Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Than 800 To Be Laid Off As Humana Looks To Cut 2% Of Workforce By End Of Year
The Associated Press: Kentucky-Based Insurer Humana To Lay Off 2% Of Workforce
A health insurance provider says it's laying off more than 800 people. The Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana announced Monday it'd be cutting 2% of its workforce by the end of the year, with some employees being let go as early as Thursday. Severance will be provided. The Courier-Journal reports that Humana employs 41,600 nationwide, so 2% would be about 832 people. The company says it expects to keep 12,000 in Louisville. (10/29)
Louisville Courier Journal: Humana Layoffs 2019: 5 Things To Know About The Job Cuts, Downsizing
The company said its 12,000-employee workforce in Louisville will be maintained, and those workers who lose their jobs will have an opportunity to apply for other open positions. The company didn't release a number on how may Louisville jobs will be cut. Employees across the nation, exchanging information on the website thelayoff.com, said their sudden bad news came with severance pay of two weeks per year of service, with a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of 52 weeks. (Schneider, 10/29)
Nashville Public Radio: The Cost Of Dying: Hospice’s Biggest Fans Now Have Second Thoughts
The booming hospice industry is changing what it looks like to die in the U.S. Rather than under the care of doctors and nurses in a hospital, more Americans than not now spend their final days in familiar surroundings, often at home, being cared for by loved ones. While hospice has been a beautiful experience during a difficult time for many families, a yearlong reporting project by WPLN finds end-of-life support often falls short of what they need. (Farmer, 10/29)
Boston Globe: Siemens Arm Closes $1.1B Deal For Waltham Firm
A Waltham medical technology firm that makes robots for precision vascular surgery has been bought by the health division of the German conglomerate Siemens for $1.1 billion. The deal, which was announced in August and closed Tuesday, makes Corindus Vascular Robotics a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Healthineers AG. The latter acquired all issued and outstanding stock of Corindus for $4.28 a share — a price a Minnesota stock portfolio manager characterized as a great deal for Siemens. (Saltzman, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Will Pay Hospitals $1.9 Billion In Bonuses For Inpatient Care
More than 1,500 participating hospitals will receive about $1.9 billion in bonuses for the fiscal year 2020 under the CMS' Hospital Value-based Purchasing Program, the agency revealed on Tuesday. The results are about the same as last year, with about 55% of participants scoring bonuses. The program, which started in 2012, increases or decreases payments to hospitals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System depending on the quality of care they deliver to patients. (Brady, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: Growing Markets, Capital Investments Behind HCA's Strong Q3 Volumes
HCA Healthcare executives said Tuesday the company's strong volume growth in the third quarter of 2019 shows initiatives the Nashville-based hospital chain has undertaken for years are finally paying off. "We had the broadest-based volume performance as far as positive metrics that I've seen in almost three years," the company's CEO, Sam Hazen, said on an earnings call Tuesday morning. (Bannow, 10/29)
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: UPMC Breaks Ground On Hospital In China, 4 More In The Works
UPMC breaks ground on its major investment in China this week. Construction is scheduled to begin Monday on a new hospital in Chengdu. It will be the first of five Chinese hospitals that UPMC plans to co-run with Beijing-based conglomerate Wanda Group as part of a $2 billion investment over the next two decades. (Lindstrom, 10/28)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: New Cardinal Glennon Specialty Clinic In South St. Louis County Opens Nov. 4
A new 15,000-square-foot specialty health care facility in south St. Louis County operated by Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital will be ready for patients Nov. 4. The $9.25 million facility is located at 13000 Butler Crest Drive and will offer imaging services as well as care in endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, ophthalmology, optometry, orthopedics, ear nose and throat, psychology, rheumatology and sports medicine. (Munz, 10/29)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: BJC HealthCare Unveils New Hospital In Creve Coeur
BJC HealthCare unveiled a new hospital in Creve Coeur on Tuesday, replacing a structure that was built 50 years ago. The new Barnes-Jewish West County hospital is a 260,000-square-foot facility, located at 12634 Olive Boulevard. The company broke ground on the project in May 2017. The facility has 64 private rooms, 14 operating rooms and four intensive care unit rooms. It is located behind the existing facility, which was built in 1969 as Faith Hospital, and was later sold to BJC HealthCare. The existing hospital will be replaced with green space and parking. (Merrilees, 10/29)
North Carolina Health News: Where Is Mission Health’s Independent Monitor?
On Jan. 16, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein announced that Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare had agreed to a checklist of legal requirements to protect the public as part of its plans to acquire Asheville-based Mission Health, the largest hospital operator in the area. One of Stein’s requirements was to have an independent monitor look over the shoulder of Mission Health’s new for-profit owner to ensure that promises made were promises kept. ...Nine months after the merger took effect, the public still has no idea whether a monitor has been chosen, what the firm’s name is, when it will start work and – importantly – who’s been minding the store to keep HCA and Mission Health accountable in the interim. (Cotiaux, 10/29)
