The Healthcare week,distilled.

The US-based non-profit hospital chain Bon Secours is in advanced negotiations to acquire Surgery Partners, a company backed by the private equity firm Bain Capital.

Bon Secours Mercy Health is in advanced negotiations to acquire a majority stake in Surgery Partners.

Smith & Nephew and Johnson & Johnson's orthopaedics unit were in negotiations for a potential merger.

The private equity firm EQT has announced the acquisition of the molecular diagnostics company Qiagen.

Abbott Laboratories announced plans to spin off its Nutrition business into a separate, independent, publicly traded company.

Redesign Health and ARC Global have announced a merger to create an end-to-end healthcare innovation platform valued at approximately $2 billion.

Cencora has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 75% majority stake in the American Oncology Network (AON) for approximately $1.7 billion, valuing the network at $2.4 billion.

Private equity firm EQT AB is in advanced negotiations to acquire the molecular testing company Qiagen NV.

McCarthy Building Companies reports that an AI-assisted workflow developed with Palantir Technologies and Nvidia saves approximately 30,000 work hours annually.

Neko Health offers a comprehensive health screening service priced at $499.

UK-based startup Cerebella has launched Cerebella Foundations, a self-guided program designed by cognitive neuroscientists to help women manage menopause-related brain fog.

DHL Global Forwarding has expanded its air freight network by launching new corridors between Cincinnati, USA, and major hubs in Asia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a subcutaneous induction regimen for AbbVie's Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa) to treat adults with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease.

Wave Neuroscience, in collaboration with the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology, has received FDA clearance for a personalized brain stimulation treatment for PTSD.

Microsoft has announced its GPT-5-powered Diagnostic Orchestrator, a system utilizing AI agents that simulate expert medical panels.

Xavier University of Louisiana announced plans to establish the fifth historically Black medical school in the United States.

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board continues to fund research at Bangor University despite facing criticism regarding the clinical benefits for patients.

Goldman Sachs has increased its 12-month price target for Eli Lilly stock to $1,413 from $1,371 ahead of the company's earnings report scheduled for October 29, 2026.

Kyle Robertson, the co-founder of a Florida-based network of drug treatment and mental health centers, is facing scrutiny as his company explores a municipal bond sale.

Molina Healthcare reported a third-quarter 2026 profit of $38 million, a decrease from $79 million in the same period of 2025.

EyeCare Partners is finalizing an agreement with its creditors to sell assets and repay its debt at a discount.

The Department of Health has decided to withdraw £1.5 million in funding from a haematology centre project for cancer patients.

Elevance Health Inc. raised its full-year profit guidance following a stronger-than-expected third quarter in 2026.

Miami-based startup OpenEvidence, founded by Daniel Nadler, has reached a $15 billion valuation after raising $250 million in a September 2026 funding round.

A suspect involved in a deadly shooting in a Paris suburb has been sent for psychiatric observation.

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron announced that the AMC Kips Bay 15 movie theater in New York City will close on January 3, 2027.

A trade association has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The trial of seven healthcare professionals accused of negligence in the 2020 death of Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona has concluded in Argentina.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed appeals in the case of Hemmings v. Padmore, upholding a $12 million liability judgment against anesthesiologist Dr. Neil Jamensky for brain damage caused during a cesarean section.

A General Practitioner (GP) in the United Kingdom alleges she was forced out of her job in 2026 following an investigation.

Nathan Young and David Young, based in Los Angeles, California, were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with orchestrating a $1.6 billion substance abuse treatment fraud scheme.

Also: 25 Oct — futurism.com

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from the Trump administration to restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender inmates in federal prisons.

Microsoft researchers published a study in the journal Science demonstrating that their new AI model, Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO), outperformed generalist physicians in diagnostic accuracy.

KFF's 2026 annual benchmark health benefits survey reveals that workers' average annual contribution for employer-sponsored family health coverage rose 9% to $7,471, an increase of $621 from 2025.

Microsoft announced a new AI-powered diagnostic tool, Diagnostic Orchestrator, which outperformed human physicians in diagnostic accuracy tests using medical case reports and emergency department data from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Two peer-reviewed studies from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimate that extreme heat caused over 50,000 excess deaths in European urban areas during the summer of 2026.

Also: 22 Oct — grist.org

CrowdStrike Counter Adversary Operations identified four threat actors using agentic AI frameworks for cyberattacks between May and August 2026.