Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Busy Retraining Staff, Releasing Data, Updating Website
Axios: CDC Reorganization Continues With Staff Trainings, Website Upgrades
Six months into an overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control, director Rochelle Walensky said Thursday the agency has made strides releasing timely data and retraining staff to ensure a nimble response to future crises. (Dreher, 4/21)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: HHS, CMS Unveil Hospice, Home Health Ownership Database
The Health and Human Services Department is taking another step to increase transparency in healthcare, this time by making it easier to determine the ownership of Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies. (Berryman, 4/20)
Modern Healthcare: DOJ Target 18 Providers In Massive Wrongful Billing, PPP Fraud Sweep
Dr. Anthony Hao Dinh allegedly bilked the federal government out of $150 million and lost most of it placing high-risk bets in the stock market. Dinh, an ear, nose and throat specialist who practices in Orange County, California, allegedly accumulated the $150 million after submitting $230 million in fraudulent claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program, according to the Justice Department. (Kacik, 4/21)
Axios: What's Next On The No Surprises Act
The No Surprises Act may have shielded patients from unexpected medical bills, but it's left a bureaucratic mess, with providers and insurers fighting over who'll cover the costs and Congress weighing whether to step back in. (Dreher and Knight, 4/24)
Also —
Stat: HCA Bags Big First Quarter As Patient Volumes Soar
Patient volumes are back in a big way, at least for the country’s largest for-profit hospital operator. HCA Healthcare beat Wall Street’s expectations of profitability in the first quarter of 2023, as more people flocked to HCA’s hospitals, surgery centers, and physician clinics. (Herman, 4/21)
Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare Buys Land In Las Vegas, Salt Lake City As Earnings Rise
The Nashville, Tennessee-based for-profit system has two hospitals under construction in San Antonio, Texas, and owns land for new facilities in Austin, Dallas and some Florida markets, CEO Sam Hazen said Friday during HCA's first-quarter earnings call. HCA purchased land for new hospitals in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City during the quarter, he said. The system also continues to add to its outpatient network, which has grown to roughly 2,500 of those facilities. (Hudson, 4/21)
Stat: How A Small Hospital In Nebraska Has Thrived Through The Pandemic
Great Plains Health is a small hospital system in a part of Nebraska surrounded by agriculture, railroads, and retail distribution. But that doesn’t mean it’s powerless — in fact, the system is a highly profitable, influential mainstay in the area. (Herman, 4/24)
The Boston Globe: Virtual Communication Left Seniors Feeling Anxious, Depressed During Pandemic, According To Brigham And Women’s Study
Older adults who frequently used technology to connect with friends, family, and health care providers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic reported feeling more anxious and depressed than those who sought in-person visits, according to a new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Among Americans over 65, virtual interactions — e-mail, phone, and video calls — were associated with increased mental health concerns, according to the study, which analyzed national survey data and was released earlier this month. (Kool, 4/21)
