Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Conn. Governor Vows Hospitals To Stay Open Through Prospect Bankruptcy
The CT Mirror: Prospect Medical Bankruptcy: CT Officials Vow Hospitals Won’t Close
State officials offered assurances to residents and employees Monday that three Connecticut hospitals owned by Prospect Medical Holdings would remain open and operating, despite their parent company filing for bankruptcy late Saturday night. The California-based hospital operator, which also owns facilities in California, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, filed for chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Northern Texas. (Golvala, 1/13)
Becker's Hospital Review: Iowa Hospital Halts Open-Heart Surgeries
MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, has indefinitely paused its open-heart surgery program. In a Jan. 13 statement to Becker's, a spokesperson for the Des Moines, Iowa-based health system attributed the decision to changing demographics, difficulty recruiting physicians to the region and financial pressures. Additionally, MercyOne Siouxland is downgrading its trauma center designation from a level 2 to a level 3. The health system said recent changes from the American College of Surgeons have made maintaining its level 2 status "unstustainable" at the Siouxland hospital. (Carbajal, 1/13)
Modern Healthcare: Providence's Recover And Renew Plan Brings In $1B In Improvements
Providence has seen about $1 billion in operational improvements from its restructuring and cost-cutting initiative since its launch, Chief Financial Officer Greg Hoffman told attendees at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Monday. ... The plan includes reducing the system's use of contract workers and patients' length of stay, along with organizational restructuring, growing value-based care platforms and increasing provider partnerships. (1/13)
Stat: Health Systems Race To Show Clinical Algorithms Don't Discriminate
Over the last four years, health systems across the United States have phased out the use of several clinical tools that use race to predict patient outcomes, replacing them with race-free versions that carry less risk of perpetuating inequitable care. But there’s a wide world of other calculators and algorithms used to make decisions about patients every day — many of which use race, sex, and other traits protected by federal anti-discrimination laws. (Palmer, 1/14)
In news about health care workers —
Modern Healthcare: How Healthcare Hiring Shaped Up In 2024
Healthcare continues to add jobs but the industry's gains in 2024 did not outpace 2023's performance — except when it involved jobs within hospitals. The industry added 681,300 jobs in 2024, compared with 688,400 a year earlier. While the number of jobs in other major areas of the sector saw smaller increases year-over-year, employment gains in hospitals rose 3.8% in 2024, up slightly from 3.7% in 2023. (Broderick, 1/13)
Axios: Incentives Aim To Lure RNs To Nursing Home Jobs
The Biden administration unveiled a tuition repayment program to incentivize nurses to work in nursing homes or state agencies that monitor them as it wraps up its final days in office. President Biden's marquee policy to improve nursing home care — a national staffing requirement for skilled nursing facilities — is likely to be rolled back by the incoming Republican trifecta. (Goldman, 1/13)
Modern Healthcare: Alignment Health Names Dawn Maroney As President
Medicare Advantage insurance company Alignment Health elevated Dawn Maroney to the role of company president on Monday. In her new role, Maroney will oversee Alignment's daily operations, focus on improving members' experience with the health plan, and work with providers, the company said in a news release. (Tepper, 1/13)
MedPage Today: How Nurses, Doctors Rank In Gallup's Poll Of Most Trusted Professions
Nurses once again earned the top spot as the most trusted profession in America, with pharmacists and physicians ranking fourth and fifth on Gallup's annual Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll. Of those surveyed, 76% rated nurses as having "high" or "very high" ethical standards. Grade-school teachers ranked second, with 61% of respondents saying they have high or very high ethical standards, followed by military officers (59%), pharmacists (57%), and physicians (53%). (Firth, 1/13)
