Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Calif. Hospitals Reportedly Refused To Accept Some COVID Patients
The Wall Street Journal: Some California Hospitals Refused Covid-19 Transfers For Financial Reasons, State Emails Show
Several large Southern California hospital systems improperly refused or delayed accepting Covid-19 patients based on their insurance status, according to internal emails among local and state government, hospital and emergency-response officials, leaving severely ill patients waiting for care and adding strain on hospitals overrun by the pandemic. Disaster-response experts said the refusals and delays exposed ways that some hospitals have put finances ahead of pandemic relief. Some instances might have violated a federal law that protects access to emergency care, while in other instances the actions ran counter to medical ethics, the experts said. (Evans, Berzon and Hernandez, 10/19)
Modern Healthcare: Health Systems Launch Treatment Programs For Patients Post-COVID
As patients recover from COVID-19, the medical community is discovering some patients continue to suffer from lingering symptoms and side effects weeks and even months after they test negative for the virus. Called COVID-19 long haulers, the conditions run the gamut from shortness of breath, dizziness, blood clots, fatigue, blurry vision, persistent headaches and even mental health challenges.In response, some health systems — particularly ones based in areas hard hit with coronavirus cases — are building programs specifically to help these patients. (Castellucci, 10/20)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Ex-VP At Gwinnett Health Care Company Sentenced To Federal Prison
A Duluth man was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after he was convicted of sabotaging his former employer and delaying shipments of medical supplies needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Christopher Dobbins, 41, pleaded guilty in July to reckless damage to a protected computer related to the hacking of electronic shipping records at Stradis Healthcare, a medical device packing company based in Gwinnett County. (Prince, 10/20)
North Carolina Health News: Union, Cabarrus Counties Cut Ties To Cardinal
With little debate, members of the Union County board of commissioners voted unanimously Monday afternoon to disengage the county from their relationship with Cardinal Innovations, which has managed mental health services there for years. Several hours later, Cabarrus County commissioners followed suit, initiating the process of severing ties with the organization, which once built a multimillion dollar corporate headquarters there. (Hoban, 10/20)
Meanwhile, a firm has scored big for its work for states and insurers hurt by the federal government's actions --
Modern Healthcare: Investor Scores $100 Million Payout From Bet On Insurers' Lawsuits
A specialized investor that bet health insurers would prevail in a challenge over unpaid Affordable Care Act funds is now reaping rewards from its gamble. Last week, Chicago-based litigation finance firm Juris Capital collected $35.4 million in legal winnings from the Connecticut insurance department following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling earlier this year that the federal government owed health insurers billions of dollars in outstanding payments under the now-concluded ACA risk-corridor program. (Livingston, 10/21)
Reuters: Abbott Raises Annual Profit View, Signals Recovery In Medical Device Sales
Abbott Laboratories raised its annual profit forecast on Wednesday and signaled a recovery in sales of its medical devices, while strong demand for its COVID-19 tests helped quarterly profit beat estimates, sending its shares up 1.5%. The company said the number of medical procedures in its cardiovascular and neuromodulation businesses improved significantly from the prior quarter as patients opted for surgeries that they had put off due to the pandemic. (10/21)
