Healthcare

Marlborough, Mass. – October 07, 2026 -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has appointed Joseph M. Fitzgerald as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2027, a move paired with a restructuring of the company into three reportable business segments.

Boston Scientific splits operations into Interventional Therapies, Rhythm Solutions and MedSurg

The new segment structure takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Interventional Therapies will combine the Interventional Cardiology, Vascular Therapies, and Interventional Oncology & Embolization businesses, and will absorb the Penumbra business once that acquisition closes. Rhythm Solutions will house Electrophysiology, WATCHMAN, and Cardiac Rhythm Management & Diagnostics. MedSurg will encompass Endoscopy, Urology and Neuromodulation.

San Diego – October 07, 2026 -- Equip, a virtual eating disorder treatment provider, has launched Transition Track, a new care protocol designed to move medically stable patients ages 6 to 24 directly from inpatient hospitalization to home-based recovery without stopping at residential, PHP or IOP facilities.

Protocol targets the highest-risk window after hospital discharge

Transition Track is built on Family-Based Treatment (FBT), combining frequent therapy sessions, daily virtual meal supervision and caregiver coaching during the first weeks post-discharge, then continuing with the same multidisciplinary care team for a full 12 months. The approach aligns with guidance from the American Psychiatric Association, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, all of which recommend family-supported outpatient care as the first-line treatment for medically stable patients.

Washington – October 06, 2026 -- U.S. News & World Report has made a strategic investment in Candid, an AI-powered engagement startup, to replace static resident surveys with real-time conversational feedback tools across senior living and post-acute care communities.

Candid's conversational platform achieves roughly 70 percent response rates, far outpacing traditional surveys

Candid uses interactive voice and text conversations to let residents, family members and employees provide feedback in their own words. The platform pairs quantitative metrics with qualitative sentiment analysis to flag recurring themes and emerging operational concerns. Across deployments spanning hundreds of U.S. senior living communities, this conversational format averages an approximate 70 percent response rate.

Bangor, Maine – October 06, 2026 -- Encompass Health, the largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the United States, has opened a 50-bed rehabilitation hospital in Bangor, Maine, and begun accepting patients.

Encompass Health enters Maine with first wholly owned facility in the state

The more than 54,000-square-foot Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Bangor marks the company's first wholly owned hospital in Maine. The company already operates New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portland as a long-standing joint venture with MaineHealth.

Houston – October 06, 2026 -- CATCH Greater Houston has been named a Phase 1 winner in two of the ten awarded tracks of the Health at Home Challenge, a national competition run by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

CATCH secures dual recognition in federal care coordination competition

The nonprofit won as a community care hub within a national consortium led by the Oregon Wellness Network, spanning eight hubs across eight states, and separately as the designated lead of the Texas Hub Network, a statewide consortium formed with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Rockville, Md. – October 06, 2026 -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has launched its largest-ever market reform research challenge, offering up to $11.8 million to fund solutions that lower healthcare costs and expand patient choice.

AHRQ ties challenge launch to $556.6 billion in out-of-pocket costs

The agency cited Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data showing Americans spent a combined $556.6 billion in out-of-pocket healthcare expenses in 2024. A March 2026 KFF analysis found that one or two health systems controlled the entire inpatient hospital care market in nearly half of U.S. metropolitan areas that year, with concentration exceeding 75% market share in 83% of metro areas.

Wilmington, N.C. – October 05, 2026 -- 101 Mobility has secured rank No. 296 on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, marking its second consecutive year on the list of largest U.S.-based franchise systems ranked by global systemwide sales.

101 Mobility grows to over 150 locations nationwide

The home accessibility and mobility franchise now operates more than 150 U.S. locations, with owners providing stairlifts, wheelchair ramps, patient lifts, bathroom safety equipment, and elevators through sales, rentals, installation, and service.

Franchise Times ranking draws on five-month sales research

The Franchise Times Top 400 ranking results from an annual five-month research and reporting process that the publication positions as the most credible and objective franchise sales ranking available.

Chicago – October 05, 2026 -- AIRS Medical has secured U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for SwiftSight Body Composition, an AI-powered MRI analysis tool that quantifies muscle and fat tissue in under five minutes, with SimonMed Imaging confirmed as the first customer to deploy the system.

Scan time under five minutes targets high-volume imaging centers

SwiftSight Body Composition pairs a sub-five-minute MRI scan with automated AI segmentation to measure visceral and subcutaneous fat, abdominal and thigh muscle quantity and quality, bilateral muscle balance, and liver fat via proton density fat fraction. Results are benchmarked against age- and sex-matched reference populations and compiled into a standardized Body Composition Report combining measurements, percentile rankings and visual summaries.

Centennial, Colo. – – October 05, 2026 -- AlloSource has added UroConnex Fascia, a human fascia allograft, to its women's health portfolio, targeting urogynecological procedures with an off-the-shelf alternative to autologous fascia.

UroConnex offers surgeons freeze-dried and frozen formats across multiple sizes

The allograft is designed to provide structural support at surgical sites and streamline procedures while reducing patient risk compared to harvesting a patient's own fascia tissue. AlloSource says the product features ideal handling characteristics for precision placement and a natural feel.

Terminal sterilization reduces infection risk to a 10-6 sterility assurance level

The tissue is terminally sterilized through irradiation, according to data on file at AlloSource, aimed at minimizing infection risk in surgical applications.

St. George, Utah – October 05, 2026 -- Golden State Dermatology (GSD) has expanded into Utah for the first time, adding St. George Dermatology to its physician-led network in a move marking the company's entry into the state.

GSD adds first Utah location through St. George Dermatology partnership

The practice, located in St. George's Ventana Medical Park, offers medical and cosmetic dermatology services including skin cancer screenings, surgical treatments, BOTOX Cosmetic, dermal fillers, chemical peels and laser treatments.

Dr. Daren Brooks returns to hometown practice after running Arizona clinic

Physician Daren Brooks, DO, founded St. George Dermatology after previously operating a dermatology clinic in Arizona. His background spans dermatology, nutrition, stress management and mind-body medicine; he also helped bring the Ironman competition to St. George.