CVS Health announced plans to acquire more physician practices as part of a new strategy to expand its primary care business, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

• Massachusetts: Former Unilever global chief information officer, Jane Moran, in September joined Mass General Brigham as its chief information and digital officer—a newly created position where she oversees around 2,000 people in a new department called Mass General Brigham Digital. In this role, Moran has worked to integrate and oversee the health system's information systems, digital health, and data and analytics teams. "I can see the translation between working in a consumer business and now working at Mass General Brigham," said Moran. "There's a lot of things that carry over if you think about it in really treating our patient communities like the consumer." (McCormick, Wall Street Journal, 12/3)

• Pennsylvania: Tower Health announced the cancellation of the sale of Jennersville Hospital and Brandywine Hospital—a deal that Tower said fell through because the buyer, Canyon Atlantic Partners LLC, neither showed "the necessary regulatory and operational preparedness, nor validated its financial ability, to complete this transaction and operate these hospitals." After the sale fell through the health system said it had "no viable options" to keep the hospitals open. As a result, both hospitals are now scheduled to close, with Jennersville set to close Dec. 31 and Brandywine set to close Jan. 31, 2022. (Brubaker, Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/9)

• Rhode Island: CVS Health on Thursday unveiled its plan to expand and integrate its primary care business into its health insurance and pharmacy benefit plans. The company said it plans to acquire more physician practices and clinics as it continues to grow its primary care service offerings. According to Alan Lotvin, CVS's EVP and president for pharmacy services, the expansion will result in a "nationally-scaled next generation primary care model" that will include more "physician-led primary care centers with integrated virtual and home assets." (Japsen, Forbes, 12/9; Reuter, MedCity News, 12/9)