Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Nebraska Becomes First State to Launch Medicaid Work Requirements, Putting 70,000 Enrollees at Risk
Nebraska became the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements on May 1, 2026, affecting roughly 70,000 ACA expansion enrollees. Under the new rules, beneficiaries must prove they work, volunteer, or attend school at least 80 hours per month or risk losing coverage. Healthcare advocates warned ahead of launch that Nebraska’s IT and eligibility systems are not ready, and many beneficiaries were never notified of the new rules. Federal Medicaid contractors—including Deloitte, Gainwell, Maximus, and Optum—have struck CMS deals to support state implementation, but experts project 20,000 to 40,000 residents could lose coverage as the rollout proceeds without adequate outreach or tracking infrastructure.
Sources: Healthcare Dive, Modern Healthcare
Central Maine Healthcare Cuts 38 IT Jobs After Switch to Epic EHR
Central Maine Healthcare eliminated 38 IT positions following its switch to Epic EHR, announced May 1, 2026. The cuts are entirely in IT and come after Prime Healthcare Foundation acquired the Lewiston-based health system in February and began modernizing its technology infrastructure. The layoffs reflect retirement of legacy systems whose dedicated support roles Epic’s platform now handles through automation and centralized functions. No clinical staff are affected. Central Maine serves several regional community hospitals and says the restructuring will not impact patient care. The reduction mirrors a pattern seen across health systems where large-scale EHR migrations create redundancies in legacy IT support positions shortly after go-live.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Healthcare Security Leaders Urged to Begin Quantum Cryptography Migration Now
Healthcare security leaders must begin planning their migration to quantum-resistant cryptography now, before commercially viable quantum computers render current encryption obsolete, according to guidance published May 1, 2026. Algorithms like RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography, which protect most electronic protected health information today, are vulnerable to sufficiently powerful quantum processors. Experts warn of “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, in which adversaries collect encrypted data today and decrypt it once quantum computing matures. NIST has approved post-quantum standards, and health systems are being urged to inventory cryptographic assets and develop 90-day readiness plans. The healthcare quantum computing market is projected to reach USD 4.2 billion by 2035.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Mississippi Health System Documents $115M Epic Go-Live Connecting Five Facilities
South Central Regional Medical Center documented its $115 million system-wide Epic EHR implementation in a Healthcare IT News case study published May 1, 2026. The Laurel, Mississippi health system went live in January 2026, connecting four affiliated community hospitals onto a single platform and replacing fragmented legacy records. Implementation challenges included coordinating go-lives across five geographically dispersed facilities. A command center staffed by in-house analysts, external consultants, and Epic support handled more than 6,200 tickets in the first two weeks alone. The Epic rollout is expected to improve regional data sharing and aid physician recruitment over the next decade, with full ROI projected across a ten-year contract.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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