Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Have The Days Of Double Hospital Rooms Passed? Patients Start To Expect Private Rooms As The Norm
Boston Globe: Hospitals Face Pressure To Provide Private Rooms For Patients
When she had a heart attack last spring, Ann Galdos rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where doctors worked quickly to open up her blocked coronary artery. But when she settled in that night to begin her recovery, there was no rest to be found: The other patient in her shared hospital room was coughing, gagging, and moaning for hours. Galdos paced the hallways to find some peace. (McCluskey, 2/16)
Los Angeles Times: California Attorney General Wants Oversight In Hospital Sale To Santa Clara County
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra is asking a federal district judge in Los Angeles to place a hold on the sale of two struggling hospitals to Santa Clara County, a request the county says could scuttle the purchase. Becerra’s action is the latest skirmish in a years-long effort by the state to maintain oversight of six financially beleaguered not-for-profit hospitals. The hospitals, located in both Northern and Southern California, are now in bankruptcy. (Dolan, 2/18)
Boston Globe: Partners HealthCare Names Interim CEO
Partners HealthCare announced Monday it has named a physician and top executive as its interim chief executive, a move meant to provide continuity as the hospital network enters a period of transition. Dr. Anne Klibanski, 68, will be the first woman to lead Partners, the state’s largest network of doctors and hospitals and the parent of Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals. She is currently the chief academic officer, overseeing Partners’ research and teaching programs, and heads the neuroendocrine unit at Mass. General. (McCluskey, 2/18)
The Star Tribune: HCMC, North Memorial Discuss Possible Merger
The Hennepin County and North Memorial medical systems are entering merger talks that could combine two urban trauma centers and a fast-growing outer-ring suburban hospital into a larger competitor for an increasingly challenging health care market. The parties are drafting a letter of intent to negotiate a combination, which could range from a partnership between Hennepin Healthcare and North Memorial to a full merger into one organization, according to documents prepared for a closed meeting of the Hennepin County Board on Thursday. (Olson and Chanen, 2/18)
Chicago Tribune: Melrose Park's Westlake Hospital To Close, Reversing Plans By New Owner To Invest In 670-Employee Hospital
The new owner of Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park plans to close the 230-bed hospital by July, a dramatic shift in plans that’s causing outrage among local leaders who say the hospital is vital to serving a largely minority community. The about-face by Pipeline Health comes just weeks after the for-profit company bought Westlake, Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park for $70 million, with plans to have part-owner and prominent Chicagoan Dr. Eric Whitaker help turn around the hospitals. (Schencker, 2/17)
KCUR: Kansas City Anesthesia Group Says Medical Information For 3,472 Patients Might Have Been Compromised
A medical group that provides anesthesia services to Kansas City metro hospitals has notified 3,472 patients that some of their personal information may have been compromised after surgery schedules were stolen from an employee’s car. A medical group that provides anesthesia services to Kansas City metro hospitals has notified 3,472 patients that some of their personal information may have been compromised after surgery schedules were stolen from an employee’s car. Anesthesia Associates of Kansas City posted a notice on its website that the surgery schedules may have included some patients’ names, dates of birth, types and dates of surgery, and the name of the patients’ surgeons. (Margolies, 2/18)
Boston Globe: New England Baptist Hospital To Launch Campaign To Attract More Low-Income Patients
New England Baptist Hospital, a renowned hilltop institution where Boston Celtics and amateur athletes alike go for repairs of balky knees and shoulders, sits amid two of Boston’s neediest neighborhoods. Yet just a tiny fraction of its patients are poor. State regulators say the Baptist, which specializes in orthopedic surgery, can no longer remain an outlier. (Kowalczyk, 2/18)
