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Nearly three dozen physician specialty groups have called on Congress to halt a new policy that will reduce Medicare payments for thousands of billing codes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a final rule Friday setting Medicare reimbursements to physicians in 2026. Although the regulation grants a 2.5% overall rate increase, it also introduces a “efficiency adjustment” that will trim payments for some specialty services by 2.5%. One of the agency’s stated goals is to increase support for primary care. (Early, 11/3)

UnitedHealth Group pays its own physician practices much more than it pays competing practices, a new study finds, reinforcing STAT’s own analysis on the subject and presenting fresh evidence that the conglomerate may be skirting a rule designed to curb health insurer profits. (Bannow, 11/3)

Atrium Health’s new surgical training center in Charlotte is off to a fast start. In just six weeks, IRCAD North America has brought in 932 health care providers from 14 countries for training, said Rasu Shrestha, chief innovation and commercialization officer at Advocate Health, Atrium’s parent company. (Crouch, 11/4)

A leading nurse organization applauded the Joint Commission's latest hospital performance goals, which elevated the issue of nurse staffing and linked it to patient safety. In a press release, the American Nurses Association (ANA) said that it "proudly celebrates a historic victory for nurses and patients alike: for the first time ever, nurse staffing has been elevated within the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals, now renamed the National Performance Goals." (Firth, 11/3)

Technology and consulting companies have teamed up to try to expand the reach of rural providers and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Lumeris, Teladoc Health, Nuna, Deloitte and Unite Us on Monday launched the Collaborative for Healthy Rural America. The coalition aims to use artificial intelligence-backed technology and the scale of those companies to boost care and lower costs for rural hospital operators and other providers. (Kacik, 11/3)

The Ensign Group has expanded its reach across Alabama and Utah with the acquisition of eight skilled nursing facilities. The senior living operator said in a news release Monday it acquired the real estate and operations of seven Stonehenge skilled nursing facilities across Utah, including properties in American Fork, Cedar City, Washington Terrace, Orem, Richfield, South Jordan and Springville. The Ensign Group purchased the real estate assets through its subsidiary Standard Bearer Healthcare REIT, according to the release. Ensign-affiliated operators will manage the nursing homes. (Eastabrook, 11/3)

Pharmaceutical wholesalers are poised to grow their physician management businesses as private equity investment slows. Backing from companies like McKesson, Cencora and Cardinal Health can help physician groups weather drug shortages and inflation, among other clinical and financial hurdles, some doctors said. Wholesalers are filling a void left by private equity firms that have retreated due to economic headwinds and rising regulatory scrutiny, advisers said. (Kacik, 11/3)

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office earlier this fall signed off on a merger between UCHealth and Estes Park Health, a critical access hospital, expanding the footprint of a system that has grown to be the largest health care provider in the state. (Ingold, 11/4)

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday backed his commitment to pediatric cancer research in Florida with grants of $7.5 million annually to four specialty children’s hospitals over the next five years. (Mayer and Brown, 11/3)