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Kaiser Permanente has proposed building a major new hospital in San Francisco that, if approved, would replace its current medical center and be the health care giant’s first new hospital in the city in more than 70 years. If the project gains city and state approval, it would convert the existing Kaiser San Francisco Medical Center at 2425 Geary Blvd. in the Anza Vista neighborhood to medical office buildings and build a new hospital across the street, at Geary and Divisadero Street, by 2033. (Ho, 4/21)

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News: California Lawmakers Seek Protections For Patients In ICE Custody 

California lawmakers alarmed by the treatment of people brought to hospitals by federal immigration agents want to strengthen protections for detained patients receiving care at medical facilities, including by making it easier for their families and attorneys to find them. Two bills moving through the state Senate seek to prevent immigration enforcement officers from isolating patients from their loved ones and interfering with their ability to get legal help. Analyses for both bills cite reporting by Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News that found family members and attorneys have faced extreme difficulty locating and supporting patients hospitalized while in immigration custody. (Boyd-Barrett, 4/22)

National Nurses United, the nation's largest nurses' union, placed Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis on "red alert" status, warning that the hospital is at risk of closing. The union issued the warning amid federal health care cuts that it says threaten more than 600 nonprofit and community hospitals nationwide. HCMC is among those most at risk, the union said. (4/21)

With $750 million in new investments announced Tuesday, Michael and Susan Dell have become the University of Texas at Austin’s first $1 billion donors. The latest investment will establish the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research and the UT Dell Medical Center. (Simpson, 4/21)

Virtual nursing is moving from the desk to the bedside as health systems embrace it as a way to control costs, retain nurses and improve patient care. Hospitals faced with burned-out registered nurses and a worsening staff shortage are expanding its use into areas like peer support for nurses and patient education. While the technology, and its adoption, continues to develop, early research shows mixed results on its effectiveness. (DeSilva, 4/21)

As medical organizations, lawmakers, advocates -- and even the lead actor from "The Pitt" -- laud the reauthorization of the Lorna Breen Act through fiscal year 2030, they're also urging millions of dollars to boost funding for its programs. The legislation, named for the late emergency medicine physician Lorna Breen, MD, focuses on mental health infrastructure for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Breen was just 49 years old when she died by suicide early in the pandemic after treating COVID-19 patients and contracting the disease herself. (Henderson, 4/21)

Dr. Norman Rowe, a plastic surgeon with offices in New York and Florida, advertises on his website that breast reduction surgery usually costs between $15,000 and $25,000. But these days, his practice sometimes earns $440,000 for the procedure. Dr. Rowe has taken full advantage of a new arbitration system, part of a major consumer protection law Congress passed in 2020 with bipartisan majorities. The No Surprises Act was designed to eliminate surprise medical bills, for patients who showed up in the emergency room and were treated by a doctor who didn’t take their insurance. (Kliff and Sanger-Katz, 4/22)

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News: They’re In Remission, But Their Medical Bills Aren’t: Cancer Survivors Navigate Soaring Costs 

Nearly four years after doctors declared Marielle Santos McLeod free of colon cancer, she has yet to feel liberated from the burden of medical expenses. McLeod, who lives near Charleston, South Carolina, is still paying off chemotherapy bills that followed her 2017 diagnosis. She also now faces an onslaught of out-of-pocket costs for follow-up monitoring and care, including regular visits to a pulmonologist and allergist. (Rayasam, 4/22)

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News: Listen To The Latest 'Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News Minute' 

Katheryn Houghton reads the week’s news: Many Americans say it’s hard to pay for the dentist, but putting off care also has its costs. Plus, for some patients, Medicare will start covering GLP-1 drugs for weight loss this year. (4/21)