Healthcare

San Francisco – September 18, 2026 -- San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP) has earned a 4.5-star rating in the 2026 NCQA Health Plan Ratings, the highest score in its history, as the Medi-Cal insurer covers more than 172,000 residents.

NCQA places SFHP among the nation's top-rated health plans

NCQA classifies plans scoring 4.5 or 5 stars as among the highest-rated in the country, basing the evaluation on clinical quality, member experience, and accreditation status. SFHP, created by the City and County of San Francisco, is the city's leading Medi-Cal provider, offering preventive care, specialty care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, and family planning services.

Pittsburgh – September 18, 2026 -- An inventor from Brooklyn, N.Y., has developed a device called NURSES WEEKEND designed to reduce injury risk when repositioning patients in hospital and care beds, according to InventHelp, which submitted the design and is now seeking a manufacturing or marketing partner.

Device targets injury risk in routine patient care tasks

The invention provides a mechanism to move patients in bed for tasks such as changing linens, performing hygiene care, and preventing pressure sores. Its adjustable design is intended to reduce physical strain on medical professionals and caregivers while improving patient comfort and safety.

Bloomington – September 18, 2026 -- R3 Continuum, a provider of workplace behavioral health and organizational resilience solutions, has appointed Brett Hart, Ph.D., as Chief Clinical Officer, tasking him with leading clinical strategy, innovation and outcomes measurement as the company scales its workforce behavioral health offerings.

Hart brings 27 years of executive experience across major health insurers

Hart's background spans clinical and executive leadership roles at Humana, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Centene and Optum. During his career he directed enterprise behavioral health strategies, integrated behavioral and physical care models, and worked to expand access and quality outcomes across large health systems.

Dallas – September 18, 2026 -- A new Healthcare Workforce Outlook Index scored the U.S. healthcare workforce at just 38%, with none of its five underlying dimensions exceeding 50%, according to AMN Healthcare's 2026 Healthcare Workforce Outlook Survey released today.

Survey of 4,040 professionals exposes a 19-point gap between engagement and future readiness

The index, drawn from responses collected between Feb. 24 and March 31, 2026, measures employee engagement, organizational health, leadership and support, staffing confidence, and future readiness. Employee engagement scored highest at 48%, while future readiness scored lowest at 29%, a 19-point spread that AMN Healthcare says shows workers remain moderately engaged today but doubt the workforce's capacity to meet future demand.

Pinellas Park, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- Brundage Group has appointed Des Varady as president, tapping a 30-year health care and technology executive to oversee operations as the clinical compliance and revenue integrity firm scales nationally.

Varady brings three decades of leadership in physician-centric health care businesses

Varady previously served as chief executive officer of Corridor, where he built the company into a leader in revenue cycle and education solutions for post-acute care providers. He also held CEO roles at Radsource, a provider of physician radiology services, and HWT, a health care data services firm.

Singapore – September 17, 2026 -- The National University Health System (NUHS) has treated more than 300,000 patients under its value-based care framework over the past decade, cutting hospital bed days by 18,225 and generating over SG$13 million in annual cost avoidance.

NUHS marked the milestone at its Appropriate and Value-Based Care (AVBC) Symposium 2026, officiated by Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Health. The event tracked the evolution of Singapore's Value-Driven Outcomes (VDO) framework, which NUHS first adopted in 2015 as the country's first healthcare cluster to do so.

Dallas – September 17, 2026 -- Scottish Rite for Children has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for pediatric orthopedic care by U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospitals rankings, marking the first time the institution has secured the top spot for two consecutive years.

Rankings draw on data from 114 hospitals nationwide

U.S. News develops the annual rankings in partnership with RTI International, which collected and analyzed data from 114 children's hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists. Evaluation criteria include clinical outcomes, compliance with established best practices, and the level and quality of hospital resources tied directly to patient care. Scottish Rite has ranked among the nation's top pediatric orthopedic programs for nearly two decades, in collaboration with Children's Medical Center Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Houston – September 17, 2026 -- Texas Children's has secured a spot on the U.S. News & World Report Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll, marking its 18th consecutive year as the top-ranked pediatric hospital in Texas and sixth straight year as No. 1 in the Southwest region.

Heart Center holds national No. 1 ranking for a decade running

Texas Children's Heart Center retained its No. 1 national ranking in Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery for the 10th consecutive year. The program performs more than 1,000 surgeries and 1,600 cardiac catheterization procedures annually, treating some of the rarest and most complex pediatric heart conditions.

Washington – September 17, 2026 -- The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) submitted a formal comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) opposing proposed payment cuts in the calendar year 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, warning the changes could accelerate consolidation among independent orthopaedic practices.

AAOS demands CMS preserve current work RVUs for major joint procedures

The letter urges CMS to maintain calendar year 2026 work relative value units (RVUs) for total shoulder, total hip, and total knee arthroplasty services, along with shoulder hemiarthroplasty. AAOS argues that reducing these values would compound years of what it calls inadequate payment updates and rising practice costs.

New York – September 17, 2026 -- Lavender, the largest nurse-owned telepsychiatry practice in the United States, has appointed Kara Birch, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, as Director of Clinical Excellence and Anna Lau, MSN, PMHNP-BC, WHNP-BC, as Director of Nursing Operations, formalizing leadership over a network of more than 140 nurse practitioners operating across more than 40 states.