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Notes from inside the practice.

Real healthcare and health-tech news, curated by Sphere — prior authorization, claim denials, interoperability and clinical AI, with links to the original reporting.

Latest videoAug 04, 2026

Getting paid shouldn't be a mystery

A conversation with Sphere's co-founder on why insurance communication is still the hardest, least visible part of running a practice.

Founder interviewOct 05, 2026

Founder interview: Stefaniya Barabanava of Sphere Health

Stefaniya shares why healthcare operations intelligence is arriving now, how Sphere's founders work together, and what it takes to turn deep practice knowledge into a system that can scale.

HackerNoonOriginal source

IndustryAug 18, 2026

AAMC: The physician workforce is shrinking faster than residency slots can fill

New AAMC data projects a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with primary care, rural care and surgical subspecialties facing the widest gaps.

AAMCOriginal source

RegulationAug 12, 2026

CMS puts hospitals on notice for missing price transparency data

Hundreds of hospitals received warning letters for failing to publish machine-readable files, as CMS ramps up enforcement of federal price transparency rules.

CMS.govOriginal source

ResearchAug 06, 2026

Ambient listening may reduce cognitive burden but not total EHR time

A new JAMA Network Open study finds ambient documentation tools shift work from typing to reviewing, with mixed effects on physician burnout measures.

JAMA Network OpenOriginal source

RevenueAug 04, 2026

Payers don't have an AI problem — they have an infrastructure problem

KPMG advisors argue that clean claims keep bouncing and prior authorizations keep stalling because payers deploy AI as isolated tools instead of integrating data, decisions and workflows.

HIT ConsultantOriginal source

RevenueJul 29, 2026

Appeals win 60% of the time, but most patients never file them

Healthcare Dive analysis of insurer data shows that when patients and providers appeal denials, the majority succeed — yet the appeal process remains too opaque to navigate.

Healthcare DiveOriginal source

PolicyJul 17, 2026

Insurers hedge on the pledge to fix the denials process

A year after dozens of insurers signed a six-part pledge to reduce barriers to doctor-recommended care, some say they won't implement all of it — and clinicians report little has changed.

KFF Health NewsOriginal source

ResearchJun 03, 2026

JAMA: AI scribes cut documentation time for ambulatory clinicians

A multisite study of 8,581 clinicians offers the largest controlled evidence yet that ambient scribes reduce EHR time — modest overall, but meaningful for the heaviest documenters.

Telehealth.orgOriginal source

PolicyMay 06, 2026

Who regulates AI in prior authorization and claims review?

KFF maps the emerging patchwork of federal and state consumer protections governing how insurers may use AI to approve or deny care.

KFFOriginal source

IndustryApr 24, 2026

UnitedHealth and CVS standardize half of prior authorizations

The insurers say they have standardized data and submission requirements for more than half of their prior authorizations as part of an industry push to cut delays and paperwork.

ReutersOriginal source

RegulationApr 10, 2026

CMS proposes faster, standards-based prior authorization for drugs

The 2026 Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs proposed rule extends FHIR-based turnaround requirements to Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP and Marketplace plans.

CMS NewsroomOriginal source

RevenueMar 24, 2026

Two-thirds of insured adults call denials a major problem

KFF's analysis of ACA Marketplace transparency data shows how often claims are denied — and how rarely those denials are appealed.

KFFOriginal source

InteroperabilityFeb 11, 2026

TEFCA nears 500 million health records exchanged

HHS reports the national interoperability network has crossed a half-billion record exchanges, as ASTP/ONC leans on data standards and AI to cut administrative burden.

HHS.govOriginal source

ResearchJan 28, 2026

Nearly two-thirds of Epic hospitals have adopted ambient AI

A nationwide Emory study finds ambient documentation tools are now mainstream in US hospitals — but adoption is uneven across rural and safety-net settings.

Emory Rollins School of Public HealthOriginal source

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