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Scott Becker - 10 Stories We Are Following Today at Becker's Healthcare 3-17-26 · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

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  This is Scott Becker with the Becker's healthcare
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  podcast.
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  Today's discussion is 10 stories that we're following
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  this morning at Becker's healthcare.
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  Some of these give a feel for what's
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  going on in healthcare, and some of these
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  are just really interesting. So the first story
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  is LeapFrog
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  limit grades to survey participants after a court
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  loss. So, essentially, LeapFrog
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  was giving grades to health systems who didn't
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  complete their survey,
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  and then grading those systems very negatively based
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  on not completing the survey or putting in
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  or at least partly
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  grades based on that. A judge told me
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  they can't do that.
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  WePrague now will only grade health systems that
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  actually participate in their surveys.
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  Second,
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  Fitch, the bond rating agency,
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  downgrades a Missouri health care system. Again, this
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  is always scary given how challenging health care
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  is in at least 40% of the health
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  systems that are losing money. But that's again,
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  Fitch downgrading a Missouri health system.
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  Third,
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  Alan Condon reports on 14 health systems that
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  are getting larger. Again, another story about a
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  health system getting larger coming out today. We're
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  in embargo. We'll talk about that later, but
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  but more and more, watching large health systems
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  trying to get bigger.
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  Fourth, I was thrilled last week to talk
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  with Vic Schurmach Schmurback,
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  the CEO of Emerus Holdings,
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  about their model,
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  expanding neighborhood hospitals to improve access and affordability
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  in health care with Vic Schmurback.
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  Was really a pleasure to visit with Vic.
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  Fifth,
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  Eli Lilly is launching a new type of
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  zepbound.
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  This story was reported by Erica Carbrau Sarrutti.
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  A special shout out to Erica, just a
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  tremendous journalist and professional.
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  Sixth, Kelly Gooch covers seven of the health
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  care billionaires on the Forbes list. Again, fascinating
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  to watch what's going on there and those
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  that hit it out of the park in
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  health care.
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  Seventh,
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  a great list of hospitals and health systems
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  cutting jobs. That's put together by Kelly Gooch
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  and Kristen Kuchno, and it covers all the
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  hospital cell systems that reportedly cut jobs in
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  2026
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  year to date.
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  Eighth, Striker
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  the Striker cyberattacks
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  are tied to Iran.
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  There's an article on that by Naomi Diaz
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  today. And, again, it's a scary thing in
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  health care when you see these state actors
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  going after health care companies, health care systems,
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  and more.
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  Ninth, we had the brilliant chance to interview
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  world class hip replacement surgeon Rafi Basyal,
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  vice chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at
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  Endeavor Health on the Becker's Health Care podcast
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  recently that was released just shortly.
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  Tenth, I'll note, I'm thrilled to interview Mark
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  Cuban at the upcoming Becker's Healthcare annual meeting.
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  Should be a great pleasure.
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  Finally, I'll give a PS.
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  There's a Starbucks that we visit in Florida,
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  and and no Starbucks has a better team
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  than the Starbucks on PGA Boulevard in Florida,
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  the most enthusiastic
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  and efficient and positive group of baristas I've
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  ever seen in my life. So god bless
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  you all. Thank you for listening to the
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  Becker's Healthcare Podcast. We hope people enjoy this.
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  We hope they enjoy the note about the
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  Starbucks near us. Thank you for listening, and
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  and thank you for joining us the annual
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  meeting and everything else that our audience does.
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  We we we love you and thank you.