MultiCare Health System has filed a lawsuit against Optum and its subsidiary Change Healthcare in Washington federal court, alleging that Change Healthcare failed to properly manage coding and billing for its anesthesia services at Capital Medical Center, leaving about $1.2 million in claims unpaid and unrecoverable after processing delays and missed submission windows. MultiCare says it repeatedly raised concerns about billing issues in late 2023 and early 2024 and even issued a breach-of-contract notice in August 2024, but the problems persisted; after a wind-down period, the outstanding claims remained and MultiCare says it cannot mitigate its losses. The system is seeking at least $1.2 million in damages, and the defendants deny the allegations. Change Healthcare merged with Optum in 2022, and the case was moved from King County Superior Court to federal court.

MultiCare Files Suit Against Optum, Change Healthcare For Unpaid Claims Becker's Hospital Review

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an artificial intelligence model named Prima that can read and diagnose brain MRI scans in seconds, achieving diagnostic accuracy as high as 97.5% across more than 50 neurological conditions and outperforming other advanced AI tools in performance testing. The system, trained on over 200,000 historical MRI studies and associated clinical data, not only identifies neurological issues rapidly but also prioritizes the urgency of cases and suggests appropriate specialist alerts, which could significantly streamline clinical workflows and reduce strain on radiology services. Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the team says the innovation has the potential to transform neuroimaging practices by delivering fast, accurate insights that improve diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes.

North Star Health Alliance (NSHA), a rural non-profit healthcare system serving Northern New York, announced that it and three of its affiliates—Carthage Area Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, and Meadowbrook Terrace—have filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions to begin a court-supervised financial restructuring aimed at stabilizing their finances and ensuring long-term sustainability, while keeping all facilities open and maintaining normal operations, services, and employee pay throughout the process; the decision follows a gap between operating costs and revenue driven by factors such as reimbursement changes, higher expenses, legacy revenue collection issues, and external pressures like cyber attacks, and is intended to preserve access to quality care and protect the system’s workforce and community role.

NY-Based Rural Health System, Three Affiliates File For Bankruptcy BusinessWire

Ryan M. Cameron has been appointed executive vice president and chief information and innovation officer at Children’s Nebraska, succeeding his previous role as vice president of technology and innovation, where he led enterprise digital strategy, AI and IT governance initiatives that improved clinical care, operational efficiency and patient experience. In his new position, Cameron will drive the health system’s broader digital strategy, cybersecurity, innovation, and data and analytics capabilities, building on accomplishments like launching the Mammel Innovation Center, expanding 3D printing programs, and implementing virtual reality and digital therapeutics for behavioral health.

Ryan Cameron Named Chief Innovation and Information Officer at Children's Nebraska HealthcareITNews