Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawmakers Spotlight Large Nursing Home Companies' Staffing, Spending
USA Today: Nursing Home Staffing And Spending Questioned By Democratic Lawmakers
Three U.S. senators and two U.S. representatives have called out the corporate spending of three large nursing home companies amid the industry's opposition to the Biden administration's rule to set minimum staffing levels. In letters sent Sunday to executives of three large chains, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Lloyd Doggett questioned the nursing homes' spending on executive compensation, stock buybacks and dividends as the industry protests a new staffing rule for nursing homes. (Alltucker, 5/6)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3 In 5 Wisconsin Nursing Homes Need To Hire More Staff Under New Rule
Most nursing homes in Wisconsin will need to hire more nurses or nursing aides to meet minimum staffing requirements newly announced by the federal government, a mandate that some nursing homes worry they will struggle to meet amid staffing challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. ... “This is the most important nursing home reform in decades,” said David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. “We need more staff in nursing homes." (Volpenhein, 5/6)
More news about health care workers —
Crain's Chicago Business: UChicago Medicine Residents Vote To Form Union
Medical residents and fellows at University of Chicago Medicine voted in favor of forming a union, following in the footsteps of their peers at other academic medical institutions in the city and across the country. Of the more than 1,000 residents, 98% voted to join the Committee of Interns & Residents, or CIR, a division of the Service Employees International Union and the largest group representing physicians in residency and fellowship programs in the country, the union announced today. (Davis, 5/6)
CBS News: Minnesota Nurses Union Rally Against Proposed Cuts At North Memorial Health
The Minnesota Nurses Association plans to speak out Monday afternoon against proposed cuts to services at North Memorial hospitals and its clinics. North Memorial executives announced cuts that would eliminate outpatient mental health programs and two neonatal intensive care units at North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, leaving more than 100 employees without a job. (Le, 5/6)
Houston Chronicle: Embattled Houston Surgeon Warned Of Threats To Transplant Program
Dr. J. Steve Bynon, the Houston transplant surgeon who has been accused of improperly altering patient records, several years ago expressed disappointment over his inability to improve the abdominal transplant division he oversaw and more recently warned of “major threats” to the program, according to his personnel file from UTHealth Houston, obtained by the Houston Chronicle through an open records request. (Gill and MacDonald, 5/6)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Washington U. Hires Epidemiologist For Public Health School
Washington University is launching a new school devoted to public health and has hired a Boston University epidemiologist to lead the charge. The new school will be WashU’s first in almost a century, and will study a subject that has lived at the center of national debate for much of the past four years. It is slated to launch in the fall of 2026. (Merrilees, 5/6)
The Washington Post: She Worked In Animal Research. Now She’s Blocked From Commenting On It.
An animal rights activists is embroiled in a court fight with the National Institutes of Health for blocking her online comments on NIH research using monkeys. (Weiner, 5/6)
The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Doctor Who Said COVID Vaccines Make People Magnetic Gets Medical License Back
The Ohio State Medical Board reinstated the medical license of a doctor who spread conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines, including the false claim that they make people magnetic. The board voted last month to restore Dr. Sherri Tenpenny's license after suspending it last year and fining her $3,000. State officials said Tenpenny refused to cooperate with their investigation after the board received 350 complaints about her. (Bemiller, 5/6)
