Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Minnesota Health System Withholds Care From Patients With Medical Debt
The New York Times: Allina Health System In Minnesota Cuts Off Patients With Medical Debt
Many hospitals in the United States use aggressive tactics to collect medical debt. ... But a wealthy nonprofit health system in the Midwest is among those taking things a step further: withholding care from patients who have unpaid medical bills. Allina Health System, which runs more than 100 hospitals and clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin and brings in $4 billion a year in revenue, sometimes rejects patients who are deep in debt, according to internal documents and interviews with doctors, nurses and patients. (Kliff and Silver-Greenberg, 6/1)
In other corporate news —
Modern Healthcare: GenesisCare Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, To Sell U.S. Operations
Cancer treatment provider GenesisCare filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas on Thursday and looks to sell its underperforming U.S. operations. Sydney, Australia-based GenesisCare said in a news release it is restructuring the business, including $1.7 billion in debt, to separate U.S. operations from those in Australia, Spain and the U.K. (Hudson, 6/1)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado-Based Health Insurer Friday Health Plans Is Shutting Down
Friday Health Plans, a health insurer that covers more than 30,000 people who buy coverage on their own in the state, announced Thursday that it will cease operating. The announcement comes after Colorado-based Friday, which had operated in seven states, ran into financial troubles in Texas that cascaded throughout the rest of the company. In a statement posted on its website, Friday said that it had grown “incredibly quickly” but had been “unable to scale our financial infrastructure to match the pace of our growth and secure the additional capital required to run our business.” (Ingold, 6/1)
The Boston Globe: Compass Medical Closure Sends Shockwaves Through Already Struggling Health Care System
Tens of thousands of patients are scrambling to find new doctors, fill prescriptions, and reschedule appointments following the abrupt closure of a large physician group that had six offices throughout Southeast Massachusetts. Compass Medical, which has 80 physicians and serves 70,000 patients, said late Wednesday night that it would be closing its practices, effective immediately. Compass urged patients to go to their nearest local emergency room or urgent care center for medical attention in the interim. (Bartlett, 6/1)
AP: Idaho Hospitals Working To Resume Full Operations After Cyberattack
Two eastern Idaho hospitals and their clinics are working to resume full operations after a cyberattack on their computer systems. Officials with Idaho Falls Community Hospital said the attack happened Monday, causing some clinics to close, some ambulances to be diverted to nearby hospitals and their cafes to only accept cash. Mountain View Hospital, also located in Idaho Falls, was similarly affected by the computer virus, officials said. (6/1)
In news about health care workers —
AP: Mistrial Declared For Doctors Charged With Conspiring To Pass Medical Records To Russia
A mistrial was declared Thursday in the federal trial of two Maryland doctors charged with trying to help Russia in its war against Ukraine with medical records they believed Moscow could exploit. The Baltimore Sun reports that U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked following two days of deliberations. Dr. Anna Gabrielian, a former Johns Hopkins anesthesiologist, and her spouse, Dr. Jamie Lee Henry, a physician and major in the U.S. Army, remain charged with conspiring to assist Russia after it invaded Ukraine and disclosing the health information of several patients. The charges carry maximum penalties of decades in prison. (6/1)
Fox News: Doctors Under Fire As Patients' Claims Of 'Medical Gaslighting' Go Viral: Need To 'Be Our Own Advocates'
Patients who don’t feel heard by a health care professional are finding a voice on social media — with the hashtag #medicalgaslighting now garnering more than 226 million views on TikTok. "Medical gaslighting" is a term used to describe the situation in which patients — often young individuals, women and minorities — feel their symptoms are inappropriately dismissed or labeled as psychological when they go to see a doctor. (Sudhakar, 6/1)
