Healthcare's ongoing shift toward value-based care is a good thing, Joynt Maddox explained, but its implementation has been far from ideal. She also discussed population health, the pandemic, health disparities and the rising influence of private equity investments.

If passed, the bill would authorize the AG to grant, deny or impose conditions related to changes in control or the acquisition of a physician group. 

Drawing inspiration from the World War II “Why We Fight” campaign that rallied support for the U.S. war effort, AMA President Jesse  Ehrenfeld, MD, spoke on the uphill battles physicians are facing today.

New York-based vendor Cleerly recently petitioned CMS to pay for its primary CT software, which assesses scans for signs of coronary artery disease. 

California Assembly bill AB-3129 requires private equity investors to send an application to the state attorney general 90 days before they purchase a hospital or provider group.

The Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, and Health and Human Services recently launched an inquiry into private equity and other corporations’ “increasing control over healthcare." 

The FTC and other federal agencies launched a public inquiry to see how physicians, patients and other stakeholders felt about the rising influence of private equity in healthcare. Based on the public comments available online, many in the industry are concerned about the trend's long-term impact on patient care. 

Booster uptake rates remain low. To date, only 22.5% of Americans received an annual COVID-19 shot from 2023.