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October 31, 2026

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

Hospitals

Rady Children's CEO Signals Succession After 29 Years

By Healthcare Technology News ·

Kimberly Chavalas Cripe, one of the longest-tenured executives in children's healthcare, is openly preparing for life after the corner office. After 35 years in the same system and 29 as president and CEO, Cripe told Becker's Hospital Review she "can't wait" to meet her successor, whenever that moment arrives.

Cripe joined Children's Hospital of Orange County in 1991 and became CEO in 1997. In 2025, CHOC integrated with San Diego-based Rady Children's Health, creating a far larger pediatric organization and raising the stakes on who leads it next. Long-tenured founders and chief executives often shape culture, strategy, and philanthropy in ways that are hard to replace, making an orderly handoff critical.

For the broader industry, the comment is a reminder that succession planning is a governance test, not an afterthought. Pediatric systems face thin margins, workforce shortages, and complex integrations. Boards that line up and develop the next leader early protect continuity when a defining executive finally steps aside.

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Hospitals

Hackensack Meridian First in Northeast to Offer Pixclara

Hackensack Meridian Health is the first Northeast hospital network to offer Pixclara, an FDA-approved PET imaging drug for assessing brain cancer, at its Hoboken, N.J. imaging site.

Why it matters: Advanced PET tracers like Pixclara improve the precision of brain cancer diagnosis, and early adoption lets health systems differentiate their imaging capabilities.

Hospitals

Locum Tenens Emerges as a Fix for Maternity Care Deserts

Hospitals facing a wave of labor and delivery closures are turning to flexible locum tenens staffing to keep maternity units open.

Why it matters: Every L&D closure pushes childbirth farther away and raises risk for mothers and babies, making flexible staffing a lifeline for access.