Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawsuit Alleges Hospital Filmed Women During Intimate Medical Procedures Without Their Knowledge
inewsource: Dozens Of Women Sue Sharp Grossmont For Secretly Videotaping Their Surgeries
More than 80 women are suing Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Sharp Healthcare for videotaping them without their consent as they underwent painful and emotional obstetric surgeries, including C-sections. According to the 15-page lawsuit, the operating room cameras in the La Mesa facility captured videos of about 1,800 women between July 17, 2012 and June 30, 2013. Plaintiffs’ attorneys said Sharp officials disclosed those numbers and dates during legal proceedings before the lawsuit was filed. (Clark, 4/2)
Los Angeles Times: More Than 80 Women Sue San Diego Hospital Alleging Secret Camera Recordings
Allison Goddard, the lawyer representing the 81 plaintiffs, said one video shows a patient being wheeled into an operating room for an emergency caesarean section. Goddard said the video shows the woman being prepared for surgery with her gown tucked under her breasts. It shows her exposed stomach and thighs and, after the delivery of the baby, a nurse massaging the woman’s uterus to expel any blood clots. (Diaz, 4/3)
The Washington Post: Sharp Grossmont Hospital In La Mesa Secretly Recorded Women During Medical Procedures, Lawsuit Claims
Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s parent company, Sharp HealthCare, said in a statement that from July 2012 to June 2013, computer monitors with motion-activated cameras were set up to record in three operating rooms in the women’s health center as part of an investigation into medications that had gone missing from drug carts. “Although the cameras were intended to record only individuals in front of the anesthesia carts removing drugs, others, including patients and medical personnel in the operating rooms, were at times visible to the cameras and recorded,” Sharp HealthCare said in the statement. (Bever, 4/4)
Pioneer Press: Minnesota Children's In St. Paul, MN, Announces Pediatric Gender Health Program
The Children’s Minnesota hospital and clinic system on Tuesday announced the creation of a pediatric gender health program to provide comprehensive care to kids who identify as transgender or gender-diverse. Among an array of other services, the multidisciplinary clinic will offer consultation with gender health experts, gender-affirming hormonal treatment and treatments that pause puberty and stop menstruation, according to a news release issued by Minnesota Children’s, which operates hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as other pediatric care facilities. (Wolman, 4/3)
Modern Healthcare: Judge Rules UPMC, Highmark Agreement Ends This Summer
Highmark members will lose in-network access to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals and physicians on June 30, a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge affirmed Wednesday. The ruling reinforced a state Supreme Court decision that will end the five-year consent decree between UPMC and Highmark this summer. While the court rejected Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's request to indefinitely extend the contract, the attorney general plans to appeal the ruling that also left other aspects of the case up for debate. (Kacik, 4/3)
San Jose Mercury News: Highland Hospital Doctors Walk Out Over Labor Dispute
About 50 Highland Hospital resident and intern physicians walked off the job briefly Wednesday afternoon to protest stalled labor negotiations between the Alameda Health System and their union, the Service Employees International Union. Hospital operations carried on as normal Wednesday during the 20-minute walkout, Alameda Health System spokesman Terry Lightfoot said. (Tadayon, 4/3)
Georgia Health News: ‘A Big Health Care Year’ Under The Gold Dome
The battles over hospital regulation and financial disclosure appeared to be finished last week at the Georgia Legislature. But on Tuesday, as the 2019 General Assembly session was wrapping up, these prickly issues proved they weren’t dead after all. (Miller, 4/3)
WBUR: Shocking New Statistics About Water And Hygiene In Hospitals Around The World
Go to the hospital or a clinic in a wealthy country, and you take it for granted that there's going to be enough clean water — for the doctor to wash her hands before she attends to you, for the staff to clean the floors and linens, and for you to drink when you get thirsty. But in 17 countries at least one in five health-care facilities has no clean water service on site. (Aizenman, 4/3)
