Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Near The Brink, Utah Hospitals May Soon Start Rationing Care
The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s Hospitals Prepare To Ration Care As A Record Number Of Coronavirus Patients Flood Their ICUs
With new coronavirus cases shattering records on a daily basis, Utah’s hospitals are expected to begin rationing care in a week or two. That’s the prediction of Greg Bell, president of the Utah Hospital Association, who said administrators of the state’s hospitals confronted Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday with a grim list: Criteria they propose doctors should use if they are forced to decide which patients can stay in overcrowded intensive care units. (Alberty and Means, 10/25)
The Salt Lake Tribune: Health Workers Say They’re Near The Brink As Utah Reports Another Single-Day COVID-19 Record
Utah saw another 1,960 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday — a new single-day record that had health officials and elected leaders pleading with the public to take the pandemic seriously and make personal sacrifices. “Utah, do you hear these alarms that are blaring at us? This is a crisis,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said at a news conference. (Larsen and Means, 10/24)
In other COVID-related health industry news —
WBUR: Palpable Anxiety For Health Care Workers As COVID-19 Cases Rise In Massachusetts
[Ben] Podsiadlo, the director of clinical integration at Armstrong Ambulance Service, says emergency responders are ready for whatever comes. But there are widespread concerns about burn-out among health care workers, depression, and about more drinking and drug use to numb the rising tensions. The stress appears to be fueled by both the lingering physical and mental impact of the spring surge, as well as looming fears about what’s ahead. (Bebinger, 10/26)
Crain's Detroit Business: Hospitals Say They're Better Prepared With PPE Than Spring, But Supply Chain Uncertain
Eight-hospital Beaumont Health, which treated more COVID-19 patients than any hospital in Michigan, is on its way to stocking personal protective equipment in its warehouses for up to 90 days in preparation for a second surge of the pandemic. That's what the Southfield-based system estimates is needed to care for 1,200 hospitalized patients, the number of people the system cared for during the pandemic's peak in early April. (Greene, 10/25)
Modern Healthcare: PPP Loans Add Costs, Delays To Healthcare M&A
Healthcare organizations that received Paycheck Protection Program funding are running into snags in their merger and acquisition talks, experts said. The Small Business Administration-backed loans have drawn out some transactions when a borrower sells or transfers at least 20% of its stock or half its assets and has to get approval from the lender and/or the SBA, which has increased expenses. It could also derail deals. (Kacik, 10/23)
The Hill: Hospitals Brace For More Cyberattacks As Coronavirus Cases Rise
Hospitals and health care institutions preparing for a fall wave of coronavirus cases are bracing for more cyberattacks after hackers seeking to take advantage of the pandemic launched several successful attacks this year that severely disrupted patient services. The attacks have been widespread around the world, hitting health care groups during the worst public health crisis in a century. Experts say the attacks have involved both cyber criminal groups and nation states looking to target COVID-19 research and sow chaos. (Miller, 10/26)
Modern Healthcare: Medical Licensing Reform Sought To Support Telehealth Growth, Help Fight Pandemics
State medical licensure has been a historical barrier to clinicians practicing across state lines. But the COVID-19 pandemic unearthed what some see as a need to reform licensure rules to ease the adoption and proliferation of telehealth. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Trump administration suspended rules requiring physicians to be licensed where a patient is located in order to bill Medicare and Medicaid for medical services. (Brady, 10/24)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: Most Providers Still Don't Universally Screen For Social Needs
Healthcare providers are increasingly asking patients about whether they have enough food to eat or a safe place to live as the recognize that social factors contribute to poorer health outcomes, but there are still ways patients slip through the cracks. A 2019 survey of more than 750 hospitals and more than 700 physician practices across the U.S. from June 2017 through August 2018 found the majority of those providers screened for at least one social need. (Johnson, 10/23)
Modern Healthcare: New HRAs Could Cost Low-Income People Their ACA Subsidies
Low-income workers who buy health insurance through individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements could give up Affordable Care Act premium subsidies or lose eligibility for free or low-cost coverage, according to a report by the not-for-profit United Hospital Fund on Friday. (Brady, 10/23)
