Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Henry Ford Health Reveals $2.2 Billion Expansion Plan For Detroit
Crain's Detroit Business: Inside Henry Ford Health's $2.2B Redevelopment In Its Detroit Campus
Mayo Clinic. Johns Hopkins Hospital. Cleveland Clinic. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. All flagship destination research hospitals that attract complex patients from around the U.S. This is the class Henry Ford Health aspires to join. The newly announced $2.2 billion investment into its Detroit campus is a massive step in that direction. (Walsh, 2/8)
Detroit Free Press: Plans Unveiled For Big Henry Ford Hospital Expansion, 550 Apartments
The Henry Ford Health system plans to build a major expansion to its Henry Ford Hospital campus in Detroit at about the same time as Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores undertakes two new nearby housing developments totaling at least 500 apartments. The projects, forecast to total $2.5 billion in costs and also to include a new joint medical research center with Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University, were unveiled Wednesday. (Reindl, 2/8)
In other health care industry news —
WMFE: Some Of Orlando Health's Patients Can Now Receive Hospital Care At Home
Orlando Health on Thursday will launch its Hospital Care at Home program, allowing patients in need of acute care to be treated in the comfort of their homes. The program would treat patients suffering from cellulitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, urinary tract infection, heart failure, COVID-19, pneumonia and gastroenteritis. (Pedersen, 2/8)
Stat: CVS-Oak Street Health Deal Continues Sector's Provider Obsession
CVS Health’s $10.6 billion acquisition of Oak Street Health plants another flag in the latest era of health insurance industry consolidation — one defined by insurers moving beyond managing medical and drug benefits, and into directly providing care to people in a primary care office or at home. (Herman and Bannow, 2/8)
NPR: One State Finds Success With ER Psych Diversion Program For Kids
It was around 2 a.m. when Carmen realized her 12-year-old daughter was in danger and needed help. Haley wasn't in her room — or anywhere in the house. Carmen tracked Haley's phone to a main street in their central Massachusetts community. "She don't know the danger that she was taking out there," says Carmen, her voice choked with tears. "Walking in the middle of the night, anything can happen." (Bebinger, 2/9)
Bloomberg: Healthcare Debt Gets Harder Look As Distress Builds And Prices Drop
Healthcare companies used to be some of the safest to lend to during economic downturns, until private equity firms bought them out and larded them with debt. Now they’re some of the riskiest borrowers in the world of leveraged loans. (Butt and Arroyo, 2/8)
AP: 160 Patients Evacuated After Fire At Massachusetts Hospital
More than 70 ambulances showed up Tuesday to transfer about 160 patients evacuated from a Massachusetts hospital that lost power after an electrical transformer fire. The power was shut off at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital for safety reasons, officials said. “We are removing some critically ill and injured patients,” Brockton Fire Chief Brian Nardelli said at a morning news conference. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said about 160 patients were affected. Firefighters said 77 ambulances assisted in relocating them. (2/7)
KHN: Listen To The Latest ‘KHN Health Minute’
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KHN newsroom to the airwaves each week. (2/7)
In news about health care personnel —
Houston Chronicle: Texas Children's Announces New Director Of Brain Cancer Research
Dr. Michael Taylor, a molecular biologist and an international leader in pediatric neuro-oncology, has joined Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine to become the inaugural director of the institutions’ childhood brain cancer research program. He will focus on pursuing therapies for difficult-to-treat brain tumors, the hospital said Wednesday. (Gill, 2/8)
Boston Globe: New Funding For Scientist David Sabatini Draws Divided Reactions
Billionaire New York hedge fund manager Bill Ackman built a record of going against the grain and taking whatever flack or controversy came his way. True to form, Ackman announced last week that he and an anonymous donor had pledged $25 million over five years toward a new research lab for David Sabatini, a former star scientist from MIT and Whitehead Institute, whose career imploded in 2021 amid allegations of workplace misconduct and sexual harassment. (Mark Arsenault, 2/8)
Modern Healthcare: Sister Carol Keehan, Dr. Philip Lee And Dr. Herbert Pardes Honored
Congratulations to Sister Carol Keehan, Dr. Herbert Pardes and the family of the late Dr. Philip Lee for the trio's induction into the Health Care Hall of Fame. Keehan led the Catholic Health Association of the United States, which represents more than 600 member hospitals and 1,600 other care sites, as president and CEO from 2005 to 2019. She has been a strong advocate for a more equitable healthcare system, including through championing the passage of the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration. (2/8)
