Imagine you’re a doctor treating a patient’s recently reattached finger.

Should you prescribe an antibiotic? No, you already did that. Pain meds? Already done. Hint: Your treatment is slimy and squishy—and alive.

Because it’s a leech!

This bloodsucking worm may have ancient origins in healthcare, but today, it’s still used in rare circumstances—like increasing blood circulation to help reattach a finger, Scott Lifchez, a plastic surgeon and interim director of the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, told us.

Hope you aren’t too squeamish!—CC

Nobody’s perfect, not even AI.

Healthcare professionals are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their workflows, and while the technology can bring increased efficiency, it can also bring a greater risk of errors.

In July, CNN reported the FDA’s AI tool, Elsa, which was made to accelerate drug and medical device approvals, generated fake research studies in its citations. And in early August, the Verge reported Google’s healthcare AI model, Med-Gemini, mentioned a nonexistent body part in a 2024 research paper.

Plus, a study from Mount Sinai health system in New York released on Aug. 2 found AI chatbots are “highly vulnerable” to attacks promoting false medical information.

Given the rising trend of AI use in healthcare, we asked executives from across the industry how leaders should respond when errors occur and what safeguards could be put in place to prevent harm.

Here’s what execs had to say about AI errors.—MA

Welcome back to Signed and Scrubbed, a monthly roundup of hospital deals, developments, and bankruptcies.

This month, UnitedHealth Group officially acquired home health company Amedisys, while Franklin, Tennessee-based health system Community Health Systems (CHS) sold off more hospitals after selling or looking to sell nearly 40 hospitals in the last five years.

We pulled together a list of provider transactions from August. Here’s the rundown.

Baptist Memorial Health Care. On Aug. 20, Memphis, Tennessee-based Baptist Memorial Health Care signed a definitive agreement to purchase 96-bed OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville, Mississippi, from the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors for $55 million. The sale would mark Baptist Memorial’s 25th hospital.

See the full list here.—CM