Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals, Surgery Centers Vie For Lucrative Knee-Replacement Business
Kaiser Health News: Hospitals And Surgery Centers Play Tug-Of-War Over America’s Ailing Knees
Five years ago, Dr. Ira Kirschenbaum, an orthopedic surgeon in the Bronx who replaces more than 200 knees each year, would have considered it crazy to send a patient home the same day as a knee replacement operation. And yet there he was this year, as the patient, home after a few hours. A physician friend pierced his skin at 8 a.m. at a Seattle-area surgery center. By lunch, Kirschenbaum was resting at his friend’s home, with no pain and a new knee. (Jewett, 12/21)
Kansas Health Institute: Staff Vacancies Down But Still A Concern At State Psychiatric Hospitals
State officials say conditions for staff and patients at Kansas’ two state-run psychiatric hospitals are improving but still need work. Representatives from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, Osawatomie State Hospital, Larned State Hospital and the Kansas Organization of State Employees spoke Monday and Tuesday to a legislative committee overseeing the hospitals. (Wingerter, 12/20)
Los Angeles Times: Pomona Hospital Workers Say They Were Pressured To Stay Silent About Dirty Conditions
Six workers at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center say management tried to keep them from speaking out about possible patient infections and unsafe working conditions by asking them to sign confidentiality agreements. The hospital had requested interviews with the workers after they spoke to The Times about their fears that patients were being sickened by dirty conditions that management had ignored. (Petersen, 12/20)
The New York Times: Trading Hospital Rooms For Hotel Suites
When out-of-town patients used to travel to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, some would find that their best option for staying close to the hospital for early-morning surgery involved a trip over the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey. Enter the Edge Hotel, a 54-room property that opened in the fall of 2015 in Upper Manhattan, an area with few other lodgings. (Hughes, 12/20)
Los Angeles Times: Hospital Employees Deliver Gifts To More Than 400 Cerritos Elementary Students
About 400 students who attend Cerritos Elementary School were surprised Tuesday when each of them received a gift, resulting in some shocked looks and cheers. "Each of you is so precious to us," said Cassie McCarty, director of mission integration at Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital. Leading up to the gift delivery, hospital employees, including physicians, board members and staff as well as volunteers, bought a gift for each of the 409 students who attend Cerritos. (Corrigan, 12/20)
