Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
D.C. Health Department Orders Hospital To Stop Baby Deliveries; Bay Area ACO To Expand Its Network
The Washington Post: D.C. Shuts Down Obstetrics Ward At United Medical Center For 90 Days
The D.C. Health Department is restricting United Medical Center’s license that allowed it to perform obstetrics and nursery care while the hospital implements a plan to improve those services, a spokeswoman for the agency said Tuesday. Regulators could lift the restrictions before the 90-day mark if the hospital makes the required improvements and passes an inspection. Other services at the long-troubled public hospital, which serves some of the city’s poorest residents, are unaffected by the move. (Nirappil, 8/8)
The Associated Press: DC Orders Hospital To Suspend Baby Deliveries, Prenatal Care
The Department of Health in Washington, D.C., has ordered a hospital to stop delivering babies and offering prenatal care for the next 90 days. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that district officials declined to say what prompted the suspension at United Medical Center. But the hospital is implementing a plan to improve those services. (8/8)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF, Dignity To Expand Bay Area Accountable Care Network
Canopy Health, the Bay Area accountable care organization co-founded by UCSF in 2015, is adding three Dignity Health hospitals to its growing list of in-network providers. With the new Dignity additions — St. Mary’s Medical Center and St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, and Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City — the Canopy network will have 4,000 physicians, 16 hospitals and about 15,000 patients, or “members.” (Ho, 8/8)
Boston Globe: State Sees Boom In Number Of Psychiatric Beds, But Hospitals Struggle To Hire More Psychiatrists
As psychiatric patients struggle to get treatment, some of them waiting for days in emergency rooms, health care companies have seen an opportunity: Three gleaming new psychiatric hospitals have gone up in Massachusetts since 2015, and two more are in the works. But it’s turning out to be harder than expected to fill them with patients. (Kowalczyk, 8/8)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Hospital Health Violations: What Inspectors Found In 2017 So Far
If you thought hospitals in Houston were exempt from visits by the city health inspectors, think again. Chron.com has searched through the last seven months of routine reports prepared by the Houston Health Department, and found that slimy ice, food not safe for human consumption, and bad hygienic practices have occurred even in healthcare environments. (Gonzales, 8/8)
There's also more coverage of the U.S. News hospital rankings —
New Hampshire Union Leader: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Tops In NH In U.S. News Rankings
Dr. Joanne Conroy’s second day as CEO and president of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center started with news that her hospital was named best in the state by U.S. News & World Report. ...No New Hampshire hospital made the national rankings, but Dartmouth-Hitchcock received high marks for abdominal aortic repair surgery, hip replacement surgery, as well as colon cancer and lung cancer surgeries. (Grosky, 8/9)
KCUR: KU Hospital, Saint Luke’s Get Top Honors In U.S. News Hospital Rankings
Two area hospitals earned spots on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” list. U.S. News ranked Saint Luke's Hospital in four medical specialty areas. The University of Kansas Hospital was deemed to be the best hospital in Kansas and in metro Kansas City, while Saint Luke’s was ranked the second best hospital in Missouri, behind Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka was deemed the second best hospital in Kansas, the only other hospital in the state to earn top honors. (Margolies, 8/8)
