous decade.

Census Bureau: 8% of Americans were uninsured in 2024
(Fierce Healthcare – September 11, 2025)

Eight percent of Americans were uninsured in 2024, on par with the rate found for 2023, according to new federal data. The U.S. Census Bureau released this week its annual look (PDF) at insurance coverage across the country, finding that 92% or 310 million people were enrolled in coverage last year. The bulk, or 66.1%, were enrolled in a private health plan, while 35.5% had public coverage. Employer-sponsored plans accounted for 53.8% of coverage, while Medicare was the next-highest at 19.1%. Medicaid plans covered 17.8% of people, while direct-purchase insurance included 10.7%.

Healthcare compensation is up this year. Here’s what to know
(Modern Healthcare – September 10, 2025) SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED

Hospitals and health systems are rethinking compensation and staffing as they navigate financial challenges, and it’s not nurses but other employees who are seeing sizable pay bumps.

In 2024, COVID dropped from the list of top 10 causes of death in U.S.
(NPR – September 10, 2025)

COVID-19 is no longer one of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S. Early data on deaths in 2024, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that COVID dropped from the list for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It became the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, and remained among the leading causes until now. “COVID is still in the top 15 leading causes of death, so it hasn’t disappeared,” says Farida Ahmad, a health scientist at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and lead author on the publication. Since its peak in 2021, when more than 463,000 people died from COVID, it has been moving steadily down the list. Last year, it was a factor in around 47,000 U.S. deaths.

Mapping the secret escape routes of deadly brain tumors
(Science Daily – September 10, 2025)

Glioblastoma is a devastatingly effective brain cancer. Doctors can cut it out or blast it with radiation, but that only buys time. The cancer has an insidious ability to hide enough tumor cells in tissue around the tumor to allow it to return as deadly as ever. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma survive for an average of 15 months. What’s needed is a better way of identifying those hidden cancer cells and predicting where the tumor might grow next. Jennifer Munson believes she and her research team at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have developed a tool to do just that.

Robotic device could make intubation faster and easier for first responders, small study suggests
(STAT News – September 10, 2025)

It’s a long-standing challenge for first responders: Opening the airways of critically injured patients struggling to breathe often takes multiple attempts, costing crucial seconds. The problem caught David Haggerty’s attention when he was a graduate student, and he set out to see if he could make the rescue procedure, called intubation, easier. In a paper published Wednesday, Haggerty and a research team led by the University of California, Santa Barbara, described a robotic device they say has the potential to be faster and more reliable.

Surprising gut discovery reveals a hidden trigger of diabetes and liver disease
(Science Daily – September 10, 2025)

Scientists in Canada have uncovered a surprising culprit behind high blood sugar and liver problems: a hidden fuel made by gut bacteria. This little-known molecule, called D-lactate, slips into the bloodstream and pushes the liver to make too much sugar and fat. By creating a simple “trap” that blocks the molecule in the gut, researchers saw big improvements in blood sugar, insulin resistance, and liver health in obese mice—without changing diet or weight. The discovery opens up a fresh way to fight diabetes and fatty liver disease by targeting the gut’s secret fuel before it can do harm.

About Half of Adults with ACA Marketplace Coverage are Small Business Owners, Employees, or Self-Employed
(KFF – September 10, 2025)

The enhanced premium tax credits, created under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and later extended through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), have reduced premiums for millions of Marketplace enrollees. They have also contributed substantially to Marketplace enrollment more than doubling to 24.3 million people in 2025. Currently, over nine in 10 enrollees (92%) receive some amount of premium tax credit. If these enhanced tax credits expire at the end of 2025, out-of-pocket premiums would rise by over 75% on average for the vast majority of individuals and families buying coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces. Additionally, insurers are proposing an increase in gross premiums (before premium tax credits are applied) of 18%, partly due to the impact on the risk pool of the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits. This double-digit increase would affect government costs for tax credits, as well as Marketplace enrollees not receiving premium assistance.

CMS rolls out last-minute changes to Medicare Plan Finder
(Modern Healthcare – September 10, 2025) SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED

A little over a month before the annual enrollment period, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is urging Medicare Advantage insurers to make significant changes to how they present their offerings to beneficiaries.

FTC warns healthcare employers, staffing firms to review noncompetes
(Fierce Healthcare – September 10, 2025)

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent letters to “several large healthcare employers and staffing firms” Wednesday suggesting they review their employment contracts for any noncompete agreements that are overly broad or anticompetitive. The letters were sent to an undisclosed number of unnamed companies, and were intended as a broad warning rather than a suggestion that the recipients had engaged in illegal conduct. Rather, the commissioner pointed to “available information” that such improper agreements are prevalent in the healthcare industry, where they “may have particularly harmful effects in healthcare markets where they can restrict patients’ choices of who provides their medical care.” As such, the regulator said in an accompanying statement that healthcare employers who didn’t receive the letter should review their current agreements for compliance.

Vinay Prasad regains role as FDA chief medical officer
(Reuters – September 11, 2025)

Vinay Prasad has regained his role as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s chief medical and scientific officer, according to an update on the health agency’s website. Last month, Prasad returned to his role overseeing vaccine, gene therapy and blood product regulation at the FDA, a little more than a week after he left. Prasad, an oncologist who was a fierce critic of U.S. COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates, was named the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in May.