Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pennsylvania Attorney General Keeps Crozer Health System Open For Now
CBS News: Crozer Health System In Pennsylvania Will Remain Open After Potential Shutdown, Officials Say
The Crozer Health system will remain open for the "immediate future" after Prospect Medical Holdings warned the Delaware County health system could possibly shut down, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and The Foundation for Delaware County announced on Sunday night. (Ignudo and Andersen, 3/10)
Asheville Watchdog: Mission Hospital Cuts Weekend Nurse Pay
Mission Hospital is significantly reducing pay for nurses who work only weekends, a move that is already causing departures and that will require other nurses to work those shifts to improve staffing levels. (Jones, 3/8)
Modern Healthcare: Cano Health CEO Mark Kent Steps Down
Cano Health CEO Mark Kent is stepping down from his position to pursue other entrepreneurial opportunities effective immediately, the primary care provider said Thursday. A search for a permanent successor for Kent is underway. Alan Wheatley, executive chairman of the board, will be overseeing the leadership transition, a Cano Health spokesperson said Friday. No interim CEO has been named. (DeSilva, 3/7)
Modern Healthcare: Walgreens-Sycamore Deal Means Uncertainty For VillageMD
Walgreens Boots Alliance is being sold but the buyer isn't interested in VillageMD, which leaves the primary care provider's future murky. Walgreens announced Thursday it is being acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $10 billion, or $11.45 per share in cash, excluding debt. Shareholders could receive an additional $3 per share, or about $2.7 billion, if Walgreens sells VillageMD. (Hudson, 3/7)
The Washington Post: U.S. Is Headed Toward A Hospital Bed Shortage, Researchers Warn
The United States may face a shortage of hospital beds by 2032, a recent analysis in JAMA Network Open warns. The study found that hospital admissions have remained 11 percentage points higher since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and that an aging population and dwindling number of hospital beds because of labor shortages and hospital closures could exacerbate the problem. (Blakemore, 3/8)
KFF Health News: Millions In US Live In Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice And Telehealth Doesn’t Reach
Green lights flickered on the wireless router in Barbara Williams’ kitchen. Just one bar lit up — a weak signal connecting her to the world beyond her home in the Alabama Black Belt. Next to the router sat medications, vitamin D pills, and Williams’ blood glucose monitor kit. “I haven’t used that thing in a month or so,” said Williams, 72, waving toward the kit. Diagnosed with diabetes more than six years ago, she has developed nerve pain from neuropathy in both legs. (Tribble and Hacker, 3/10)
Fierce Healthcare: One Year Later: Lessons Learned From The Change Cyberattack
Just over a year ago, cybercriminals launched a ransomware attack on clearinghouse Change Healthcare in what became the biggest hack to ever hit the healthcare industry. David Bailey, vice president of consulting services at Clearwater, a firm focused on cybersecurity in healthcare, told Fierce in an interview that the incident highlighted challenges in healthcare beyond fending off digital threats, as organizations grappled with a key service taken offline. (Minemyer, 3/7)
In pharma and tech news —
NBC News: Some CT Scans May Have Too Much Radiation, Researchers Say
Unnecessarily high radiation doses in CT scans have been linked to cancers. Under new federal rules, doctors and imaging centers have to more closely track and report the doses that patients get. (Kenen, 3/8)
The Washington Post: Placebo Effect Can Work Even When Patients Know They’re Getting A Fake Drug
Catarina Craveiro, a biomedical research technician from Lisbon, had been hobbled by lower back pain from scoliosis since childhood, unable to do much physically and dependent on ibuprofen for relief. “It really interfered with my life,” she says. “I had bad pain. I wanted to do the same things as my friends, and I was not able to.” (Cimons, 3/8)
