Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arizona Doctors Aim To Twist Surprise Billing Law Into Pay-Booster
Stat: Arizona Doctors Are Trying To Rewrite Surprise Billing Law To Boost Their Pay
Doctors in Arizona are crafting a state ballot measure that would modify the new federal surprise billing law and drastically tilt the scales in their favor during behind-the-scenes billing negotiations in the state — with consumers ultimately picking up the tab. On its surface, the draft ballot initiative, obtained by STAT, extends new federal protections for surprise medical bills to patients with insurance plans that operate in Arizona. But it would also strip out a key part of the federal arbitration process. And while the initiative is tabled in Arizona for now, it could still serve as a blueprint for health care providers in other states who want to collect higher payments in out-of-network disputes with health insurance companies. (Herman, 6/1)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Cedars-Sinai, Union Agree To Three-Year Contract
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a union representing 2,000 workers reached a three-year contract agreement weeks after workers staged a five-day strike, the union announced Saturday. Service Employees Union International-United Healthcare Workers West, members of which include certified nursing assistants, transporters, environmental services workers, plant operations workers, surgical technicians and food service technicians, said in a news release that the ratified contract includes the largest raises in its history with the not-for-profit Los Angeles hospital. (Christ, 5/31)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F.’s Chinese Hospital Receives Huge Donation To Expand Care
San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, a nonprofit health care provider to mostly low-income Chinatown seniors, has received $7 million from the foundation of businessman Charles Huang, representing the largest single donation in the hospital’s 123-year history. The money will be used to renovate electrical and mechanical infrastructure at the hospital’s six-story outpatient building on Jackson Street, which opened in 1979, and to expand services including the laboratory and outpatient surgery, said Chinese Hospital CEO Dr. Jian Zhang. The hospital operates as two buildings — the second one being the eight-story inpatient building next to the outpatient tower. (Ho, 5/31)
Modern Healthcare: UHS Taking Sole Ownership Of George Washington University Hospital
Universal Health Services will assume full ownership of George Washington University Hospital, the for-profit health system announced Saturday. A Universal Health Services subsidiary and George Washington University owned and operated George Washington University Hospital in Washington for nearly 25 years. Under that arrangement, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services held an 80% stake and the university owned the remainder. "We are confident that through this restructured partnership, we will be able to mutually meet our quality-of-care goals while also growing our integrated delivery model and further expanding access to care," Marc Miller, president and CEO of Universal Health Services, said in a news release. (Berryman, 5/31)
On health care personnel —
Stat: Mistreatment In Medical School Leads Students To Leave
Medical students who report being mistreated or discriminated against are far more likely to drop out of medical school, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA Pediatrics. Previous studies have linked discriminatory treatment in medical school to burnout and depression among students. The new paper is the first to link discrimination to medical school attrition, according to the authors, and it may be one reason the number of students from many racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine has declined in recent decades despite efforts to diversify medical school classes and the profession in general. (McFarling, 5/31)
The 19th: Climate Change Is Forcing Care Workers To Act As First Responders
A few years ago, Marquisa Jackson, a certified nurse assistant, was faced with an emergency: The power went out at the Highland, California, mental health facility where she worked. It was a sweltering summer day, and the building was quickly getting too hot for patients. “At first I was a little panicky,” she said. “How are we going to take them outside and make it better if it’s even hotter outside?” But with the temperatures climbing to unsafe levels inside the facility, getting patients out was her only option. She and two other nurse assistants, each in charge of their own group of residents, evacuated the building. They moved them into the shade, providing cooling towels, water and popsicles until the power was restored a few hours later. (Kutz, 5/31)
