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HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY San Francisco Chronicle: 18 Legionella Infections At Bay Area Kaiser Hospital Kaiser Permanente confirmed late Wednesday that 18 people were infected with Legionella at its Santa Clara medical center, where officials are still trying to determine the source of the contamination. The health system said it found the infections during routine monitoring. The hospital and its nearby medical office building remain open and are operating normally. (Vaziri, 5/7) https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/legionella-kaiser-santa-clara-22245643.php?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9N1KVIscr7UZk1maGTPieuidfbDsydV3PfkV961XIb6NRPz4KjdaTI2XrtJJXoJ4Gtkudf5peM55B0yDjlfBxEdJioBA&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email Modern Healthcare: Nonprofit Hospitals Spent $7.8B On Consultants, JAMA Study Finds Nonprofit hospitals are spending millions of dollars on management consulting services, but the outcomes may not be worth the price tag. More than 20% of nonprofit hospitals hired management consultants from 2009 to 2023, spending an average of $15.7 million for consulting services, according to a study published this week on the JAMA Network. Nonprofit hospitals altogether spent more than $7.8 billion on those services during that time frame, the study found. (Hudson, 5/7) https://www.modernhealthcare.com/providers/mh-nonprofit-hospitals-consultants-jama-study/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz---u1Q-hTDHnxqYar8ySX52sd61VWVDUKV35e_rpoZa9a-xyYDZL6rRd5FwQqFRK7yMrme_D8o7sfAa9cGZSv5o4bTUIQ&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email Cardinal News: State Moves Toward Closing Hiram Davis Medical Center, But Lawmakers Express Concern About Plan The Hiram W. Davis Medical Center has been slated for closure since August 2024, but some Virginia lawmakers remain hesitant to support the plan as families raise concerns about where residents with complex medical needs will go. The state-operated medical center in Petersburg provides long-term care for patients with intellectual or developmental disabilities. (Schabacker, 5/8) https://cardinalnews.org/2026/05/08/state-moves-toward-closing-hiram-davis-medical-center-but-lawmakers-express-concern-about-plan/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--kq6uZ__r5_r5wWmc_0WhvSFzTyfCPeSIXRn52xf_xoj_hiyZu-5G-PW53iUZhGH7Emk4IH5YAMo2NiJvMxJj1RA2TpQ&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email Modern Healthcare: Knox Lane To Acquire Cross Country Healthcare Cross Country Healthcare has entered a definitive agreement to be acquired by private equity firm Knox Lane for $437 million. The transaction would take the staffing technology company private, according to a Wednesday news release. Under the agreement, Knox Lane would acquire all outstanding shares of Cross Country Healthcare common stock at $13.25 per share, for an all-cash transaction totaling $437 million. The deal is slated to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approval. (DeSilva, 5/7) https://www.modernhealthcare.com/mergers-acquisitions/mh-cross-country-healthcare-knox-lane-acquisition/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-86ExY5LqXN3wuRa05OJMtqAG0KAzQ_jJvJsrAU1Qdgi02aurWrNS2QgvLo7tzk8h7MSe4pDiDheVaX3YuqtzgCqNgsQQ&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email MedPage Today: CMS Mulls Auto-Enrolling Seniors Into Medicare Advantage When your patients turn 65, will they automatically be enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or accountable care organization (ACO)? That idea is now on the Trump administration's radar. CMS is currently mulling a plan that would automatically enroll beneficiaries into either Medicare Advantage plans -- in which private insurers contract with CMS to serve Medicare beneficiaries -- or ACOs, such as those that participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, according to a report in STAT. (Frieden, 5/7) https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/medicare/121161?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9U83zH1pQw46Xb6toLBtEXrPSpNrnroFp_vtTJjgKdQ-s-o2KGm3o_vzst-V5mU6TRCoysKVs_zMhxcjq1LPh8432Bxw&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email Modern Healthcare: States Curb Insurer AI, Prior Authorizations As Congress Stalls States are increasingly targeting insurance companies over hot-button issues such as prior authorization and artificial intelligence in the absence of federal action. President Donald Trump and his allies in the Republican-led Congress have consistently attacked “Big Insurance” since Trump returned to the White House last year. Yet that rhetoric has not led to much federal legislation. Congress has taken only small steps toward addressing provider and patient complaints about cost, denials, delayed payments, prior authorizations, AI and other matters. (McAuliff, 5/7) https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-regulation/mh-states-insurer-ai-prior-authorization-congress/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--ycnuxwLhp2hWcvU3L46W9lGe0QXgt_-HEOHpPr7iuVyW-AMhcz9VHWWF6B6MYJp_GCEp0jUmq6T31J33nPjl6Rca9Vg&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email Central Florida Public Media: AdventHealth Nurses Address Hair Care Disparities For Black Patients AdventHealth Hospital for Children in Orlando reported that Black pediatric patients needed different kinds of shampoo to care for their hair. The hospital listened. (Pedersen, 5/7) https://www.wusf.org/health-news-florida/2026-05-07/national-nurses-week-orlando-nurses-address-hair-care-disparities-for-black-patients?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9-PfcqFW4YSICfK1gbAsIxMjyyFs-lWT8w_svILspazm12kCSJ3zpnjReCm2R-X54onAKGMYHJ00PGl7p3H0vPr9iF0w&_hsmi=417857248&utm_content=417857248&utm_source=hs_email