CMS on Thursday released its star ratings for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for 2023, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Maryland.

• Connecticut: Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) on Thursday announced plans to purchase Waterbury Hospital, Manchester Memorial Hospital, and Rockville General Hospital. The health system will also acquire Prospect Provider Group of Connecticut, which includes Alliance Medical Group, ECHN Medical Group, and Visiting Nurse and Health Services of Connecticut. The acquisition comes eight months after YNHHS and Prospect Medical Holdings announced that they were pursuing a deal. "Now more than ever, it's critical for us to find ways to creatively sustain local access to high-quality care," said Christopher O'Connor, CEO and president of YNHHS. "This transaction offers unique advantages to the residents of the communities served and allow for continued patient access to critical healthcare services while being strengthened by the quality-of-care YNHHS is known for nationally." (Singer, Hartford Courant, 10/6)

• District of Columbia: The White House on Tuesday announced that President Joe Biden plans to nominate Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to serve as the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization's (WHO) executive board. Murthy, who is the first surgeon general of Indian descent, previously served as surgeon general under former President Barack Obama from Dec. 15, 2014, to April 21, 2017. The Senate confirmed him to the role again in March 2021. Murthy oversees more than 6,000 public health professionals in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. According to the White House, Murthy will continue serving as surgeon general while serving on WHO's executive board. (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/5)

• Maryland: CMS on Thursday released its star ratings for MA plans for 2023. Each year, CMS releases the star ratings, which represent the experiences of people enrolled in MA and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. Medicare's online Plan Finder tool allows people with Medicare to compare quality using star ratings, cost, and coverage for different plans. A one-star rating represents poor performance, while a five-star rating represents excellent performance. For 2023, 57 contracts received a five-star rating—down from 74 contracts in 2022. In addition, 67 contracts received 4.5 stars, 136 earned four stars, 116 earned 3.5 stars, and 90 earned three stars. Notably, 37 plans received 2.5 stars for 2023, compared to only two in 2022, and four plans received two stars, compared to none in 2022. (Lagasse, Healthcare Finance, 10/6; Tepper, Modern Healthcare, 10/6)