Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Authorities Say 17 Poisoning Deaths In Pennsylvania Linked To Former Nurse
The New York Times: Former Pennsylvania Nurse Heather Pressdee Linked To 17 Nursing Home Deaths
A former Pennsylvania nurse who had been accused of killing two patients with doses of insulin faces more murder charges and has confessed to trying to kill 19 additional people at several locations, the authorities said Thursday. In May, Heather Pressdee, 41, admitted to the authorities that she had intended to kill three patients in her care with insulin doses, resulting in her arrest on two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. (Mayorquin, 11/3)
On health care worker shortages —
Modern Healthcare: Violence Prevention Laws Could Help Ease Nursing Shortage: ANA
If you want to fix the nursing shortage, you've got to fix the workplace, American Nurses Association members told Congress this week. In a broad push to advance key priorities, the organization sent more than two dozen nurses to Capitol Hill Monday and Tuesday to push for violence prevention laws, money for training and greater responsibility for nurses, then followed up Wednesday by formally endorsing legislation to mandate minimum staffing levels at hospitals. (McAuliff, 11/2)
Stat: Treating Rural America: STAT Examines Health Care Disparities
There is a persistent shortage of primary care doctors in the rural United States. Specialists, like OB-GYNs and endocrinologists, are even harder to access. According to the National Rural Health Association, there are only 30 specialists for every 100,000 residents in rural areas, compared to 263 per 100,000 in urban communities. (Empinado, 11/2)
Modern Healthcare: Fairview Health Services To Cut 250 Jobs
Fairview Health Services will trim its workforce by about 250 jobs by year's end, the nonprofit system said Thursday. Most of the affected roles, which represent less than 1% of the workforce, are part-time and in "select positions throughout the system," Fairview said. Employees will receive job search assistance and be priority candidates for open positions, it said. (Hudson, 11/2)
Also —
Los Angeles Times: Allegations Of Sexual Harassment, Armed Surgeon Roil Top L.A. Teaching Hospital
Beginning a decade ago, staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center started to report the same high-ranking doctor, alleging jarring sexual comments and retaliatory behavior that routinely raised alarms inside the renowned teaching hospital. Maria Garibay, then a medical secretary, told human resources in 2013 that her boss, Dr. Louis Kwong, the head of orthopedics, would openly discuss with his staff how the women he operated on under anesthesia “would groom their pubic areas,” according to her written complaint reviewed by The Times. Los Angeles County, which runs the public hospital in West Carson, found the complaint unsubstantiated. (Ellis, 11/3)
Arizona Republic: Most Arizona Hospital CEOs Got Raises, Made Millions, During Pandemic, IRS Filings Say
More than half the top executives at Arizona's largest nonprofit and public health systems who were leading their organizations during the deadly worldwide COVID-19 pandemic got pay hikes during those tumultuous years. Peter Fine, who has headed Phoenix-based Banner Health since 2000, was the highest paid nonprofit hospital CEO in Arizona in 2021, according to IRS records. Banner Health is the state's largest private employer and one of the country's largest health systems. (Innes, 11/3)
Bloomberg: Walgreens-Backed Clinic Chain VillageMD To Trim Bonuses Amid Cost Cuts
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s chain of medical clinics is trimming employee bonuses and retirement fund matches amid a broader push to reduce expenses at the drugstore giant. VillageMD, the primary-care provider majority-owned by Walgreens, won’t give bonuses to most employees for this year, although front-line clinic staff who see patients will receive bonuses “reduced from historical amounts,” according to a memo to staff viewed by Bloomberg. The unit plans to resume bonuses in 2024 as finances improve, VillageMD Chief Executive Officer Tim Barry said in the memo dated Nov. 1. (Tozzi, 11/2)
