Checking the pulse of Florida health care news and policy

Welcome back to Diagnosis, a vertical focused on the intersection of health care policy and politics.

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— SachsHEALTH —

Sachs Media is widening its reach in the health policy space with the debut of SachsHEALTH, a new division aimed at helping health care and life sciences organizations navigate regulatory battles and public affairs campaigns nationwide.

SachsHEALTH will center on public affairs strategy, advocacy and issue campaigns across state capitals and Washington, reflecting what the firm sees as a policy landscape increasingly shaped by multiple decision-makers acting at once — from Governors and state Legislatures to federal regulators and Congress.

“Health care policy and regulation today are shaped in 50 states concurrently. Governors, state Legislatures, CMS, and Congress are all moving on the same issues at the same time, and often in opposite directions,” said Ryan Cohn, partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Sachs Media. “SachsHEALTH gives our clients a team that can run real campaigns on each of those fronts at the same time.”

Cohn will oversee the division while continuing to guide the firm’s broader strategy, growth and innovation efforts.

Sachs Media is also adding Byron Johnson as vice president of Health to help lead the practice alongside Cohn. Johnson brings more than two decades of experience in health care communications and public affairs, most recently with FleishmanHillard, and has led campaigns for companies such as Pfizer, Philips, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Humana.

“After two decades inside health care companies and the agencies that serve them, I know the difference between a firm that hands you a strategy deck and one that picks up the phone when a bill drops in a statehouse at 10 p.m.,” Johnson said.

— Empath in Ocala —

Empath Health has opened a new dementia-focused center in Ocala to expand support for caregivers and improve how communities respond to the growing number of diagnoses across North Central Florida.

The Empath Dementia Education and Care Center, located at the Empath Hospice of Marion County Helen “Mimi” Walker Campus, officially launched Friday with a ribbon-cutting attended by local leaders, health care professionals and state officials.

More than 14,000 Marion County residents are currently living with dementia, a number expected to climb as Florida’s population continues to age. The new center is designed to serve as a regional hub for education, care coordination and day services for individuals with dementia and those who care for them.

Empath Health CEO Jonathan Fleece said the facility will bring multiple layers of support under one roof.

“Dementia affects not just the individual, but entire families and communities,” Fleece said. “By bringing together care coordination, education and specialized day services in one location, we are creating a resource that will help families, caregivers, first responders and community partners respond with greater understanding and compassion.”

The project was backed by a mix of private philanthropy and public funding, including a $750,000 state appropriation secured during the 2025 Legislative Session. In total, nearly $2 million has been raised to support the center and its programming.

“By investing in the Hospice of Marion County Nancy Renyhart Center for Dementia Education, we are providing Florida caregivers with groundbreaking, scientifically proven tools to manage the complexities of dementia,” Sen. Stan McClain said. “This center isn’t just a building; this initiative transforms a former hospice home into a vital resource for our community; it’s a commitment to the 720,000 Florida residents projected to be living with this disease by 2030.”

The center will house several key programs, including Empath GUIDE, a federally recognized care coordination model; the Nancy Renyhart Dementia Education Program, which provides training for long-term care providers, caregivers and first responders; and a licensed adult day center offering specialized services and respite support.

Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, who also supported the funding effort, said the center fills a critical gap in regional services.

“I was proud to help secure state funding for this project during the 2025 Legislative Session, and I’m grateful to see the Nancy Renyhart Dementia Education Center become a resource that will serve caregivers, families, and first responders across our region.”

— Making the grade —

HCA Florida North Florida Hospital has again earned national recognition for patient care, landing on Healthgrades’ list of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for 2026.

The Gainesville-based hospital has now made the list for four consecutive years, placing it in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance, according to the health care ratings organization.

The latest honor builds on additional rankings released last Fall, when Healthgrades named the hospital No. 1 in the nation for gastrointestinal surgery and placed it among the top five for several other specialties, including surgical care, joint replacement, orthopedic surgery, GI care and vascular surgery.

“HCA Florida North Florida Hospital is honored by Healthgrades’ recognition of our exceptional team’s dedication to providing the highest quality of patient care,” said CEO Gabe Bullaro. “As a top-performing hospital, our focus is always on saving and improving lives, and this recognition underscores our hospital’s long-standing commitment to our community.”

Healthgrades determines its rankings based on patient outcomes, evaluating risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates across more than 30 common conditions and procedures at roughly 4,500 hospitals nationwide.

The organization’s latest analysis also found significant performance gaps between top- and lower-ranked hospitals, estimating that more than 211,000 lives could have been saved between 2022 and 2024 if all facilities had performed at the level of those in the top tier.

“This year’s America’s Best Hospitals list gives patients a clearer picture of where high-quality care is delivered most consistently,” said Dr. Alana Biggers, a medical adviser at Healthgrades. “Patients can feel confident in their decision to seek care at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, a hospital that is setting the standard for clinical excellence nationwide.”

— New boss —

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has selected David VanMeter to serve as executive director of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.

