Daily Briefing

A special report by University of Pennsylvania health care economists suggests the health care industry suffers from an "acute" problem with "deceptive, misleading, unsubstantiated, and foolish statements"—otherwise known as health care "BS." More

Few news outlets refer to experts who hold doctoral degrees like Ph.D.s as doctors, but one epidemiologist argues the media's failure to do so diminishes the authority of experts with advanced degrees. Advisory Board's Sara Hostetter says that the same issues arise with advanced practice practitioners—which can have important implications for the care team. More

While hospital shootings are rare, they've become more common in the past 20 years, and many hospitals are now holding active shooter drills to train staff when to run to and away from the danger, Jamie Ducharme reports for Time. Here's some of the key ways hospitals are preparing for the worst-case scenario. More

FDA on Monday gave accelerated approved to Loxo Oncology's cancer drug Vitrakvi to treat patients with advanced solid tumors containing a specific gene mutation known as a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase gene fusion. More

HHS on Thursday announced that it has finalized a long-delayed rule for the 340B drug discount program that is slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2019. More

A new report from Georgetown University shows the number of U.S. children without health insurance increased in 2017 for the first time since 2008. More

CMS on Thursday released guidance on how states can use revamped waivers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to reform their health insurance markets. More

The 6-foot 4-inch cow that took the world by storm this week, how many calories are in your side of fries, and more. More

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D) approved the proposed merger between Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health System with a number of conditions, including a requirement that the merged entity "cap its prices, strengthen safety net providers across the region, and invest in needed behavioral services," in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. More