Lawsuit Alleges Aetna’s Infertility Coverage Biased Against LGBTQ People

Modern Healthcare: Aetna Hit With Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against LGBTQ Patients
Aetna's coverage rules for infertility treatment are biased against LGBTQ patients, who are required to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket even though heterosexual people face no cost sharing for the same care, the National Women's Law Center alleges in a federal lawsuit filed Monday. The suit, filed in the Southern District of New York, arises from a series of coverage denials faced by Emma Goidel, a 31-year-old woman covered under a Columbia University student plan administered by Aetna, which is owned by CVS Health. (Tepper, 9/13)

In other health care industry news —

The Baltimore Sun: University Of Maryland Medical Center To Shift Outpatient Services To New Midtown Campus Building 
Starting this fall, the University of Maryland Medical Center plans to funnel patients with chronic conditions who need outpatient care to a new $70 million, 10-story building that will house specialists in pods designed to address diseases from diabetes to heart problems. The outpatient center is across the street from the UMMC Midtown hospital in central Baltimore, and officials plan to cut the ribbon Tuesday and begin moving in medical staffs and patients. (Cohn, 9/14)

VTDigger: Vermont Regulators Put Cash-Strapped Springfield Hospital On Ice
Access and the cost of health care services in Vermont were front and center Monday as the Green Mountain Care Board finalized growth targets for four of Vermont’s 14 hospitals in fiscal year 2022. The four hospital budgets in front of the board Monday were a study in contrasts when it came to their financial outlook. Springfield Hospital, a rural facility that just concluded bankruptcy proceedings, has been short on cash and has too few patients coming through its doors. The University of Vermont Health Network, the largest and most financially secure provider in the state, has the opposite problem. Its three hospitals in Vermont have the backing of a much larger network, but staffing issues have caused significant delays for patients needing to see specialists. (Engel-Smith, 9/13)

KHN: Under Pressure, Montana Hospital Considers Adding Psych Beds Amid A Shortage 
Gary Popiel had to drive more than 200 miles round trip to visit his adult daughters in separate behavioral health facilities as they received psychiatric and medical treatment.  It was 2000, and the family’s only options for inpatient psychiatric beds were in Helena and Missoula — far from their Bozeman, Montana, home and from each other. Fast-forward 21 years, and Montana’s fourth-largest city still lacks a hospital behavioral health unit. (Houghton, 9/14)

Modern Healthcare: Google, ProMedica Invest In Hot Virtual Market
Google and ProMedica Health System are entering the growing digital physical therapy market, as value-based relationships grow and providers look for ways to keep patients' $213 billion annual spend on the service within their systems. The companies have partnered with Cincinnati-based IncludeHealth to launch an operating system that any provider can use to offer virtual physical therapy through any device, helping patients adhere to their treatment plans and keeping them from straying outside their health systems' networks. (Tepper, 9/14)

Modern Healthcare: Willis-Knighton Health System Gets A New CEO
Willis-Knighton Health System has named Jaf Fielder II as its next CEO, succeeding James Elrod, the Shreveport, Louisiana-based provider announced Saturday. Elrod will retire at the end of September, after which Fielder will take the helm. Fielder currently is chief operating officer and has been with the health system since 1990. "His dedication to the health system, the medical staff, the employees and our community is unquestionable and, I believe, unshakable. He will have the support of a strong executive team, just as I have had, and they have a solid foundation on which to build," Elrod said in a news release. (Brady, 9/13)

AP: Legionella Bacteria Resurfaces At West Virginia Hospital
Tests show bacteria that causes the severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease has resurfaced at a West Virginia-run hospital, health officials said. Routine screening found Legionella bacteria at the Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital in Huntington. The hospital is operated by the state Department of Health and Human Resources. The building where the bacteria was detected did not house patients. (9/14)

The Aegis: Harford County Neurosurgeon’s Medical License Suspended Following Sexual Harassment Investigation 
A Harford County neurosurgeon had his medical license suspended after a board of physicians discovered a pattern of sexual harassment that endured for several years, according to documents. The Maryland Board of Physicians suspended Hugo Benalcazar’s medical license in July after it became aware of behavior including unwanted touching, lewd comments and smacking an anesthetized patient’s butt in an operating room, among other acts, according to documents filed with the board. (Whitlow, 9/13)

Also —

AP: Holocaust Survivor, Scholar Awarded $815,000 Balzan Prize
An Israeli-French-American Holocaust survivor and historian and a U.S. scientist specializing in gut bacteria were among the recipients this year’s Balzan Prizes, recognizing scholarly and scientific achievements, announced on Monday. Saul Friedlander, who has taught at both the University of California, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv University, was awarded the prize for Holocaust and Genocide Studies for his work broadening the perspective on the history of the Holocaust. (Barry, 9/13)