Health care news from around the web: February 13 – 17, 2023

Push to ban noncompete agreements could have big implications for health care 

A push to ban noncompete agreements that limit a worker’s ability to leave their job for a competitor could cause a major shake-up in the health care industry, where the agreements have become pervasive among doctors and nurses. 

ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors 

A new staffing strategy has permeated hospitals, and particularly emergency rooms, that seek to reduce their top expense: physician labor.  

HHS unveils 3 new drug price models 

The Department of Health and Human Services is taking aim at high prescription drug costs through three new programs. The models are designed to make medications more affordable for Medicare and Medicaid recipients and the CMS Innovation Center will test them. 

Feds blur nursing home ownership lines with new transparency rule: critics 

Some nursing home owners and advocates are criticizing federal officials for lumping together private equity investors and health care-focused real estate investment trusts in a yearlong focus on transparency.