Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bill Aims To Make Private Insurance Fully Cover Sex Assault Exams
NBC News: New Bill Aims To Curtail Surprise Medical Bills For Sexual Assault Survivors
A bill introduced Monday in the House of Representatives would require private health insurance to cover forensic exams for sexual assault survivors in full. The legislation came after research published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that nearly 18,000 out of 113,000 emergency visits related to sexual violence in 2019 resulted in out-of-pocket costs for the survivors. The average cost was $3,551 per person. (Bendix, 9/20)
More on surprise billing —
Modern Healthcare: AMA-AHA Surprise Billing Lawsuit Dropped
“We have serious concerns that the August 2022 final rule departs from congressional intent just as the September 2021 interim final rule did. Hospitals and doctors intend to make our voices heard in the courts very soon about these continued problems,” the AHA and AMA said in a joint statement. (Goldman, 9/20)
On hospital finances and staffing —
Axios: Rural Hospitals Face Funding Cliff
Rural hospitals that weathered the pandemic are facing a funding cliff, in danger of losing some $600 million in Medicare funding at the end of this month unless Congress intervenes. (Dreher, 9/21)
Modern Healthcare: St. Vincent Charity In Ohio To Lay Off Almost 1,000 Workers
Affected positions range from physicians to nurses, support service aides and physical therapists. Some of the most affected areas include medical/surgical, chemical dependency, dietary, laboratory management and housekeeping. As of 2021, the 162-bed hospital reported more than 800 full-time-equivalent positions. The pending layoffs account for just over 640 FTE positions. (Hudson, 9/20)
Modern Healthcare: Labor Shortage: Hospitals Grow Apprenticeships To Stabilize Workforce
Charnika Wilson has been looking to get more involved in patient care after working as administrative faculty for a community-based clinic in Chicago. Her search led her to Rush University System for Health. Wilson was one of 22 people selected from more than 3,000 applicants for a new medical assistant apprenticeship run by Rush and Harper College, which pays for students’ tuition and books while offering them hourly pay and benefits. (Kacik, 9/20)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: DOJ Evaluating Next Steps In Blocking UnitedHealth-Change Healthcare Merger
The Justice Department is weighing whether to appeal a federal judge’s decision that denied its legal challenge to UnitedHealth Group’s $13 billion proposed acquisition of technology company Change Healthcare. (Tepper, 9/20)
Crain's Detroit Business: Trinity Health Acquires North Ottawa Community Health System
Trinity Health, the nation's fifth largest health system, is finalizing its acquisition of the assets of the rural community hospital North Ottawa Community Health System in Grand Haven. (Walsh, 9/20)
Becker's Hospital Review: Will The Cloud Replace Data Centers? Health System IT Execs Weigh In
Even if traditional data-center tasks are all moved to the cloud, there will still be a need for on-site infrastructure that will ultimately require what looks like a traditional data center, according to health system CIOs. Becker's spoke to six health system IT leaders to discuss if the presumption that the cloud will absorb the data center stands true. (Diaz, 9/16)
