health systems

The United Nations General Assembly is convening its second High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, with the World Health Organization among the participating bodies. The meeting is expected to review global progress since the first session and discuss how countries can better coordinate on early warning systems, equity in vaccines and treatments, and financing for future health emergencies.

The European Parliament is calling on the European Commission to provide funding to address a shortage of roughly one million health workers across the EU. The appeal highlights growing strain on healthcare systems struggling with staff shortages, and pushes Brussels to commit money to training, recruitment and retention of medical personnel.

Tensions are rising in US healthcare over the use of artificial intelligence, with insurance payers and care providers clashing over how AI is deployed. Insurers increasingly use algorithms for claims review and prior authorization, while providers argue the tools delay or deny care and add administrative burdens. Health system leaders are calling for oversight and regulation as both sides race to adopt AI.

The Marshall Project reports on how incarcerated people in the United States are exposed to dangerous temperature extremes, from overheated cells in summer to freezing tents and poorly heated units in winter. The reporting highlights gaps in climate control, ventilation and policy across prison systems, and the health risks inmates face as heat waves and cold snaps become more severe.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein says he will not oppose the proposed merger between Atrium Health, the state's largest healthcare system, and Raleigh-based WakeMed. The combination would create one of the biggest hospital networks in North Carolina, with state regulators and residents watching closely for what it means for healthcare costs and access in the Triangle region.

European efforts to harmonise cross-border digital identity in healthcare are in focus, centred on the MyHealth@EU architecture, the EU's framework for exchanging patient health data across member states. The discussion covers how a unified digital identity could let citizens access and share medical records securely when treatment occurs in another EU country. Interoperability, data protection and national system compatibility remain the key challenges being weighed.

Heise online reports on a digital health podcast episode about a robot that measures vital data in patients with concussions. The technology is being discussed in the context of digitalization and robotics in healthcare, with attention to how automated systems could support diagnosis and monitoring of brain injuries.

A new opinion piece argues that the bail system is being used as a de facto mental health system, holding people in jail not because of flight risk or danger but because they lack treatment options. The author contends this conflates criminal justice with psychiatric care and calls for investment in proper mental health services instead.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has voted to approve the university's representatives to the Nebraska Medicine board. The move formalises which officials will sit on the governing body of the health system that works closely with the university's medical centre. Details on the individual representatives and the terms of the arrangement were not immediately available.