Business news in brief

Genesis Healthcare Inc., the Kennett Square nursing home operator, cut its earnings estimate for 2015 by nearly 10 percent Monday. Genesis told investors it expected to report operating earnings of roughly $249 million, down from its $275 million estimate in November. Those figures are the midpoints for projected ranges of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, Genesis said. The company, which plans to report 2015 earnings on Feb. 22, attributed the shortfall to $15 million from higher-than-expected self-insurance reserves, $6 million from higher bad-debt expense, and $5 million from lower-than-expected internal growth. - Harold Brubaker

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's authority to manage demand response, the market for compensating electricity customers who reduce their power consumption during peak demand hours. Big electricity generators, who compete with demand response in power markets, had challenged FERC's authority. They argued that the federal agency may only regulate wholesale sales of electricity, and that demand response intrudes on the retail market, which is the sole province of state regulators. The court, in an opinion written by Justice Elena Kagan, ruled, 6-2, that FERC was within its powers. - Andrew Maykuth

Select Medical Holdings Corp., a publicly traded Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based hospital and clinic owner that runs over 1,000 outpatient-rehabilitation sites, says it has agreed to pay $400 million for Physiotherapy Associates Holdings Inc., of Exton, headed by former physical therapist Hank Balavender. Physiotherapy Associates runs over 500 rehab clinics. In a statement announcing the deal, Select warned that tighter federal reimbursement rules could cut into profits. Select officials weren't immediately available for comment. - Joseph N. DiStefano

The Health Care Innovation Collaborative, a project of Philadelphia's CEO Council for Growth, said Monday that 115 companies and individuals applied for the chance to work with several area academic medical centers and other entities. The collaborative, which was founded last year to boost the level of health-care innovation in the Philadelphia region, will start notifying selected applicants in mid-March. - Harold Brubaker

About 9 percent of departing flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday, and 5 percent were delayed, in the aftermath of the weekend storm that dropped near-record snowfalls from Washington to New York City. Philadelphia International listed 53 canceled flights originating in Philadelphia on Monday and 30 delayed flights, according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com. - Linda Loyd

Heavy interest has prompted an additional two weeks for public comment on long-term plans for the Northeast rail corridor. The period for the draft environmental impact statement was extended from Jan. 30 to Feb. 15, Federal Railroad Administration officials said. The NEC Future plan offers three visions for the 457-mile corridor between Washington and Boston, and among the proposals is Amtrak service to Philadelphia International Airport and Center City. The plans can be seen at necfuture.com. Anyone interested in commenting can email comment@necfuture.com or write to NEC Future, U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration, 1 Bowling Green, Suite 429, New York, N.Y. 10004. - Jason Laughlin

USA Technologies Inc., of Malvern, a payment technology service provider, announced Monday it has acquired VendScreen Inc. of Portland, Ore., a developer of vending-industry cashless payment technology. USA Technologies acquired the assets for about $5.6 million. VendScreen had more than 120 customers, with approximately 4,200 active connections, as of November 2015. VendScreen has developed what USA Technologies considers to be the industry's most advanced interactive media, content delivery system, and touchscreens for the self-service retail market. - Associated Press

Sprint Corp., the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, is reportedly eliminating 2,500 jobs, or about 7 percent of total staff, and closing several call centers as part of a plan to cut $2.5 billion in costs. Employees were sent an email last week outlining the cuts, which affect mostly customer-care staff as the carrier closes a half-dozen call centers. - Bloomberg