Here are our picks for the week. Have a great weekend!

PDPM AND THERAPY REIMBURSEMENT

Therapy advocates are concerned the proposed 8% cut to Medicare payments for occupational and physical therapy services will threaten patient access to care. (McKnight’s)

Genesis Healthcare reorganized its therapy gyms in preparation for PDPM implementation and says the staff cuts should save the company $30 million in annual operating costs. (McKnight’s)

GOOGLE, ASCENSION DATA SHARING

The recently disclosed partnership between Google and Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S., is raising eyebrows. Some Ascension employees have concerns about the ways Google is gathering patient data. (CNBC)

Eduardo Conrado, executive vice president of strategy and innovations at Ascension, has published his response to this news on the company’s website. (Ascension)

AMAZON CARE

Amazon has put its own spin on telemedicine with the launch of their virtual care app, offering virtual healthcare services to Seattle-based employees. (Becker’s Hospital Review)