Telehealth growth hasn’t increased rural behavioral healthcare access: Study
Giles Bruce / beckershospitalreview - The rise in telemedicine over the past several years hasn’t translated to more behavioral healthcare access in rural areas, according to a March 5 study in JAMA Network Open. Researchers from Boston-based Harvard Medical School and Providence, R.I.-based …
AI Summary: A new study finds the rapid expansion of telemedicine did not meaningfully improve access to behavioral health services in rural areas. Persistent barriers—workforce shortages, broadband gaps, and reimbursement limits—keep telehealth from being the miracle fix some hoped for. Turns out, high-speed internet isn’t a therapist.
GLP‑1 drugs may fight addiction across every major substance, according to a study of 600,000 people
medicalxpress - A patient of mine, a veteran who had tried to quit smoking for over a decade, told me that after he started a GLP-1 drug for his diabetes, he lost interest in cigarettes. He didn't use a patch. He didn't set a quit date. He simply lost interest. It happen…
AI Summary: A large observational analysis suggests GLP‑1 receptor agonists — the headline-grabbing diabetes and weight-loss drugs — are linked to reduced risk of developing and dying from substance use disorders across multiple substances. Researchers urge cautious optimism: signals are intriguing, but causality remains unproven and more controlled trials are needed before rewriting addiction treatment playbooks.
Parents of gravely ill child refused respite care
bbc - Birmingham Children's Trust refused respite help and suggested training grandparents to help.
AI Summary: Parents of a gravely ill child report being refused respite care, leaving caregivers exhausted and without relief while bureaucratic responses pivot to training relatives. The situation exposes gaps in social and health services for high‑need families and the human cost of systems designed for checkboxes, not real lives.
CFO Mark Kaye to take the helm at Carelon in leadership shake-up at Elevance Health
fiercehealthcare - Elevance Health Chief Financial Officer Mark Kaye will grow his list of duties to include oversight of Carelon, the company announced Thursday.
AI Summary: Elevance Health elevated CFO Mark Kaye to take expanded responsibility overseeing Carelon as part of a broader C-suite reshuffle. The reorganization centralizes oversight of the company’s growth arm and signals a tighter alignment between payer operations and its care-management business amid strategic and operational realignments.
UHS posts 11.5% operating margin in 2025 as net income jumps 30%
Andrew Cass / beckershospitalreview - King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services recorded a net income of $1.5 billion in 2025, up from $1.1 billion in 2024, according to its Feb. 25 financial report. Eight things to know: 1. The for-profit system reported an operating income of $2 …
AI Summary: Universal Health Services reported robust 2025 financial results and outlined an optimistic 2026 outlook, driven by acute and behavioral health operations. Leadership flagged growth targets for admissions and behavioral services even as staffing and regulatory pressures persist — the usual blend of confidence and contingency planning.