Healthcare company bankruptcies spiked in 2023 amid high interest rates, rising labor and supply costs, and an uptick in denials from payers, according to a January report from healthcare restructuring firm Gibbins Advisors.

Seventy-nine healthcare companies filed for bankruptcy in 2023—the highest number since 2019, which saw 51 bankruptcies, according to the report. The volume of bankruptcies last year was nearly 2x as high as 2022 and over 3x the level seen in 2021.

“We saw a dramatic increase in healthcare bankruptcy filings in 2023, continuing the trend which began in mid-2022,” Clare Moylan, co-founder and principal at Gibbins Advisors, said in a statement. “Key observations from 2023 are the return of large bankruptcy cases with over $100 million in liabilities, and a spike in hospital filings, both of which appear to primarily be a result of Covid-19 pandemic-related protections ending.”

Keep reading here.—MA

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2024 is set to be a game changer in the medical world—and the start of a new era. GE HealthCare President and CEO Peter Arduini says that in “the next 10 years, we may see some of the most profound changes in healthcare, more so than the whole last 100 put together.”

So, what’s to come?

GE HealthCare has the scoop in The Trends Reshaping Healthcare. You’ll get top-notch insight on how technology is delivering more accessible, cost-effective models of care as well as a stat-packed analysis of healthcare’s next frontier.

Curious about what kind of breakthroughs GE HealthCare discusses? You’ll get deets on:

• precision healthcare
• artificial intelligence
• democratized healthcare

Prepare to navigate a new frontier.

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled this month that frozen embryos have the same legal protections as children—a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for fertility care in the state.

The court ruled in a 7–2 decision that frozen embryos, such as those used for in vitro fertilization (IVF), are protected under the Alabama Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. Justice Jay Mitchell wrote that the act “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.”

It’s unclear how fertility clinics could dispose of unused frozen embryos without violating the law, or what would happen if embryos didn’t survive transfer into a patient’s uterus.

Keep reading here.—MA

What’s the most compelling tech project you’ve worked on, and why?

My work at AudioCardio, a digital health company focused on reversing hearing loss and relieving tinnitus (ringing in the ears), has been my most compelling work thus far. Our mission is to provide hope and an easily accessible and affordable solution for people all over the world.

Although it impacts more than 500 million people globally, hearing loss is often overlooked and ignored, with very little innovation in the hearing industry over the last 50 years. However, we now know untreated hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of dementia, falling, depression, and many other secondary physical and mental health issues. The stories we hear from our customers about the impact AudioCardio has made on their lives are what drive our organization.

Keep reading at Tech Brew.—AS

Ready to ride healthcare’s next wave? Medical breakthroughs and technological innovations are pushing healthcare to a new frontier—meaning 2024 is gonna be one for the books. GE HealthCare covers everything you need to know, from insights on AI to an overview of democratized healthcare. Dive into the future.