BJC Healthcare And Saint Luke’s Health System Reach Merger Agreement
St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare and Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System have reached a definitive agreement to merge their 28 hospitals. Meanwhile, critics argue that HCA's efforts to cut costs endangered Appalachian patients.
Becker's Hospital Review:
BJC, Saint Luke's Move Forward With 28-Hospital Merger
St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare and Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System — which signed a letter of intent to combine in May — have satisfied all regulatory reviews and reached a definitive agreement to merge. The transaction is expected to close Jan. 1, 2024, according to a Nov. 29 news release shared with Becker's. An integrated academic health system will be formed, though the systems will maintain their distinct brands and operate from dual headquarters: BJC in St. Louis, and Saint Luke's in Kansas City. (Kayser, 11/29)
Stat:
Critics Say HCA’s Cost-Cutting Endangered Appalachian Patients
There was the beeping of monitors, the stiff sheets, the sterile smell of the hospital room. Mostly, there was pain. Sharp, relentless pain. Mike Messino was recovering from a successful surgery, but the nerve blocks had worn off. He spent two full hours waiting for a nurse to inject pain medication. When he’d worked in this hospital, he’d made sure patients didn’t wait longer than 15 minutes for that kind of care. (Bannow, 11/30)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Cooper University Health Care Opens Multispecialty Clinic In Old Sears At Moorestown Mall
Cooper University Health Care announced Thursday that it has opened the first phase of its $150 million outpatient center in a former Sears building at Moorestown Mall. The 166,000-square-foot, three-story facility has nearly 100 exam rooms and will offer 26 medical specialties, including bariatric surgery, gastroenterology, maternal-fetal medicine, rheumatology, and urogynecology. Specialists from MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper will be among the physicians seeing patients at the location. (Brubaker, 11/29)
Fierce Healthcare:
ACOs Not Shown To Improve Mental Health Outcomes: Study
Accountable care organizations do not positively influence treatment and outcomes for chronic mental health conditions for Medicare patients, according to a study in Health Affairs. For patients newly enrolled in ACOs, they saw no improvements in their depression and anxiety symptoms after one year. These patients were also 24% less likely to have their depression or anxiety treated than patients unenrolled in ACOs, and 9.8% less likely to have an evaluation and management visit for depression or anxiety with a primary care clinician. (Tong, 11/29)
CBS News:
Latest Hospital Cyberattack Shows How Health Care Systems' Vulnerability Can Put Patients At Risk
Annie Wolf's open-heart surgery was just two days away when the Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, called, informing her that her procedure had been postponed after a major ransomware attack. "I've got a hole in my mitral valve, and basically walking around, I can't breathe," Wolf told CBS News. "And I get very fatigued, very tired, very quickly. If I go to the store, I've got to ride the scooter." (Sganga, 11/29)
On health care personnel —
9news.com:
Denver Medical Team Receives Live Ebola Vaccines
A few medical employees at Denver Health made history Monday as some of the first people to receive the live Ebola vaccine for preventative measures, the hospital said. Ebola is a rare but deadly disease. In 2014, a major outbreak in West Africa led to some cases in the United States. While there are no known outbreaks in the world right now, members of Denver Health's High Risk Infection Team said they are some of the first to receive the live vaccine as a way to be prepared in the event of a future outbreak. (Irizarry, 11/28)
Becker's Hospital Review:
Kentucky Hospitals See Dip In Nurse Vacancy Rate
Kentucky hospitals reported a slight drop in nurse vacancy rates this year, though nurse staffing still remains a core challenge, according to the Kentucky Hospital Association's 2023 Workforce Survey Report. Among the 89 hospitals that responded to the association's survey, the nurse vacancy rate was 19.7%. This figure is down from 21.9% last year, according to KHA's 2022 workforce report. (Bean, 11/29)
Becker's Hospital Review:
After Nurse's Slaying, Home Health Workers Call For Increased Protections
Visiting nurses in Connecticut are calling for increased state and federal protections for home healthcare workers following the homicide of Joyce Grayson, 63, of Willimantic, Conn., NBC Connecticut reported Nov. 28. Ms. Grayson was a home care nurse for Elara Caring, a Dallas-based home health service agency. She disappeared after visiting one of her patients in late October. Her body was later discovered in the basement of the residence where the patient-turned-suspect lived — a halfway house for convicted sex offenders. (Hollowell, 11/29)
Cherry Hill Courier-Post:
Security Changes Coming After Former Cop Kills Self In South Jersey Hospital
Nurses at a South Jersey hospital where a a patient killed himself earlier this year say they're pleased with efforts to improve security procedures. Health Professionals & Allied Employees, AFL-CIO filed a grievance against Inspira Health Network shortly after the suicide on Sept. 9.An initial report of a possible “active shooter” sent city police racing to the facility on West Sherman Avenue as follow-up calls eventually established a suicide had occurred with no other victims. (Smith, 11/28)
Fierce Healthcare:
LinkedIn Rolls Out New Features For Healthcare Professionals
Updates include customized job search filters to help nursing professionals fine-tune the results to better match their qualifications and preferences. Nurses can filter jobs by specialty, shift, schedule and license. Job seekers also can set their job preferences for each of these when turning on Open to Work on their Profile, signaling to recruiters what they're looking for in their next role. (Landi, 11/28)
