�������ýҕ�l

CMS is looking to improve accountability and protections for patients in the U.S. organ donation system. On Wednesday, the agency issued guidance aimed at organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and donor hospitals that reinforces existing federal regulations and strengthens federal oversight. CMS noted in a press release that there have been reports of some OPOs rushing certain aspects of organ donation and procurement, "pressuring families to make decisions during moments of grief." (Henderson, 3/12)

A woman with cancer that spread to her liver is getting a second chance at life after receiving a partial liver transplant from a living donor. Amy Piccioli told "Good Morning America" doctors have told her she currently has no evidence of the disease three months after she underwent transplant surgery at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. (Yu, 3/11)

In related news —

Ron Wood’s open-heart surgery at The University of Kansas Hospital to replace an aortic valve in 2019 couldn’t have gone better. “It went fantastic,” said his wife, Thelma. “He felt just as good as he’s felt in any day of his life ... he could really walk a long way without getting out of breath or having any kind of complications.” But in 2021, his condition began to deteriorate. (Thomas, 3/10)

More news about the health care industry —

Microsoft is betting on healthcare as a path to become more competitive in artificial intelligence. The company’s biggest push yet: a new tool it describes as an AI concierge doctor—one that can access your medical records and health data, with your consent. The company on Thursday unveiled Copilot Health, a feature within the Copilot app that lets the chatbot dispense personalized healthcare advice informed by the user’s disease history, test results, medications, doctors’ visit notes and biometric data as recorded by wearable devices. (Herrera, 3/12)

Ease of health data exchange is a top priority for the nation’s health IT regulator, and the agency is taking steps to sanction companies that block the free flow of information, according to Dr. Thomas Keane, assistant secretary for technology policy and the national coordinator for health information technology. The ASTP/ONC is in the process of issuing notices of nonconformity to IT developers accused of information blocking who participate in the agency’s health IT certification program, the first potential enforcement action in nearly a decade since Congress banned information blocking. (Olsen, 3/12)

Lurie Children’s Hospital is planning to build its new pediatric hospital on now-vacant land in Downers Grove near the intersection of I-88 and I-355, hospital leaders revealed at a community meeting Thursday evening. (Schencker, 3/12)

Canada health officials are investigating the deaths of two people who donated plasma at for-profit clinics in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The deaths occurred just over three months apart. One person was a 22-year-old international student studying to become a social worker, while the other’s identity was not known. Health Canada, the federal department that regulates plasma clinics, said it had received reports from the clinics where the donations took place about deadly adverse reactions after procedures in October 2025 and January 2026. The clinics are required to report such events. (Isai and Rabin, 3/11)

On health care personnel —

Two prominent doctors from Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital stepped down on Tuesday after a report found that staff members were discouraged from reporting abuse committed by Robert Hadden, who sexually assaulted hundreds of patients while employed at both institutions. One of the executives, Dr. Mary D’Alton, a leader of the obstetrics and gynecology programs at Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, was Mr. Hadden’s supervisor and vouched for his character even after he was accused of assaulting a patient in 2012 and detained by the police. (Meko and Otterman, 3/10)

A Springfield neurologist was slapped with a five-year probation after fellow employees at Baystate Health saw him masturbating inside his office, according to recently unredacted records from the state’s medical board. (Patkin, 3/12)

When Martin Seligman, bestselling author, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the most influential figures in the field, became a psychologist in the mid-1960s, the ratio of men to women in the field was 80 to 20. Today, that ratio has flipped. “The main consequence of the feminization of psychology is the topics that are worked on,” says Seligman. “From the 1960s through the 1980s, it was aggression, conflict and trauma, but not love, meaning, friendship or cooperation.” Then, in the ‘90s, the prevailing areas of research flipped, becoming less violent and more humane. (Paul, 3/12)

And Dr. Oz. lends a hand to emergency responders —

Assistant Fire Chief Chris Black was among those who helped when a woman fainted just behind the president. "After we removed the first patient out to the ambulance, we got about four back-to-back medical calls," he said. Dr. Mehmet Oz went along with them. "Dr. Oz said, 'Take me with you to the next one.' So, we bounced around different calls, and he was extremely helpful," Black said. After the event, as responders were getting ready to leave, another surprise, Dr. Oz brought them with him to meet the president. (Kershaw, 3/12)