Policy

The top news stories in medicine this week.

Primary care is a team sport, but some of the most important players are outside the physician’s office.

Can independent practices turn Medicare into a strategic advantage? How to go from liability to leverage

Urban Institute data show 46% of adults aged 18 to 64 faced unmet care needs, unpaid medical bills or medical debt, with even insured families hit hard

What works well when health care partners with community groups? National Academy of Medicine offers answers for Medicare.

Federal prosecutors charged, settled and sentenced health care fraud at a record pace in the first half of 2026. These are the 10 most consequential cases, counted down to a record-setting finish.

A new survey of physicians, nurses and health care leaders points to burnout, reimbursement uncertainty and the pace of AI adoption as the top threats to the system, even as national data show physician burnout easing.

Why is independent practice so important to health care? U.S. women’s Health Alliance advocates explain why

For value-based care, the future is in building collaboration between primary and specialty care.

The top news stories in medicine this week.

A new JAMA analysis of 1,000 federally funded training positions found psychiatry capturing the largest share of gains, while the proportion reaching primary care and rural communities fell with each round.

Medication adherence is a persistent challenge in healthcare. Prior auths are making it worse. Can CMS fix the problem?

Rising costs are forcing employers into tough decisions about coverage — and the numbers may shift again by 2027.

Medicare spends $1.1 trillion a year — or misspends it, depending on this analysis of incentives and outcomes.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission publishes June report to Congress

A bipartisan bill to fix Medicare's budget-neutrality rules cleared a key House committee. But this year's 2.5% pay bump is already eroding, and it disappears in 2027 without further action.

The top news stories in medicine this week.

There needs to be conversations about pricing and fulfillment options at the point of prescribing, so patients can compare pricing and make an informed decision.

Surgeon and author advocates for independent practice and pinpoints problems with prior authorizations.

J.D. Power survey data reveals a widening gap between what health plans promise and what members actually experience — a pattern physicians and patients know all too well.

Medical school enrollment has grown significantly over the past two decades, yet residency capacity has not kept pace, due in large part to longstanding caps on Medicare-supported GME positions. The result is a bottleneck that limits how many physicians can enter practice each year and where they end up practicing.

The top news stories in medicine today.

Atlanta internist and former ACP president Sandra A. Fryhofer, M.D. elected president-elect

Because ‘corporate intrusion threatens patient-centered care’ as national concerns grow about private equity ownership.

HHS announces pledges from medical schools, accrediting boards to teach more about health effects of diet.