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Accusations of retaliatory firings have been met with denouncement of an "increasingly aggressive" national smear campaign against Prime Healthcare. (Muoio, 9/24)

Nurses at Central Maine Medical Center voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to form a union, with a tally of 204 to 21. (9/24)

The union representing about 150 doctors at Allina Health’s Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and its Unity campus in Fridley announced Wednesday that it has reached a tentative agreement for a first contract with the health system. (Zurek, 9/24)

Leah Mohnkern had heard there were delays in financial aid disbursements at the Morehouse School of Medicine, but she didn’t realize how serious the problem was until a few weeks ago when she learned a classmate was struggling to afford meals. “She’d basically been eating snacks as her primary source of energy for weeks,” said Mohnkern, a second-year medical student. “It was really hard to hear because obviously studying is really challenging … You can’t do it on an empty stomach.” (Armesto, 9/25)

UnitedHealth has named a longtime corporate strategy and workforce management executive as its inaugural chief administrative officer as the healthcare behemoth continues to overhaul its leadership amid intense scrutiny of its business practices. As CAO, Jodee Kozlak will work to modernize and align UnitedHealth’s operations across different businesses. She’ll oversee a portfolio that initially includes human resources, real estate, procurement and corporate security, according to a Thursday press release. (Parduhn, 9/24)

Hospitals’ increasing use of artificial intelligence for patient coding has increased the frequency of inpatient stays classified as medically complex—boosting the bills sent to payers despite no apparent changes in the care being delivered, according to a new claims analysis from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. (Muoio, 9/24)

Prisma Health has agreed to acquire 36 urgent care locations in South Carolina from Novant Health. The deal, slated to close Nov. 1, involves an estimated 500 employees, according to a Thursday news release. Financial terms were not disclosed. (DeSilva, 9/24)

The Cigna Group plans to integrate technology from artificial intelligence giant OpenAI to bolster its offerings for patients with complex health conditions. The collaboration will initially focus on oncology, aiming to streamline support care for cancer patients. For example, the company said one capability will provide oncology nurses and case managers across Accredo Specialty Pharmacy and Cigna Healthcare with AI-based tools to aggregate patients’ clinical, pharmacy, behavioral and benefits information. (DeSilva, 9/24)

Providers and payers are deploying clinicians and technology to senior living communities in collaborations aimed at lowering the cost of care for older adults. Programs that offer healthcare services within senior living communities have been growing and could create a new source of revenue for providers. The challenge is getting enough residents onboard to make the initiative cost-effective for providers and payers. (Eastabrook, 9/24)