1. Hospitals lose appeal in CMS outlier payment case Full story

2. 6 hospitals laying off workers Full story

3. CMS ups payments for at-home COVID-19 vaccines again Full story

4. Health systems often overlook a critical factor that influences patient outcomes — see what it is here.

5. Arkansas hospital CEO resigns after 2 no-confidence votes Full story

6. House passes $3.5 trillion budget framework Full story

7. MedStar tightens insurer network, limiting Medicaid patient choices Full story

8. Florida hospital terminates physician who charged $50 for mask opt-out letters Full story

9. The right tech can accelerate patient care. Click here to learn how the best health systems are scaling genetic testing.

10. Geisinger's operating income grows fivefold through first half of year Full story

11. 74% of insurers are worried they won't meet No Surprises Act requirements Full story

12. 10 states with highest COVID-19 case increases in last 2 weeks Full story

13. What digital solution is driving efficiency across 4 key healthcare service lines? Click here to find out.

14. 11 Epic EHR contracts, go-lives in 2021 Full story

15. Daily COVID-19 stats, state-by-state:

• Test positivity rates
• Hospitalizations
• Death rates
• Vaccines administered
• Population fully vaccinated

Becker's Learning Opportunities

1. Patients deserve to get the most out of their care. Here's how to make sure they do.

2. Can analytics solve hospitals' capacity issues? Here's what leaders from CommonSpirit, Mount Sinai and others think.

3. 18,000 consumers weighed in on customer experience preferences. Here are 4 need-to-know takeaways for healthcare organizations.