• Arizona: Earlier this month, an unidentified individual from Coconino County, Arizona, died from a case of pneumonic plague — the first recorded death from the disease in the county since 2007. According to NBC News, the patient arrived at the ED at Flagstaff Medical Center and later died the same day. Rapid diagnostic testing suggested that the patient had been infected by Yersinia pestis, and health officials later confirmed that the patient had died from pneumonic plague, which was described as "a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium." The most common forms of plague are bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Symptoms of plague usually appear within two to six days and include fever and painful swollen lymph nodes. Currently, Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH), which owns Flagstaff Medical Center, is working with the Coconino County Health and Human Services Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate the situation. "NAH would like to remind anyone who suspects they are ill with a contagious disease to contact their health care provider. If their illness is severe, they should go to the Emergency Department and immediately ask for a mask to help prevent the spread of disease while they access timely and important care," the health system said. (Lenthang, NBC News, 7/11)
• California: According to a new report from the Identity Theft Resource Center (IRTC), there were 243 healthcare data breaches in the first half of 2025, up from 236 breaches during the same period in 2024. Healthcare was the second-most compromised business sector after financial services, which reported 387 incidents. Over 16 million individuals were impacted by healthcare data breaches. The largest healthcare data breach occurred at Yale New Haven Health, with over 5.5 million individuals affected. Other large-scale healthcare data breaches were reported by Episource (5.4 million people) and Blue Shield of California (4.7 million people). Of the data breaches reported across all sectors, almost 70% did not disclose the cause of the breach. "Through the first half of the year, we've seen a continuation, and in some cases, acceleration of the trends from 2024," said ITRC president James Lee. "Some of these trends are troubling – like the lack of transparency surrounding what caused more than two-thirds of compromises." (Diaz, Becker's Health IT, 7/16; ITRC report, 7/16)
• District of Columbia: Last week, the White House announced that President Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency during a recent medical exam. At a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was evaluated by doctors after experiencing mild swelling in his lower legs. In a memo, White House physician Sean Barbarella wrote that "[b]ilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70." Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when veins in the legs are damaged and cannot return blood flow as well as before, leading to blood settling in the legs. According to NBC News, the condition affects around 1 in 20 adults, usually over the age of 50, and is not life-threatening. Aside from the diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency, Barbarella said Trump "remains in excellent health" and that there were no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness. (Habeshian, Axios, 7/17; Edwards, NBC News, 7/17)

Learn how to avoid the common pitfalls that lead to poor patient outcomes and elevated costs for patients with chronic conditions.