VanMeter steps into the role after more than two decades with the VA, most recently serving as Deputy Medical Center Director for the Tampa VA Healthcare System. He previously held leadership roles there as Associate Director and earlier served as Assistant Director at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Missouri.

In Bay Pines, he will oversee an operation with a $1.5 billion a year operating budget and more than 5,100 employees. The sprawling health system, which serves roughly 111,000 veterans a year, includes a Level 1A complexity medical center and eight community-based outpatient clinics spanning Bradenton, Lee County, North Pinellas, Naples, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Sebring and St. Petersburg. 

In announcing the appointment, VISN 8 leadership pointed to VanMeter’s experience overseeing complex health care operations and managing large-scale systems as key assets for the Bay Pines network, which is part of the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network — the nation’s largest VA system.

“We are thrilled with this appointment of Mr. VanMeter,” Acting VISN 8 Director David Dunning said. “His proven leadership qualities and experience will be an asset for the facility, the employees and volunteers, and most importantly, for the Veterans we are honored to serve.”

VanMeter is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been recognized for his leadership during Hurricane Katrina response and recovery efforts. He holds a dual bachelor’s degree in business administration and financial management, as well as a master’s degree in healthcare administration, both from the University of Kentucky.

 — Second opinion —

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott wants federal health agencies to take a hard look at potential Chinese government involvement in U.S. clinical trials and drug approvals.

In a letter sent to leaders at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration, Scott called for an immediate review of applications tied to entities with links to the Chinese Communist Party, including a reassessment of any expedited approvals already granted.

The push centers in part on a China-based biotech firm, Bioheng, also known as Imviva, which Scott says has received authorization to proceed under an investigational new drug application along with priority regulatory designations. He flagged concerns about a model in which therapies are developed and processed overseas — potentially in China — before being administered to U.S. patients, with related data transmitted abroad.

Scott argued the arrangement could expose sensitive patient data, complicate regulatory oversight and create vulnerabilities in quality control for advanced treatments like cell and gene therapies.

More broadly, Scott is calling for stricter guardrails across the system, including mandatory national security screening for clinical trial applications, expanded disclosure of foreign funding and partnerships, and limits on sending identifiable U.S. patient data to foreign adversaries.

Scott asked the agencies to provide a detailed response to his letter — including any planned policy changes and steps to review existing trials — within 60 days.

— ICYMI —

“Florida targeted in expanding federal Medicaid fraud probe” via Kellie Cowan of Fox 13 Tampa Bay — Federal health officials have expanded a nationwide investigation into Medicaid fraud — and Florida is now under scrutiny. The move makes Florida the fifth state to face fallout as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to crack down on fraud and abuse in government health programs. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), called the level of fraud in Florida “horrifying.” In a post on X, Oz described the state as a hotspot for health care fraud, alleging that bad actors have stolen “tens of billions of taxpayer dollars” intended for vulnerable populations. While similar probes have been announced in other states, Florida is the first Republican-led state to be publicly targeted in this latest round of investigations.

“‘Systemic failures’: Report links patient deaths in Florida to missed monitoring in state hospitals” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — A new report from Disability Rights Florida says at least six deaths inside the state’s mental health hospitals over the past five years were preventable and stemmed in part from missed safety checks, falsified records and broader failures in oversight. “These are not isolated incidents,” Disability Rights Florida Executive Director Cherie Hall said in a statement. “These are systemic failures in facilities responsible for the care of some of Florida’s most vulnerable individuals.” Patients continue to die, Disability Rights Florida said, because Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) “has not made the kind of systemic reforms necessary to prevent these problems across its system of care.”

“They didn’t want to have C-sections. A judge would decide how they gave birth.” via Amy Yurkanin of ProPublica — Mentally competent patients typically have the right to choose their medical care, or refuse it. But there is one notable exception: pregnant patients. That inconsistency is particularly striking in Florida, a state that has pushed to expand medical freedom for those who wish to avoid vaccines or fluoridated water, while constricting the rights of people in various stages of pregnancy. “There aren’t any other instances where you would invade the body of one person to save the life of another,” said Lois Shepherd, a bioethics expert at the University of Virginia School of Law. In Florida and many other states, court-ordered medical procedures are just one of the ways pregnant patients’ rights are restricted. The effort to chip away at those rights is rooted in the concept of fetal personhood — that a fetus has equal and, in some cases, more rights than the woman sustaining it.

— RULES —

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s final rule (64B15-13.001) regarding continuing education for biennial renewal goes into effect on Thursday. More here.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s final rule (64B15-14.001) regarding advertising goes into effect on Thursday. More here.

The Board of Medicine’s final rule (64B15-13.005) regarding continuing education for biennial renewal goes into effect on Thursday. More here.

The Board of Medicine’s final rule (64B15-11.001) regarding advertising goes into effect on Thursday. More here.

— PENCIL IT IN —

March 30

Happy birthday to Rep. Fabián Basabe!

March 31

Happy birthday to Rep. Dana Trabulsy!