Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Closing Of Rockledge Hospital In Fla. Leaves More Than 60,000 Without ER
Central Florida Public Media: Shuttered Rockledge Hospital Leaves Community Without Its Emergency Department
Andrea Hardeman Brown remembers being 18 years old and getting her first hospital job at Rockledge Hospital. "It was large enough to be efficient for high-acuity patients, but it was small enough to still have the feel of a community hospital where everybody knew your name," Brown said. Brown, 43, now works as a clinical liaison for Kindred Hospital in Melbourne, though until recently her work brought her into Rockledge Hospital. (Pedersen, 4/24)
CBS News: Closing Crozer Health Hospitals In Pennsylvania Could Harm Nearby Businesses, Owners Say
The closure of Crozer Health, Delaware County's largest hospital system, is leaving a void in health care in the county, resulting in thousands of layoffs and increasing pressure on emergency medical services. It's also impacting businesses near the hospitals slated for closure. Sam & Sam Meats is a supermarket half a mile away from Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland. The owner, Samuel Kushto, said he often sees customers walking in wearing scrubs. (Wright, 4/24)
Aurora Beacon-News: Mercy Medical Center Has Trauma Center Designation Revoked
Over allegations of staffing shortages, the Illinois Department of Public Health has revoked Mercy Medical Center in Aurora’s Level II Trauma Center designation. Previously, Mercy Medical Center in Aurora was designated by the state as a Level II Trauma Center, which means it was able to provide trauma care to patients with serious injuries, like those from car crashes, falls or violence, through 24-hour on-site or readily available essential services. (Smith, 4/24)
St. Louis Public Radio: Mercy Begins Construction On Wentzville Hospital
Mercy has begun construction on a 75-bed hospital in Wentzville that will soon serve the region’s booming west suburbs. The facility will be built less than a half-mile from where Interstates 70 and 64 converge at Highway 61 in St. Charles County. Workers have cleared a 60-acre property previously filled with trees and started constructing a utility building, the first steps of what will eventually be a $650 million facility. (Fentem, 4/25)
WUSF: Sarasota Memorial Opens Research And Education Facility
The future is now for the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, which cut the ribbon Thursday on a long-awaited $75 million facility designed to merge its research and medical education programs under one roof. (Mayer, 4/24)
More health industry updates —
Modern Healthcare: Yale New Haven Health Hacking Hits More Than 5.5M Patients
Hackers may have accessed the information of more than 5.5 million people in a recent security breach reported by Yale New Haven Health. In March, the New Haven, Connecticut-headquartered provider flagged unusual activity on its information technology systems, Yale said in a news release posted to its website earlier this month. An investigation found an unauthorized third-party had obtained copies of some patient data on March 8. (DeSilva, 4/24)
Modern Healthcare: Mobile Integrated Healthcare Sees Rising Medicaid Interest
Health systems have been shouldering the cost of mobile integrated healthcare programs for at-risk patients, but some insurers may be ready to start picking up the tab as providers prove they can save money. UMass Memorial Health, Geisinger, Prisma Health and others that operate these at-home care programs say the service saves millions of dollars by preventing emergency room visits and rehospitalizations of chronically ill patients. (Eastabrook, 4/24)
Bloomberg: UPS To Buy Andlauer For $1.6 Billion, Bolstering Health Business
United Parcel Service Inc. agreed to acquire Canada’s Andlauer Healthcare Group Inc. for $1.6 billion, building out the package handler’s growing business transporting goods for health-care customers. AHG shareholders will receive C$55 a share in cash, according to a statement Thursday. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year. (Clough, 4/24)
Axios: Gen Z Increasingly Listens To Peers Over Doctors For Health Advice
Young adults around the world are increasingly taking health decisions into their own hands, according to new global survey results from communications firm Edelman. Adults under age 35, many who've come of age since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, still rely on their individual providers to help with medical choices. But they're also seeking information on their own more than ever. (Goldman, 4/24)
