Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hackers Hit Las Vegas Hospital, Stealing And Sharing Personal Data
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Las Vegas Hospital Hit In Cyberattack, Data Stolen
University Medical Center acknowledged Tuesday that it had experienced a criminal data breach after a notorious hacker group began posting personal information purportedly obtained in the cyberattack. Images of Nevada driver’s licenses, passports and Social Security cards of around half a dozen alleged victims were posted late Monday on the hacker group’s website and were reviewed by the Review-Journal. After receiving an inquiry from the newspaper, the hospital issued a statement confirming that cybercriminals accessed a server used to store data in mid-June. Law enforcement is now investigating the incident, it said. (Appleton, 6/29)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Did Not Do Infection-Control Inspections Of Hospitals During Pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic began sending waves of COVID-19 patients to hospitals early last year, the federal government ordered states to inspect the facilities with an eye to measures that would curtail spread of infection. Georgia didn’t do the inspections, one of 13 states that simply did not comply, according to a report this week by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s office of the inspector general. (Hart, 6/29)
Health News Florida: Telehealth Could Suffer After Expiration Of State Emergency Order
Florida health care providers are going back in time. The growing emergence of telehealth, or telemedicine, as a way to deliver health care has been a silver lining during the COVID-19 pandemic. But after Gov. Ron DeSantis let an executive order declaring a public health emergency expire Saturday, many regulatory flexibilities that health care providers received during the pandemic, including flexibilities related to telehealth, also expired. (Sexton, 6/29)
KHN: Desperate For Home Care, Seniors Often Wait Months With Workers In Short Supply
For years, Louise Shackett has had trouble walking or standing for long periods, making it difficult for her to clean her house in southeastern Maine or do laundry. Shackett, 80, no longer drives, which makes it hard to get to the grocery store or doctor. Her low income, though, qualifies her for a state program that pays for a personal aide 10 hours a week to help with chores and errands. “It helps to keep me independent,” she said. (Galewitz, 6/30)
In corporate news —
Modern Healthcare: Merger Creates New Healthcare System In Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma and University Hospitals Authority and Trust signed an agreement Tuesday to merge their clinics and hospitals into Oklahoma's first comprehensive academic health system – OU Health, the systems announced. The system will work under one leader and merge its operations and finances. OU Health said that it will invest clinical earnings into research to offer the latest treatments found nowhere else in the state. (6/29)
Oklahoman: OU Health Promises Better Service, More Research With Hospital Merger
After about a quarter century apart and a $750 million hospital buyout, the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and the physicians who staff it have merged into the same entity, a move officials say will improve patient experiences and dedicate more money to research. OU and its College of Medicine consolidated on Tuesday with OU Medical Center to create the state's first fully integrated academic health system, called OU Health. The OU Health system will better serve Oklahoma’s health outcomes, education and economic opportunities as a unified front, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said Tuesday before signing documents to finalize the merger. (Martinez-Keel, 6/29)
Modern Healthcare: ProMedica, Intuitive Health To Open Hybrid Emergency And Urgent Care Clinic
ProMedica will open a dual emergency and urgent care clinic in Toledo, Ohio through a partnership with Intuitive Health, the health system said Tuesday. The 11,000-square-foot-facility will be the first of its kind in northwest Ohio and will eliminate the need for patients to self-diagnose themselves before trying to decide to go to urgent care or the emergency department, ProMedica said. The hope is that the new model will simplify access to care and lower out-of-pocket costs for patients. (Christ, 6/29)
Modern Healthcare: Streamlining Contracting Could Slash Administrative Costs
Standardizing and simplifying payer-provider contracts could significantly reduce healthcare administrative costs and potentially improve care, a new study found. The U.S. healthcare system wastes an estimated $2,500 per person each year on administrative costs, which is higher than nearly every other developed country with a multi-payer system. Using templated contract structures, digitizing records and limiting prior authorization could help reduce billing and insurance related costs by between 27% and 63%, according to a new analysis published in Health Services Research. (Kacik, 6/29)
