How should the government decide whether to approve health care mergers?

The top news stories in medicine this week.

Indiana and Michigan are among the states that have released details about new rules for Medicaid coverage.

Almost 70% of consumers will abandon AI customer service after two failures, a recent survey found.

Physician noncompetes still hold in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

After private equity firms bought for-profit hospices, Medicare paid $993 more per hospice encounter and stays ran 6.3 days longer, with no increase in visits.

New patients in big metros wait about a month to see a physician, and shortage areas, coverage losses and a proposed Medicare pay cut are adding pressure ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Flu hospitalizations are arriving early this fall, and Johns Hopkins experts say a physician's recommendation remains patients' best path to vaccination, while a new mRNA flu vaccine faces a coverage question.

American Osteopathic Association leaders discuss the profession’s record growth, its training pipeline and the pressures facing practicing physicians.