In this edition:

• 👬 Hospital margins slip as labor costs rise

• ⚖️ US writes 25k new Wegovy prescriptions each week

• 🍻 Youth alcohol and e-cig use alarming, W.H.O. says

• 💻 Optum shuts down telehealth segment

• 💸 Steward Health files for bankruptcy, owes more than $600M

• And more!

Hopsital margins slip as labor costs rise

The nation's hospitals booked thinner operating margins in March thanks to lower volumes and revenues combined with rising labor costs, according to Kaufman Hall's latest National Hospital Flash Report.

The consultants say that health system can expect much of the same going forward as they also contend with growing bad debt and charity care. 

Outpatient volumes fell 5% in March, which KH attributed to "the competitive challenges of providing outpatient care."

The Kaufman Hall Calendar Year to Date Operating Margin Index—a measure of hospital profitability—was 3.9% in March, a 0.2 percentage point drop from 4.1% in February.

Youth alcohol and e-cig use alarming

The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm on the use of alcohol and electronic cigarettes in adolescents, calling the widespread use “alarming” in a new analysis.

The WHO, in a report published Thursday, said their findings show a “concerning picture” of substance use in youth, according to data from ages 11, 13 and 15 years.

They said the findings demonstrate how “available and normalized alcohol” is for young people and called for improved policy measures to prevent harm.

The WHO said the findings demonstrate how “available and normalized alcohol” is for young people and called for improved policy measures to prevent harm.