CEO Faces Criminal Investigation Following Accusations He Has Not Operated Hospitals With Eye On Public Safety
The owner of a St. Alexius Hospital, a facility in south St. Louis, is under criminal investigation and cannot properly manage the facility, an official in its bankruptcy case said. The trustee in the case said in a court filing earlier this month that CEO Grant White has mismanaged St. Alexius and three other hospitals, lied to the court and isn't trusted by his lenders. Hospital news comes out of Texas, Florida, Washington, North Carolina and Iowa, as well.
St. Louis Post Dispatch:
St. Alexius Hospital Owner Raided By FBI, Court Documents Say
The CEO of the company that owns St. Alexius Hospital is under civil and criminal investigation, according to documents filed in the company’s bankruptcy case. In a court filing, the U.S. Trustee’s office said that Americore Holdings CEO Grant White “grossly mismanaged” his business and “has not operated the hospitals in a manner that is consistent with public safety and welfare.” The documents were filed in Americore Holdings’ bankruptcy case earlier this month by acting U.S. Trustee Paul Randolph. (Merrilees, 2/13)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Methodist Doctors Still In-Network For UnitedHealthcare For Now
Houston Methodist and UnitedHealthcare have agreed not to terminate hundreds of Houston Methodist doctors from the insurer’s network two months early, nearly two weeks after the hospital filed a petition accusing the insurer of dropping roughly 600 doctors from in-network status. It took a temporary restraining order and caused much confusion for patients and physicians, but Houston Methodist doctors will remain in-network with UnitedHealthcare through April 1, the insurer said Wednesday. (Wu, 2/12)
Tampa Bay Times:
After ‘Tragedies’ At All Children’s, St. Mary’s, Florida Lawmakers Back Safety Measure
A bill that would require hospitals to conduct anonymous employee surveys about patient safety is gaining traction in the Florida Legislature. The House has approved similar proposals in the past, but the Senate has historically been cool to the idea. (McGrory and Mahoney, 2/13)
CNN:
A Seventh Child Who Contracted A Mold Infection At Seattle Children's Hospital Has Died
An infant who developed a mold infection at Seattle Children's Hospital has died, becoming the seventh patient at the facility killed by the same infection since 2001... Last year, the hospital confirmed that six patients who developed the same Aspergillus infection have died and several others have been sickened since 2001. The main operating rooms were shut down, first in May and again in November, after the hospital detected the common mold Aspergillus in the air. (Chavez and Riess, 2/14)
Health News Florida:
Mease Countryside Hospital Volunteer Infection Case Moves Forward
An appeals court Wednesday cleared the way for a lawsuit filed against a Pinellas County hospital by a volunteer who was diagnosed with the disease Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA. Ronald Wendel, who had served as a volunteer at Mease Countryside Hospital, filed a lawsuit alleging that he contracted the disease because of the hospital’s negligence, according to the ruling by a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal. (News Service Of Florida, 2/13)
North Carolina Health News:
Lawmakers Blast HCA For Performance At Mission
“We are writing with deep concern regarding the state of Mission Hospital Systems since the purchase by Hospital Corporation of America last year.” So began a scorching condemnation of HCA Healthcare’s performance in a letter read aloud to a packed room of community and health care leaders who turned out Monday night for a listening session with Gibbins Advisors, the Nashville, Tenn.-based firm hired to monitor HCA’s compliance with 15 obligations stemming from its acquisition of Mission Health. (Cotiaux, 2/13)
The Associated Press:
Man Sued Over Iowa Sexual Arousal Study Ran Kansas Facility
A child psychologist facing a federal lawsuit in Iowa stemming from sexual arousal experiments he oversaw on residents at a state care center for people with intellectual disabilities conducted similar research in Kansas while running one of its state hospitals. The Kansas agency that oversees the state's hospitals says its initial investigation of sexual arousal research involving Jerry Rea in Kansas suggests that ethics guidelines and proper protocols were followed. (2/13)
