CMS on Thursday published a final rule that indefinitely delayed the radiation oncology model, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

• Maryland: CMS on Thursday published a final rule that indefinitely delayed the radiation oncology model. Initially, the radiation oncology model was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2021. However, after the model's start date was delayed multiple times, the agency in April proposed the extended delay. Under the final rule, CMS will propose a new start date at least six months in advance. "In light of the fact that it is unknown whether there may be further delays to the [Radiation Oncology] Model that are out of CMS's control, we believe that the best course of action is to delay the implementation of the RO Model to a future date," the final rule said. (Goldman, Modern Healthcare, 8/25)

• New Jersey: Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday appointed former CVS president and CEO Larry Merlo as its non-executive chair designate for the board of directors of its consumer health company. Merlo will officially step into this role after the company's consumer line has been separated from its health care research and development business—a transition that is expected to happen in 2023. From 2011 to 2021, Merlo served as president and CEO of CVS before his retirement in 2021. Under Merlo's leadership, CVS became a diversified health services company. (Diaz, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/25)

• Pennsylvania: St. Luke's University Health Network on Wednesday appointed Scott Wolfe as its SVP of finance and CFO. In January, Wolfe took over as the health system's interim SVP of finance and CFO while he continued serving as the president of St. Luke's Warren Campus. "It would have been nearly impossible to envision the revitalization of Warren Hospital and the powerful impact of its partnership with St. Luke's University Health Network. Today, the Warren Campus's restored reputation is spreading by word of mouth," said St. Luke's Warren Campus Board Chairman Karen Kubert. Since Wolfe began his tenure at Warren Campus in 2012, St. Luke's has invested more than $150 million to improve health care offerings and expand services in New Jersey. (Tucker, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/25)