Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Centura, One Of Colorado's Largest Hospital Systems, To Break Up
The Colorado Sun: Centura Health Will Break Up, Hospital Systems Announce
On Valentine’s Day, one of the largest hospital systems in Colorado announced that it is getting a divorce. For more than a quarter-century, Centura Health has operated as a partnership between CommonSpirit Health and AdventHealth. On Tuesday, Centura announced that CommonSpirit Health, which is Catholic-affiliated, and AdventHealth, which is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, will split, with each planning to manage their respective hospitals separately. (Ingold, 2/14)
Modern Healthcare: CommonSpirit Health, AdventHealth End Centura Joint Venture
CommonSpirit Health and AdventHealth will unwind their longtime Centura Health joint venture, with CommonSpirit taking control of most of the 20 hospitals. Then-Catholic Health Initiatives, which became Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health following its 2019 merger with Dignity Health, and AdventHealth formed Centura in 1996. The joint venture has reached its “natural maturity,” the health systems said in a news release. (Kacik, 2/14)
In other health care industry news —
ABC News: Lawsuit Accuses Cedars-Sinai Hospital's Website Of Sharing Data With Meta, Google
A lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Health System and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles claims the hospitalshared patient data with third parties. Filed by plaintiff John Doe, the proposed class action lawsuit claims his and other patients' private information -- including data related to their medical inquiries -- was shared with marketing and social media platforms including Google, Microsoft Bing and Meta, the parent company of Facebook. (Kekatos, 2/15)
Crain's Chicago Business: Outcome Health Whistleblower David Ma Appears At Fraud Trial
The investigation that led to the downfall of Outcome Health started with a single email after the company made headlines with a blockbuster deal that valued it at more than $5 billion. The company, which was previously called Context Media, raised nearly a half-billion dollars from an investor group that included Goldman Sachs, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s former venture fund, Google and Laurene Powell Jobs. The funding elevated the profile of the company and its young founders, putting a target on their backs. (Pletz, 2/14)
Houston Chronicle: Ben Taub Hospital To Launch Violence Prevention Program In Houston
Harris County commissioners unanimously approved an agreement last month between the county and Harris Health System to launch the hospital violence interruption program at one of the busiest trauma centers in Southeast Texas. The model has been implemented with success locally and nationally, according to officials. (Bauman, 2/14)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Heart Transplant Surgery Done By All-Women Team Made History
It was only at the end of the five-hour heart transplant that attending cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Amy Fiedler looked up from her patient and realized the significance of the moment. There was not a man in the operating room, including the person on the operating table. (Whiting, 2/14)
The New York Times: According To Medical Guidelines, Your Doctor Needs A 27-Hour Workday
The intent is admirable: Give doctors guidelines so they can be sure to cover what needs to be discussed with patients and help select options. Let’s talk about your diet and any problems you might have sleeping. Are you getting enough exercise? If not, here is some advice. You are due for colon cancer screening. Do you prefer a colonoscopy or a fecal test? Here are the pros and cons of each. But there is a problem. There are just not enough hours in a workday to discuss and act on all the guidelines. (Kolata, 2/14)
KHN: Watch: In Insurers’ Eyes, Not All Midwives Are Equal
Vanessa Garcia Clark wanted a more personal, nontraditional birth when she was pregnant with her son. She hired a midwife and gave birth at her home in California. But when she asked her insurer to reimburse her for the midwifery bill totaling more than $9,500, her claim was denied. In the first installment of InvestigateTV and KHN’s “Costly Care” series, Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV’s national consumer investigative reporter, explores the different types of midwives — and how not all of them may be covered by insurance. (2/15)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: WTW Survey: 88% Of Employers Plan To Change Digital Health Offerings
Employers will make changes to their roster of digital health and wellness solutions in the next two years, according to a new survey from WTW, a global benefits consulting company. WTW (formerly Willis Towers Watson) surveyed 232 U.S.-based employers covering 3 million people from a variety of industries. (Turner, 2/14)
Stat: National Academies Report Urges Science Institutions To Be Antiracist
To become more equitable and inclusive organizations, higher education and scientific institutions must go beyond increasing the number of people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in their ranks and change their cultures, a leading academic group said in a sweeping new report Tuesday. (Joseph, 2/14)
