Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Hospital To Shutter Pediatric Unit, Creating Care Desert For Kids
San Francisco Chronicle: Providence Santa Rosa Pediatric Unit To Close In March
Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, a major trauma center that has the only full-time inpatient pediatric unit between the North Bay and the Oregon border, will close the unit in March — raising concerns among local pediatricians that children who need hospitalization will have to be transferred to San Francisco or as far away as Sacramento. The hospital initially announced the closure in November, citing low usage rates and financial challenges in keeping the unit open, and on Thursday provided a clearer timeline for when it will happen. The unit will no longer admit patients as of March 27, 2026. (Ho, 12/18)
More health industry updates —
Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare Delays Remote Patient Monitoring Coverage Cuts
UnitedHealthcare will postpone controversial changes to remote patient monitoring coverage, the insurer said Thursday. Last month, UnitedHealthcare said beginning Jan. 1 it would stop covering remote patient monitoring for most chronic conditions for both its commercial and Medicare members. The company, which received negative reactions from remote patient monitoring advocates after announcing the changes, will delay the policy changes until later in 2026 because of that feedback. (DeSilva, 12/18)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: BJC, Aetna Reach Agreement To Keep BJC In Coverage Network
BJC Health will stay in Aetna's coverage network next year after both sides agreed to "all key terms," BJC Health said on Thursday. Coverage for Medicare Advantage plans will continue for another year, while employer-sponsored commercial plans will be covered by a "multi-year" deal, BJC said. (Suntrup, 12/18)
Modern Healthcare: Virtua Health, ChristianaCare End Merger Plans
Virtua Health and ChristianaCare have ended merger talks. The organizations agreed to terminate their nonbinding letter of intent signed in July, Virtua and ChristianaCare said Thursday in a joint news release. The health systems did not specifically say why they decided to nix merger plans that would have created a roughly $6 billion, nine-hospital combined system across more than 10 contiguous counties in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. (Kacik, 12/18)
ProPublica: Inside the Free Clinic Caring for Those Who Can’t Afford the Only Hospital in Town
Albany, Georgia’s lone hospital — the region’s largest health care provider — is supposed to treat patients regardless of their ability to pay, but many residents have instead turned to the small, free Samaritan Clinic. (Campbell, Toral and Pons, 12/19)
KFF Health News: Scorpion Peppers Caused Him ‘Crippling’ Pain. Two Years Later, The ER Bill Stung Him Again
Maxwell Kruzic said he was in such “crippling” stomach pain on Oct. 5, 2023, that he had to pull off the road twice as he drove himself to the emergency room at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. “It was the worst pain of my life,” he said. Kruzic was seen immediately because hospital staff members were pretty sure he had appendicitis. They inserted an IV, called a surgeon, and sent him off for a scan to confirm the diagnosis. (Rosenthal, 12/19)
KFF Health News: Judge In Nursing Home Bankruptcy Case Gives Families Fresh Hope Of Compensation For Injuries, Deaths
A bankruptcy judge blocked an attempt by a nursing home chain’s primary investor to shield himself from settlement payments and liability in lawsuits alleging hundreds of patient injuries and deaths, encouraging those pursuing millions in damages. (Rau, 12/19)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: REIT-Acquired Hospitals At Greater Risk Of Bankruptcy: Harvard
Hospitals acquired by real estate investment trusts are at greater risk of bankruptcy or closure, according to Harvard researchers. A study, published Thursday in BMJ, examined acute-care hospitals that sold their real estate assets to REITs and subsequently leased the properties between 2005 and 2019. (Eastabrook, 12/18)
