The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Jan. 15 that the estimated volume of improper payments for Medicare fee-for-service care in fiscal 2025 was nearly $29 billion while the number for Medicare managed care was in excess of $23 billion.

As the momentum and interest in brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies continue to accelerate, Merge Labs has emerged with an investment from OpenAI in its seed round. Merge Labs says it plans to develop next-generation BCIs capable of interacting with the brain at high bandwidth, integrating with advanced AI, and doing so in ways that are safe and accessible to everyone.

Rhythm Biosciences Ltd. launched a new genetype colorectal cancer risk assessment clinical test that incorporates clinical and lifestyle risk factors alongside its established 140-SNP polygenic risk score to identify people at elevated risk of colorectal cancer. The test supports more targeted screening and complements Melbourne-based Rhythm’s Colostat blood-based CRC detection test, which debuted in Australia in December 2025.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has cracked open its coverage policy for transcatheter aortic valve replacement devices a second time, and a wide range of stakeholders are providing feedback. Where the agency will land on questions such as the need for continued evidence development is difficult to predict, however, given that the agency is hearing anything but unanimity on the question.