Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chicago Hospital Explores Merger Possibilities
Chicago Sun Times: Little Company Of Mary Hospital Explores Merger, Affiliation
Several local healthcare entities have responded to a late December request for proposals for a merger or affiliation put out by Little Company of Mary Hospital, officials said Monday. The independent, south suburban hospital — where the very first human organ transplant was performed in 1950 — is weighing offers that have come in within the last two weeks, all of them from nonprofit entities. (Ihejirika, 1/9)
Pioneer Press: Lawsuit To Keep Fridley’s Unity Hospital As Is Dismissed
A lawsuit aimed at halting the dissolution of the North Suburban Hospital District and preserving existing operations at Unity Hospital in Fridley has been dismissed. The case was dismissed Monday in Anoka County District Court, according to Mike Hatch, the attorney who represented the five plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit. Hatch was Minnesota attorney general from 1999 to 2007. (Horner, 1/9)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Abington Memorial Pays $510K In Drug Diversion Settlement
Abington Hospital — Jefferson Health agreed to pay $510,000 to settle allegations that failures in its internal controls allowed an employed pharmacist to steal more than 35,000 pills, including the highly addictive oxycodone and other painkillers, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Monday. The thefts occurred between Feb. 2010 and August 2013, when Abington, then known as Abington Memorial Hospital, discovered the theft and reported it to the Drug Enforcement Agency. The pharmacist, Renata Dul, pleaded guilty in 2015 and 25 counts of possession with the intent to distribute oxycodone and was sentenced to six years of prison. (Brubaker, 1/9)
