LifePoint Health and Kindred Healthcare are spinning off a new hospital company. Merck signs a licensing deal to let companies countries produce its antiviral covid pill. And health systems are starting new ventures to compete with electronic health record giants.

Elementary school kids are one step closer to getting COVID vaccines. Utah hospitals call on people to donate unused crutches amid supply shortages. And two new players launch pharmacy benefit managers.

Today an FDA panel is deciding whether to recommend Pfizer’s covid vaccine for young kids. Northeastern states pass new laws limiting nursing home profits. And several states reject bids to expand advanced practice providers’ scope of practice.

In the final episode of our series exploring investor acquisitions of physician practices, we’ll look at the hospital-based physician market, including emergency physicians, hospitalists, and anesthesiologists, which private equity firms started rolling up in the early 2000s. 

As Democrats pare down their social spending package some healthcare benefits are on the chopping block. Pediatric providers declare a national mental health emergency for kids. And Amazon Care is expanding to five more cities.  

Ahead of regulatory approval, the Biden Administration lays out plans to distribute COVID vaccine plans to young kids. The FDA kicked off the process of making hearing aids available over the counter. And more than 30,000 Kaiser Permanente employees authorized a strike.

Where will healthcare workers who refuse to get vaccinated work after mandates are implemented? Despite warnings that ivermectin doesn’t help treat COVID, overseas generic drug makers are making big bucks off the medication. And UnitedHealthcare launches a virtual-first primary care plan.

Instead of spotlighting the importance of the local public health officials, the pandemic has led to a public backlash against them. Large health systems are joining forces to lobby for hospital-at-home waivers to become permanent. And Walmart enters the employer-sponsored coverage market.

Some have warned that the rapid growth of PE-backed practices is reminiscent of the rise and fall of physician practice management companies of the 1990s. In the second part of our series about the impact of private equity investment in physician practice on the healthcare market, we’ll hear from Peter Kindrachuk, a former PhyCor executive, on how today’s trend compares to what happened back then.

Walgreens moves further into care delivery and launches a new health division. The FDA’s vaccine panel recommends Moderna booster shots. And the agency authorizes its first e-cigarette, but only the tobacco flavor.