• California: UCI Health has opened the country's first all-electric acute care hospital. The hospital, UCI Health-Irvine, is UCI's sixth hospital, with seven floors and 144 beds. According to hospital leaders, the facility was designed with quality, sustainability, and patient experience in mind and includes access to natural light, outdoor terraces, and gardens. The facility also has one of the first all-electric kitchens serving a U.S. hospital and uses sustainable furnishings without harmful chemicals. The new hospital also helps support UCI's goal of reducing carbon emissions by 90% by 2045. (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 12/8)
• Maryland: FDA has cleared Medtronic's Hugo RAS system for use in urologic procedures. The clearance allows the system to be used for minimally invasive surgeries, including prostatectomy, nephrectomy, and cystectomy. According to a Medtronic news release, around 230,000 of these procedures are performed in the United States annually. Rajit Kamal, VP and general manager of robotic surgical technologies at Medtronic, said the company is planning to launch its robotic surgery system in select U.S. hospitals. "As we begin our purposeful launch of the Hugo RAS system in the U.S., our focus is on building a strong foundation with leading hospitals through our differentiated approach to partnership, rooted in our enduring commitment to provide an excellent customer experience and enable surgical teams to deliver the best possible outcomes for their patients," Kamal said. Outside of the United States, the system has been used in tens of thousands of surgeries in over 30 countries on five continents. (Jeffries, Becker's Hospital Review, 12/4; PR Newswire, 12/3)
• North Carolina: Last month, Patient Square Capital, an investment firm, completed its acquisition of Premier, taking the company private after over a decade. The deal was originally announced in September and was expected to close in the first quarter of 2026 but was finalized earlier than expected. Under the deal, Premier stockholders will receive $28.25 in cash per share, valuing the company at $2.6 billion. The company's board also resigned under the purchase agreement, with only CEO Michael Alkire and CFO Glenn Coleman remaining as directors. According to Healthcare Dive, Patient Square's portfolio also includes other healthcare companies like value-based primary care provider ChenMed, acute care telemedicine firm Access Telecare, and revenue cycle management firm CorroHealth. (Olsen, Healthcare Dive, 11/26)

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