Massachusetts Takes On Private Equity In Health Care
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the goal of a new oversight law is to prevent "bad actors [who] exploit vulnerable hospitals." Meanwhile, a Virginia hospital faces health care fraud charges; San Francisco gets a new mayor and a new plan to deal with the fentanyl epidemic; and more.
Bloomberg:
Massachusetts New Law Cracks Down On Private Equity In Healthcare
Private equity investors in the health-care industry will face additional oversight in Massachusetts under a new law that Governor Maura Healey signed into law Wednesday. The legislation will subject private equity investors, real estate investment trusts and management service organizations to financial reporting requirements under the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis and increases the fines for non-compliance. It will also broaden the authority of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission and allow the regulator to seek testimony from financial sponsors at its annual cost trends hearing. (Taylor, 1/8)
In legal news from Virginia, Florida, and Illinois —
The Washington Post:
Virginia Hospital Indicted Over Unnecessary Surgeries On Women
A Virginia hospital is facing federal criminal charges over what prosecutors say was an extended scheme to profit from a high-billing doctor’s troubling practices, including dozens of medically unnecessary surgeries performed on unsuspecting women, which left some of them sterile. An indictment filed Wednesday in federal district court in Norfolk charges the hospital, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, with health-care fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. The hospital collected about $18.5 million in reimbursements from private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid for questionable procedures performed between 2010 and 2019 by Javaid Perwaiz, prosecutors say. (Rizzo, 1/8)
Health News Florida:
Tampa General Hospital Agrees To $6.8 Million Settlement In Data Breach Class Action
Tampa General Hospital will pay $6.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit arising from a May 2023 data breach that compromised the personal information of about 2.1 million people. According to the settlement, people who received written notification from Tampa General about the cyberattack may choose to submit claims to recover losses or receive a lump sum of $125. (Mayer, 1/8)
Chicago Tribune:
Negligence Alleged In State Mental Health Center Suicide
A state social services agency that has been under fire on several fronts, most recently in an internal audit that found shortcomings in how the agency responded to complaints, is accused of negligence in a pair of lawsuits filed by the family of a man who died by suicide in a west suburban mental health center. (Olander and Gorner, 1/8)
Other news from California, North Carolina, Texas, and New Hampshire —
The New York Times:
San Francisco Gets A New Mayor And An Emergency Plan For The Fentanyl Scourge
Within minutes on Wednesday morning, San Francisco got a new mayor — and a new plan for an emergency declaration intended to combat the fentanyl scourge that has killed thousands of people in the city over the past five years and has turned some neighborhoods into sidewalk drug markets. Daniel Lurie, a Democrat, was sworn into office outside the gold-domed City Hall and began to detail his campaign promises about fighting the city’s drug crisis, which has claimed more lives in the city since 2020 than have Covid-19, car crashes and homicides combined. (Knight, 1/8)
North Carolina Health News:
Addiction Treatment Programs Partner To Reduce Maternal Deaths
Overdose is a significant cause of maternal death in North Carolina, according to the state’s latest maternal mortality review. Among the 76 pregnancy-related deaths that occurred in North Carolina in 2018 and 2019, a little over one quarter — 20 deaths — were from overdoses. Nearly all of the deaths were related to opioids, with fentanyl involved in 14. (Crumpler, 1/9)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Medical Board Chief Tied To Planned Parenthood Retires
The medical director of the Texas Medical Board has retired, less than two weeks after conservative lawmakers publicized his employment with a Planned Parenthood laboratory. (Klibanoff, 1/8)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Has Yet To Opt In To $2B Summer Food Program For Kids
Nearly 40 states have chosen to participate in a more than $2 billion grocery program that gives low-income families an extra $120 per child to help feed them during the summer break. But Texas, which has 3.8 million children eligible for the program, is not one of them. (Langford and Keemahill, 1/9)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
NH Lawmakers Will Again Try To Expand School Meal Programs, As Food Insecurity Grows
There’s another push at the New Hampshire State House this year to make sure kids aren’t hungry while they’re learning — and it’s coming as advocates say families across the state are under extra strain due to inflation and rising cost of living expenses. (Richardson, 1/9)
