Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Depressed? You Are Not Alone: Health Workers Report High Rate Of The Blues
Bloomberg: Health Care, Service Workers Report Highest Rates Of Depression
Health care, social services, food preparation and personal care workers such as hair stylists and childcare providers reported the highest rates of depression among more than half a million workers surveyed nationwide, a study published Friday found. More than one in five people in those professions said they had been diagnosed with depression, well above the 14% of all workers surveyed between 2015 and 2019. (Amponsah, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: FAH CEO Chip Kahn To Retire This Year
Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, will retire at the end of the year, ending his 24-year run at the helm of the trade association. Kahn has worked in healthcare and politics for nearly 50 years, holding various roles on Capitol Hill and leading the Health Insurance Association of America before joining the Federation of American Hospitals. The Federation, which represents more than 1,000 for-profit hospitals and health systems, has yet to name a replacement and has tasked management consulting company Korn Ferry to help its search. (Kacik, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: Adventist HealthCare, Howard University End Partnership
Adventist HealthCare will wind down its hospital management agreement with Howard University and end potential acquisition discussions, the organizations said Thursday. Adventist in 2020 began managing Howard University Hospital’s operations, leading to another management services agreement in 2023 for the hospital’s physician group. (Kacik, 6/6)
WUSF: BayCare Starts Academic Alliance With Northwestern Medicine
BayCare on Thursday said it secured a “final key piece” in its development as an academic health system through a new collaboration with Chicago’s Northwestern Medicine. The partnership, which includes Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, gives BayCare expanded access to treatments, enhanced clinical research, and improved training and education for current and future physicians,” according to a news release. (Mayer, 6/8)
More health industry news —
The New York Times: Doctors Were Preparing To Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up
Four years ago, an unconscious Kentucky man began to awaken as he was about to be removed from life support so his organs could be donated. Even though the man cried, pulled his legs to his chest and shook his head, officials still tried to move forward. Now, a federal investigation has found that officials at the nonprofit in charge of coordinating organ donations in Kentucky ignored signs of growing alertness not only in that patient but also in dozens of other potential donors. (Rosenthal, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: Biosense Webster Must Pay Triple Damages In Antitrust Lawsuit
U.S. District Court Judge James Selna in California has tripled the damages to $442 million in a case where a jury found Johnson & Johnson’s medical technology unit Biosense Webster had violated antitrust laws. On May 16, a jury found Biosense Webster guilty of withholding clinical support from hospitals that purchased reprocessed catheters from Innovative Health, and ordered the company to pay $147 million in damages. (Dubinsky, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: Yale's AI Championship Offers Doctors A Chance To Pitch Investors
It wasn’t exactly Shark Tank, but a recent competition at Yale New Haven Health in Connecticut showed how artificial intelligence has paved the path for physicians to become entrepreneurs. As tech companies, health system, insurers and investors pour money into developing AI, doctors are going beyond just using the technology. Some are creating algorithms with their free time to improve clinical care, even potentially looking to turn this interest into a full-time business as they watch the success of physician-led companies such as Abridge and Viz.ai. (Perna, 6/6)
