Former nursing home CEO sentenced in $146M fraud scheme; AI in the ICU; cannabis in pregnancy – Morning Medical Update

Former nursing home CEO sentenced in $146M fraud scheme

KBWB Operations LLC, doing business as Atrium Health and Senior Living, and former CEO Kevin Breslin received stiff federal sentences for a years-long fraud and tax conspiracy that siphoned Medicare and Medicaid dollars away from patient care. Breslin was sentenced to 90 months in prison and ordered — along with the company — to pay $146 million in restitution after admitting he diverted CMS funds, employee insurance premiums and 401(k) contributions while failing to pay employment taxes. Prosecutors said the scheme left vendors unpaid and compromised care for residents across 23 Wisconsin skilled nursing facilities.

AI tools may sharpen ICU performance measures

A new multicenter study published in the Journal of Critical Care suggests that machine learning could help hospitals better gauge resource use for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), a leading cause of ICU admissions among older adults. Researchers evaluated a risk-adjusted metric — the Standardized Length of Stay Ratio (SLOSR) — across nearly 17,000 CAP admissions in 220 ICUs, finding that the AI model reliably predicted expected length of stay using variables including age, comorbidities, ventilation needs and disease severity. With strong calibration and low prediction error, SLOSR may offer a more equitable way to compare ICU performance by distinguishing efficient care from potential underuse or overuse of resources.

Cannabis in pregnancy may disrupt brain development

A preclinical study from McGill University offers rare longitudinal evidence that heavy exposure to modern, high-THC cannabis during early pregnancy may disrupt brain development well into adulthood. Using advanced MRI to follow mice from fetal life through maturity, investigators found that prenatal THC exposure produced enlarged ventricles, delayed brain growth and persistent reductions in brain volume, particularly among females, who also displayed more anxiety-like behaviors.