Doctors Urged To Run For Congress Amid Dems’ Outrage Over Health Cuts
Historically, most physicians serving in Congress have been Republican. Now, a Democrat-affiliated PAC known as 314 Action aims to change that by electing at least 100 health professionals to Congress and other offices by 2030. Plus: a look at wait times in ERs, hospital closures, and more.
Modern Healthcare:
Democrats Recruit Doctors For Congress After GOP Health Cuts
A political action committee affiliated with Democrats is seizing on anger about the massive healthcare cuts President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress enacted last month to enlist health professionals as candidates. The organization known as 314 Action — which takes its name from 3.14, the abbreviation for the mathematical constant pi — is seeking clinicians to face off against Republican lawmakers or fill open seats in next year’s midterm congressional elections. (McAuliff, 8/6)
In other health industry news —
Newsweek:
1-In-20 Hospital Patients Spend 24 Hours Waiting In Emergency Departments
Wait times for emergency hospitalizations continue to rise, with 1 in 20 Americans having to spend more than 24 hours in the emergency department before receiving a bed. This is the warning of a new study led by the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School, which looked into the problem known as "boarding." (Millington, 8/6)
St. Louis Public Radio:
St. Luke’s Hospital In Des Peres Is Closed For Good
It’s been a week since St. Luke’s Hospital in Des Peres closed its doors for good and laid off more than 300 people. Approximately half of the employees who lost their jobs at the hospital were able to find work at other St. Luke’s locations, a spokeswoman said in an email. The nonprofit Episcopal health system operates a 493-bed hospital in Chesterfield and several outpatient clinics throughout the region. (Fentem, 8/7)
ABC News:
Alleged Nurse Imposter Arrested After Treating Over 4,000 Patients Without A License: Sheriff
A woman in Florida was arrested after posing as a nurse and treating over 4,000 patients without a license, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. Autumn Bardisa, 29, was arrested on Tuesday after pretending to be a registered nurse and treating 4,486 individuals at a local hospital from July 2023 until she was fired on Jan. 22, the sheriff's office announced in a press release on Wednesday. "This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we've ever investigated," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement on Wednesday. (Forrester, 8/6)
NBC News:
Texas Surgeon Says UnitedHealthcare Dispute May Force Her Into Bankruptcy
In January, Dr. Elisabeth Potter said she was midway through performing a breast reconstruction surgery when a call from a representative from UnitedHealthcare came into the operating room. The health insurance company wanted to talk about the patient on the table. “I got a phone call into the operating room saying that UnitedHealthcare wanted to talk to me and that they wanted to talk to me now,” Potter, a plastic surgeon, told NBC News. Potter posted a video on TikTok recounting the call that’s reached nearly 6 million views. (Lovelace Jr., Thompson, Kakouris and Herzberg, 8/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Medical Video Games, Escape Rooms Level Up Continuing Education
A video game that gives you points if you clear a blocked artery. An escape room competition inside a hospital. This is not your usual way of training clinicians, keeping their skills fresh and allowing them to earn continuing medical education credits for free. But it may be the next big thing inside hospitals, as leaders reshape training, look for ways to better engage employees and get them out of lecture halls where they sit glassy-eyed, stealing glances at their phones. (Dubinsky, 8/6)
