Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Elevance Exiting Underperforming DC Medicaid Market; Other Departures To Come
Healthcare Dive: Elevance Shuts Down D.C. Medicaid Business, Eyes Additional Exits After Passable Q2
Elevance Health is shrinking its Medicaid business, worried about future profits in the beleaguered safety-net insurance program. The insurer is leaving Washington, D.C.’s Medicaid market this summer, and plans to exit additional Medicaid markets over the next 18 months, executives said during a call to discuss Elevance’s second quarter financial results Wednesday morning. (Parduhn, 7/15)
Healthcare Dive: Judge Tosses Another No Surprises Lawsuit Against HaloMD
It's the third recent legal victory in No Surprises lawsuits for billings intermediary HaloMD, which has also had suits dismissed in California and Texas. (Olsen, 7/15)
Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare's ACA Losses Signal Deeper Strain For Hospitals
Health systems already were bracing for substantial losses as people exited Affordable Care Act exchange programs, and HCA Healthcare’s disclosure Tuesday suggests the financial toll across the industry could be worse than expected. HCA said Tuesday it took a $400 million hit to pretax earnings in the second quarter, including $75 million carried over from the first quarter, as patients lost exchange health insurance. (Hudson, 7/15)
More healthcare industry updates —
Becker's Hospital Review: Hacking Group Says It Won't Target Hospitals
A cybercriminal group calling itself The Syndicate claims it breached Israeli fintech firm Nayax and stole more than 1 billion payment card records, while telling DataBreaches.net it steers clear of attacking hospitals. Asked whether it refrains from hacking certain sectors, the group said in the July 15 story: “We don’t target hospitals or critical infrastructure, anything that directly endangers lives.” It said its focus is financial services, technology and retail companies with significant capital, and that it also avoids Commonwealth of Independent States countries. (Bruce, 7/15)
Fierce Healthcare: Amazon Pharmacy, ENavvi Collab On Real-Time Prescription Info
Amazon Pharmacy is collaborating with digital prescription platform eNAvvi to provide clinicians with real-time medication information and delivery options through its e-prescribing workflow. The partnership allows providers to see current pricing and stock for prescriptions, including cash pricing versus estimated insurance copays, and shows how quickly medications will reach patients, the companies said. The goal of the partnership is to support medication adherence and increase access for patients, especially for those in “pharmacy deserts.” (Gleeson, 7/15)
Cardinal News: LewisGale Adds Simulation Lab For Nurses And Clinicians
LewisGale Regional Health System celebrated the opening of its new clinical simulation center last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 5,700-square-foot HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement in Roanoke allows nurses and other health care professionals to practice patient care in realistic hospital rooms using high-fidelity mannequins that simulate medical emergencies and a range of illnesses. (Schabacker, 7/16)
Modern Healthcare: Vanderbilt Health Hires Dr. David Miller As CEO
Dr. David Miller has been named as the next president and CEO of Vanderbilt Health, effective Jan. 1. Miller is CEO of Ann Arbor-headquartered Michigan Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs for the University of Michigan. He will also become the dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the organization said Wednesday. (DeSilva, 7/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Doctors And Nurses Protest ER ‘Boarding Crisis’
UCSF nurses and doctors protested Wednesday morning outside the UC regents meeting in San Francisco over what they say are inadequate staffing levels leading to a “boarding crisis” at UCSF’s Parnassus emergency department. Several dozen members of two unions representing UCSF healthcare workers — the California Nurses Association and the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU — gathered at 8 a.m. at the UCSF Rutter Center in Mission Bay, where the regents were scheduled to hold the second day of their two-day bimonthly meeting, organizers said. Supporting the protest were members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the university’s largest workers union, and University Professional & Technical Employees, a union representing UC’s technical workers. (Ho, 7/15)
