Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cyberattacks And Ransomware Hit Smaller, Rural Hospitals
Stat: At Small And Rural Hospitals, Cyberattacks Cause Unprecedented Crises
At 12:08 p.m. on a Monday, a Sky Lakes Medical Center employee tapped an email link. Within minutes, that click cracked open the Oregon hospital’s digital infrastructure for cybercriminals to infiltrate. By the time IT staff started looking into it, “everything was being encrypted,” said John Gaede, director of information services. On a note discovered in a server, the attackers announced the 100-bed Klamath Falls hospital had been hit with ransomware. (Renault, 4/11)
In other health care industry news —
Billings Gazette: Citing Patient Danger, Feds Say They Won't Reimburse For Services At State Hospital
The Montana State Hospital is set to lose its federal reimbursement funding on Tuesday after repeated failures to meet standard health and safety conditions, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a letter to the state on Friday. The letter does not say how much money the state hospital will no longer receive once the federal government stops payment for services provided to Medicare and Medicaid patients. There were 142 patients in the main hospital as of April 4, though it's not clear how many patients are insured by Medicare and Medicaid. (Larson, 4/11)
AP: Plans To Close ER South Of Atlanta Raising Concerns
Wellstar Health System’s announcement that it is turning the only emergency room in Fulton County south of Interstate 20 into an urgent care clinic is raising concerns among some officials in metro Atlanta. WellStar said Wednesday it will close the ER and hospital beds at Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center South in East Point outside Atlanta in May. It will turn the facility into a 24-hour urgent care and rehabilitation clinic, news outlets reported. (4/10)
WUSF Public Media: BayCare Agrees To $20 Million Settlement In Medicaid Payment Case
BayCare Health System has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a federal case in which it was accused of filing false claims for Medicaid funds, according to a release from the Department of Justice. In an email to WUSF, BayCare denied any wrongdoing and said it settled to avoid litigation. The case involves donations that BayCare made to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County between October 2013 and September 2015. (Ochoa, 4/8)
Also —
CIDRAP: Healthcare Workers Report High Job Turnover Amid Pandemic
Before the pandemic, on average, 3.2% of healthcare workers reported turnover, compared with 5.6% in the beginning of the pandemic and 3.7% in the following 8 months. More people left the workforce than were unemployed for every group throughout the study period, except in the latter period among people who were multiracial or of an "other" race. (Van Beusekom, 4/8)
Wyoming Public Radio: A Sheridan County Native Helped Launch A Master's Program In Cardiac Function And Technology
Dr. Ken Turley is a 1982 Sheridan High School graduate who is a professor at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Over the last 13 months, he’s helped to launch the country’s first master’s degree program in cardiac function and interventional technology. The program aims to equip graduates and those already in the field to develop technologies to treat patients with cardiac disease and improve their quality of life. Turley has been at Harding for the past 25 years and has taught a variety of courses in the exercise science department. The master’s program will be offered for the first time in the fall semester. (Cook, 4/8)
North Carolina Health News: UNC Med School Students Address Climate Change
A part of Alex Gregor’s childhood was spent growing up in Buncombe County, near Asheville, where he and his family enjoyed canoeing and hiking. “I think that’s probably the origin of my environmental consciousness …those experiences with family and friends, outdoors,” he recalled recently. After college, Gregor held several jobs before deciding to pursue a medical degree. One particular job was in the “social enterprise sector with a focus on global development issues.” He said his passion for the outdoors and his experience working on global issues carried from that career to his new one. (Atwater, 4/11)
