Daily Briefing

Shortly before former first lady Barbara Bush passed away on Tuesday, her family announced that she would stop curative treatment and seek "comfort care" at home—a move experts hope will spark Americans to consider discussing their own end-of-life wishes. The Daily Briefing's Scott Orwig explains how one health system created a program to make these difficult conversations easier. More

A New York Times investigation finds that a cottage industry has sprung up to "coax" women into undergoing potentially unnecessary surgery to remove vaginal mesh implants, helping law firms build better lawsuits—and get larger settlements—against device manufacturers. More

Sepsis is one of the most dangerous and difficult-to-treat conditions in health care today—and it's linked to one-third of all inpatient deaths. Advisory Board's Katherine Virkstis shares three keys—and nine best practices—to help you improve sepsis outcomes. More

It's been nearly three years since Geisinger Health System began allowing dissatisfied patients to request refunds of up $2,000 with no questions asked. Leo Vartorella of Becker's Hospital Review followed up with CEO David Feinberg to learn how the unusual, controversial idea has worked in practice. More

Sarah Sellers, then a 26-year-old nurse and hobby runner from Arizona, came in a surprising second place at the Boston Marathon last year—and all eyes are on her now as she gears up to run the race again Monday. More

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) increased production quotas for certain drugmakers to help alleviate a shortage of injectable opioids that has plagued providers since the summer—but industry experts say relief is still several months away. More

Researchers say increasing enrollment in high-deductible health plans with health savings accounts highlights the need for policymakers to approve legislation that would expand coverage under such plans. More

A controversial statue of James Marion Sims, the so-called "father of modern gynecology" whose developments came in part from nonconsensual experimentation on black female slaves, has been removed, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C. More