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The article reports on the failure of Thomas Jefferson University to acquire Fox Chase Cancer Center from Temple University due to COVID-19. Topics discussed include remarks from Dr. Stephen Klasko, president of Thomas Jefferson University and chief executive officer (CEO) of Jefferson Health, estimated cost of the COVID-19 to hospitals from March to June 2020, and the operating loss reported by Jefferson Health through the first half of its fiscal 2020 ended Dec. 31, 2019.

The article reports that diagnostic errors are one of the most common mistakes in medicine that affect one in 20 adults, according to a study published in the "BMJ." Priority has been given to other types of clinical mistakes despite the prevalence of diagnostic errors. The study outlines goals for the industry to improve diagnostic accuracy. Healthcare group Northwell Health joined the Coalition to Improve Diagnostics to focus on best practices that address the leading causes of the errors.

The article reports that U.S. Health & Human Services Secreteary Alex Azar has doubled down on promises to overhaul the Medicare billing structures to lower government costs. Topics mentioned include transition of the healthcare system to value-based care, request of U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for information on the Stark law, and Azar's promise to use regulation to take aim at the improved privacy law around substance addiction treatment.

An interview with Laura Kaiser, chief executive officer at SSM Health, is presented. Topics mentioned include her approach to promoting value-based care and risk-based contracts, her plans for the growth of SSM Health in 2018, the implementation of a financial improvement plan, and her ideas to dealing with the increases in the prices of specialty drugs.

The article discusses the healthcare agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump. Topics covered include the potential impact of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump's reservations in restructuring the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and President Trump's plan of taking on the pharmaceutical industry and controlling prescription drug prices. It also discusses other major healthcare issues that President Trump must face and resolve according to the author.

The article lists healthcare-related proposals for 2017, including the reauthorization of finding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, provision of appropriate funding for opioid addiction and behavioral health services, and renewal of expiring Medicare extenders.

An interview with president and chief executive officer (CEO) Wright Lassiter III of Henry Ford Health System is presented. Topics covered include Lassiter's health care priorities for 2017, his views with regards to the standardizing practices across the health system in the U.S., and Henry Ford Health System's acquisitions of Allegiance Health and HealthPlus of Michigan. Lassiter also talks about his experience as CEO in other health care companies, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal.

The article discusses the move of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to tweak her healthcare platform to more strongly embrace a public plan option in the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges and Bernie Sanders' endorsement of her for the nomination in July 2016. Topics mentioned include Sanders' recognition of Hilton's agenda, the uncertainty on the Republican side about presumptive nominee Donald Trump's plans, and the election's implications for the future of healthcare.

The article presents an interview with Marna Borgstrom, chief executive officer (CEO) of Yale-New Haven Health System in Connecticut. Topics discussed include the commitment of the academic medical center to providing high quality service to patients and their families, the costs associated with the operations and training programs of Yale-New Haven, and her concerns relating to patient safety and clinical quality.

The article offers suggestions of holiday gifts for the U.S. healthcare system. Topics discussed include book "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" by Atul Gawande for long-term health care providers, authorization for officials at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to move nation's providers from fee-for-service to pay-for-value medicine, and support from leadership for hospital safety and quality officials to reduce the harm in healthcare facilities.