Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Appeals Court Reverses Paramedics' Homicide Convictions In Elijah McClain Case
The New York Times: Court Reverses Convictions Of Paramedics In Elijah McClain’s Death
An appeals court in Colorado on Thursday reversed the homicide convictions of two paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was pinned down by police and died after being injected with ketamine. The Colorado Court of Appeals also ordered new trials for Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper, citing errors in jury instructions related to the charge. (Walker, 6/4)
In other healthcare industry updates —
Modern Healthcare: Lifepoint Health Buys 8 Hospitals From ScionHealth
Lifepoint Health completed its acquisition of eight ScionHealth hospitals. The transaction expands Lifepoint’s national acute-care network to 68 hospitals. Lifepoint plans to retain current employees and maintain services at the facilities, the Brentwood, Tennessee-based system said in a Tuesday news release. (Kacik, 6/4)
Healthcare Dive: WVU Health System Takes Next Step Toward Buying Independence Health
The deal should further expand WVU Health System’s footprint in southwestern Pennsylvania and central Appalachia. WVU Health System already has a presence in the area. It owns hospitals in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Maryland; Ohio and West Virginia. (Halleman, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare: Ascension Acquires Amsurg, Expands Ambulatory Surgery Center Reach
Ascension has acquired ambulatory surgery provider Amsurg. The deal means the St. Louis-based provider will operate about 300 ambulatory surgery centers across more than 30 states, offering gastroenterology, orthopedics and other services. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, though previous estimates placed the acquisition value at $3.9 billion. (Hudson, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare: Epic Seeks To Dismiss SelfRx From Health Gorilla Lawsuit
Epic Systems seeks to remove one of the companies included in its case against Health Gorilla and others that alleges they fraudulently schemed to acquire patient records. Epic seeks a voluntary dismissal, with prejudice, of its claims against SelfRx, according to a Wednesday court filing. Epic filed its lawsuit against data broker Health Gorilla in January. The company alleges that Health Gorilla and several health tech companies including SelfRx engaged in a fraudulent scheme to acquire patient records. Epic accuses the companies of obtaining the records to sell to attorneys looking for individuals to join mass-tort or class-action lawsuits. (Famakinwa, 6/4)
