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October 24, 2026

Takeaways from the most recent news in the technology and policies shaping healthcare.

Hospitals

AdventHealth Turns Its Internal Health Plan Into an Employer Sale

AdventHealth is trying to sell employers a health plan it first built for itself. The Altamonte Springs, Florida-based system launched a narrow-network plan, dubbed the "Select Plan," for its own workforce last year as employer health costs headed toward their steepest annual increase in more than a decade, according to Becker's Hospital Review. That internal model is now the blueprint for a product the system hopes to market to outside employers.

The logic is straightforward. By steering members to AdventHealth's own doctors and hospitals, the system can tighten its network, control costs, and capture premium dollars that would otherwise flow to traditional insurers. It is a bet that AdventHealth can manage care and price more efficiently than the carriers employers currently pay.

The move reflects a broader push by large health systems to move upstream into the insurance business, owning more of the dollar rather than just billing for services. For employers squeezed by rising premiums, a provider-built narrow network promises savings, though it trades breadth of choice for lower cost.

More in Hospitals

Hospitals

Visitor Fatally Shot at HCA Missouri Hospital; Patient Charged

A visitor was fatally shot at HCA Healthcare's Centerpoint Medical Center in Missouri, and patient James Lawson faces second-degree murder charges.

Why it matters: Violence inside hospitals is driving systems to rethink weapons screening and access control to protect patients, staff, and visitors.

Hospitals

Pay Dispute Puts Illinois Hospital's Trauma Status at Risk

An Illinois hospital's level 2 trauma designation is under state review after its anesthesia group suspended services over a missed payment.

Why it matters: A single vendor contract breakdown can strip a hospital of its trauma status and leave a community without nearby emergency surgical care.

Hospitals

Merck-Moderna mRNA Cancer Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Risk 42%

Merck and Moderna's personalized mRNA cancer vaccine cut melanoma recurrence or death by 42% in a phase 3 trial when paired with Keytruda immunotherapy.

Why it matters: A successful phase 3 readout signals that personalized mRNA cancer vaccines are nearing clinical reality for high-risk cancer patients.