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Industry M&A may be no savior as the pace of hospital closures, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas, seems poised to accelerate. Hospitals have been closing at a rate of about 30 a year, according to the American Hospital Association, and patients living far from major cities may be left with even fewer hospital choices as insurers push them toward online providers like Teladoc Inc. and clinics such as CVS Health Corp’s MinuteClinic. (Flanagan, 8/21)

The top administrator of Multnomah County's mental health services is on leave, pending an internal investigation over how his department handled complaints about Portland's psychiatric crisis center and other health care providers. David Hidalgo, director of Mental Health and Addiction Services, was placed on indefinite leave last Wednesday. Joan Rice, the quality manager for the health department, is also on leave. She serves as the de facto clearinghouse for complaints and ultimately decides what to do with them. (Harbarger, 8/21)

Baylor Scott & White Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in Texas, is joining more than a dozen health care providers across the nation to try to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of caring for Medicaid patients. Called the "Medicaid Transformation Project," the national effort is designed to "transform health care and related social needs" for the more than 67 million Americans who rely on Medicaid for care, according to Avia, a network used by hospitals and health systems that focuses on innovation. The official announcement of the project was expected Wednesday. (Robinson-Jacobs, 8/22)

After opening two clinics in retail stores this spring, Allina Health System has plans for four more by March as part of a broader effort to make it easier for patients to get quick care for basic ailments. In a financial statement this month, Minneapolis-based Allina disclosed the expansion plans, which will feature clinics inside Hy-Vee grocery stores that treat a limited set of health problems. (Snowbeck, 8/21)

The University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus on Tuesday announced a $120 million gift that school leaders say will help them recruit more physicians and scientists to the growing Aurora campus. CU officials said the gift, which is the largest private commitment in the medical campus’s history, came from The Anschutz Foundation and its founder and chair, Philip Anschutz. With the pledge, the foundation has invested nearly $300 million in the medical campus since 2000, according to the university. (Seaman, 8/21)