Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Investing In Mental Health Saves Lives, Brings Financial Benefits: Lawmakers
The Hill: Lawmakers Point To Financial Returns Of Mental Health Care Investment
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) expressed support on Wednesday for more mental health care investments, pointing to the tens of thousands of lives potentially saved and the billions of dollars invested in a more comprehensive federal program that would benefit the U.S. Both lawmakers spoke at the “Cost of Mental Health Inequities” event moderated by The Hill contributing editor Steve Scully. (9/21)
In other health care industry news —
The Boston Globe: Even After Receiving Millions From The State, Hospitals In R.I. Are Still Bleeding Money
Since coming out of retirement to be the interim CEO and president of Lifespan Corp., Arthur Sampson has been dreading what he says is inevitably coming down the pike: the backlog of sick patients who did not have their tests and screenings done during the pandemic. (Gagosz, 9/21)
The CT Mirror: CT's Hospital Systems Are Buying Private Practices, Small Hospitals
Connecticut’s health care industry is becoming increasingly concentrated. In return, some small private practices in the state are finding it difficult to compete with big health care systems. (Golvala, Phillips and Altimari, 9/21)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Siteman Cancer Center Joins Forces With The University Of Missouri
Cancer researchers at the University of Missouri in Columbia and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are joining forces to hasten scientific breakthroughs and improve access to cancer treatments across the state, the two universities announced this week. (Munz, 9/21)
AP: Oregon State Hospital Issued $54K Workplace Safety Fine
The Oregon State Hospital is facing a $54,000 fine for failing to investigate workplace injuries. The citation, brought by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, alleges that from January 2021 to June 2022 the hospital didn’t investigate every time workers suffered an injury or illness that caused them to miss work, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The hospital didn’t look at ways to prevent future injuries and illness from occurring, according to the citation. (9/22)
San Francisco Chronicle: Court Reinstates Malpractice Suit Against UCSF By Woman Whose Child Was Stillborn
A state appeals court says a woman who had a stillborn child in 2016, three days after undergoing pregnancy-related treatment at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, can sue the hospital for alleged medical malpractice, overruling a judge’s decision that she had waited too long to sue. (Egelko, 9/21)
Stat: Blockchain In Financial Services Offers A Case Study For Health Care Adoption
Not long ago, blockchain technology captured the imagination — and the wallets — of financial services firms that sought a “first-mover” advantage by integrating it into their outdated management systems. Now it’s the health care sector’s turn. (Weems, 9/22)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Pays Attendants For Disabled People Just $8.11 Per Hour
Nancy Crowther worries every time her personal care attendant leaves the house. She worries that her attendant will see the Dairy Queen banner boasting $16 an hour flapping in the wind on her drive to the grocery store and be tempted to apply. Worries that the taco place down the street promising $17 an hour will catch her eye. (Stuckey, 9/21)
KHN: Shift In Child Hospice Care Is A Lifeline For Parents Seeking A Measure Of Comfort And Hope
When you first meet 17-month-old Aaron Martinez, it’s not obvious that something is catastrophically wrong. What you see is a beautiful little boy with smooth, lustrous skin, an abundance of glossy brown hair, and a disarming smile. What you hear are coos and cries that don’t immediately signal anything is horribly awry. But his parents, Adriana Pinedo and Hector Martinez, know the truth painfully well. (Wolfson, 9/22)
More on the debate over private equity —
KHN: Buy And Bust: After Platinum Health Took Control Of Noble Sites, All Hospital Workers Were Fired
The news, under Noble Health letterhead, arrived at 5:05 p.m. on a Friday, with the subject line: “Urgent Notice.” Audrain Community Hospital, Paul Huemann’s workplace of 32 years, was letting workers go. Word travels fast in a small town. Huemann’s wife, Kym, first heard the bad news in the car when a friend who’d gotten the letter, too, texted. (Tribble, 9/22)
KHN: Death Is Anything But A Dying Business As Private Equity Cashes In
Private equity firms are investing in health care from cradle to grave, and in that latter category quite literally. A small but growing percentage of the funeral home industry — and the broader death care market — is being gobbled up by private equity-backed firms attracted by high profit margins, predictable income, and the eventual deaths of tens of millions of baby boomers. The funeral home industry is in many ways a prime target for private equity, which looks for markets that are highly fragmented and could benefit from consolidation. By cobbling together chains of funeral homes, these firms can leverage economies of scale in purchasing, improve marketing strategies, and share administrative functions. (Hawryluk, 9/22)
