Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
1,500 Nurses In Philadelphia Threaten To Strike
CNN: At Least 1,500 Nurses In The Philadelphia Area May Be On The Verge Of Going On Strike
At least 1,500 nurses at two hospitals in the Philadelphia area are on the verge of striking, according to a spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP). Nurses at Einstein Medical Center and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, both of which are in Philadelphia, have not reached agreements on new contracts with their parent health groups, according to a November 5 PASNAP release. (Snyder, 11/12)
The Salt Lake Tribune: Intermountain Brings On More Nurses As Utah COVID-19 Cases — Up 2,335 Wednesday— Continue To Climb
Utah reported 2,335 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with six additional deaths. And with record-high hospitalizations, Utah’s biggest health care system is bringing on 200 additional nurses. For the past week, the state has averaged 2,584 new positive test results a day, continuing a two-week streak of new record highs, the Utah Department of Health reported. (Alberty, 11/11)
In other health industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Insurers Will Owe Massive MLR Rebates Next Year, Even If 2020 Is Normal
Insurers will likely owe massive rebates to consumers next year, even if their 2020 profits are more typical than healthcare executives expect. More than 11.2 million people will qualify for nearly $2.5 billion in medical loss ratio rebates from insurers this year—an average of $219 per person—according to CMS data on Friday. It's an increase of more than $1 billion over last year. That includes almost 5.2 million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, who will get more than $1.7 billion in rebates with an average refund of $322 per person. Rebates paid to people enrolled in small group market coverage will be much smaller. Roughly 3.4 million people will receive about $423 million in rebates, which works out to $124 per person. (Brady, 11/11)
Modern Healthcare: Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Michigan Partners With Wellness Center Company
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan will begin offering wellness center benefits to employer-sponsored health plans as part of a partnership with Premise Health. The partnership, announced Wednesday, will allow employers with Michigan Blues health plans to include Premise Health services to its benefits package. Premise Health is a company that works directly with employers to stand up health and wellness centers, typically building on-site clinics that offer services such as primary care, behavioral health and physical therapy to employees, usually at a discounted price. (Castellucci, 11/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Cano Health Nears Deal With Barry Sternlicht SPAC
A blank-check company backed by real-estate investor Barry Sternlicht is in talks to merge with Cano Health LLC in a $4.4 billion deal that would take the health-care provider for seniors public, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Sternlicht’s special purpose acquisition company, Jaws Acquisition Corp. , could announce a deal valuing Cano Health at $4.4 billion, including debt, as soon as Thursday, the people said—assuming the talks don’t fall through at the last minute. (11/11)
Modern Healthcare: McLaren Health Care Sues ProMedica Over Allegedly Undermining Competitors
McLaren St. Luke's sued ProMedica on Tuesday over its alleged plans to cut off access to McLaren St. Luke's services to protect its market share. The day after competing health system McLaren Health Care Corp. acquired St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, ProMedica's Paramount Health Care allegedly terminated its commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage contracts with St. Luke's and its physicians, effective Jan. 21. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica also ended the contracts between its Michigan hospitals and the McLaren Health Plan the same day, as executives conceded that the moves were in response to the prospect of greater competition from McLaren, according to the complaint filed in an Ohio federal court. (Kacik, 11/11)
Also —
Becker's Hospital Review: Virginia Physician Convicted On 52 Charges Related To Billing Fraud Scheme
A federal jury convicted Javaid Perwaiz, MD, on Nov. 9 of 52 counts related to his scheme to perform unnecessary hysterectomies and other surgeries on women and bill insurers for the procedures, according to the Department of Justice. According to court records, Dr. Perwaiz billed government and commercial insurers for millions of dollars of surgeries that were not medically necessary for his patients between 2010 and 2019. In many cases, Dr. Perwaiz allegedly told patients they needed the surgeries to avoid cancer to get them to agree to the procedures. (Ellison, 11/11)
