Plus, Oracle breach causes hospital extortions

This Week

Apr 5, 2025
 

Featured

RFK Jr. says HHS will reinstate 20% of reduced workforce after DOGE errors

After sending out termination notices to 10,000 more HHS workers, some are being told their positions shouldn't have been eliminated.
 

Top Stories

5 years later: A look back at the COVID-19 pandemic and how healthcare has changed

Fierce Healthcare talked to a dozen experts about what key changes the U.S. has gone through since COVID-19 became a pandemic. Here are their takeaways.

Trump signs orders imposing 10% minimum tariff, broader reciprocal tariffs—but exemptions for pharma

Set to go into effect at midnight, the new trade policy lists pharmaceutical goods among the goods exempted from reciprocal tariffs.

Oracle Health server breach leads to hospital extortions, reports say

Oracle Health, which has not publicly reported the incident, reportedly told customers on Feb. 20 that its legacy Cerner systems were breached sometime after Jan. 22.

Providers owe $1B for misused COVID-19 funds. DOGE just cut the office recouping them

By cutting the Provider Relief Bureau, RFK Jr.'s HHS has lost the staff expertise to reclaim more than a billion dollars in payments made to providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move seems antithetical to the workforce reduction effort's aim to save taxpayer dollars.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure warns 'cavalier' CMS cuts will likely diminish federal health programs

The former CMS head said she believes the actions taken to gut the HHS are illegal and potentially harmful to programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Senate confirms Dr. Oz as CMS administrator in 53-45 party-line vote

Mehmet Oz, M.D., is now the head of more than 160 million Americans' health coverage, and enters the role at a time of major upheaval for the agency and its parent department.

Healthcare Dealmakers—Cigna closes $3.3B Medicare sell-off; Ascension's Illinois hospital divestures and more

Dispatch Health and Medically Home come together, Community Health Systems sells off two Florida hospitals to AdventHealth and more healthcare merger and acquisition news from the month of March.

FTC Chair Ferguson changes course on recusal from PBM insulin case

Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson has reversed course on his decision to recuse himself from the agency's legal battle with pharmacy benefit managers.

DOJ unveils deregulation taskforce, names healthcare among early targets

The Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force, housed within the DOJ's Antitrust Division, is aiming to address healthcare laws and regulations that encourage provider "overbilling and consolidation," among other areas of interest.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

A look inside the accelerator at Healthworx

Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sat down with Soo Jeon, the head of the accelerator at Healthworx, to dig into how the team works with burgeoning startups and what results they’ve seen so far.
 

Resources

Whitepaper

Social care data: How leaders can advance community health

This report reveals how integrating social care data with healthcare analytics can help organizations identify unmet needs, optimize resource allocation and improve health outcomes. Download your free whitepaper now.

 

Upcoming Fierce Events

3-10
Mar-Apr
Accepting Nominations Now
8-11
Sep
Philadelphia, PA
7-9
Oct
Boston, MA
12-13
Nov
Free Virtual Event
20
Nov
The Lighthouse at Pier 61 in New York City

View all events