Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nursing Homes, Hospitals in New York Lose Immunity Over Non-COVID Care
AP: NY Rolls Back Legal Immunity For Hospitals, Nursing Homes
Nursing homes and hospitals in New York can once again be held liable in lawsuits and criminal prosecutions for care provided to patients not being treated for COVID-19 under a law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday. Nursing homes, hospitals and other health care facilities were granted a broad legal shield to fend off lawsuits and criminal prosecutions over care provided to all patients during the pandemic in an April state budget provision that Cuomo and lawmakers approved and well-heeled hospital lobbyists said they drafted. (Villeneuve, 8/4)
AP: Trump Nursing Home Plan Limits Supply Of Free COVID-19 Tests
The Trump administration’s plan to provide every nursing home with a fast COVID-19 testing machine comes with an asterisk: The government won’t supply enough test kits to check staff and residents beyond an initial couple of rounds. A program that sounded like a game changer when it was announced last month at the White House is now prompting concerns that it could turn into another unfulfilled promise for nursing homes, whose residents and staff represent a tiny share of the U.S. population but account for as many as 4 in 10 coronavirus deaths, according to some estimates. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/4)
WBUR: MassHealth Moves To Break Ties With 3 Nursing Homes
The Baker administration moved Monday to cut nursing homes in Lowell, Worcester and Wareham from the MassHealth program after determining they failed to respond adequately to the COVID-19 pandemic, a step that could lead to their closures. Health and Human Services officials sent initial termination notices to three facilities — Town and Country in Lowell, Hermitage Healthcare in Worcester, and Wareham Healthcare in Wareham — that demonstrated significant problems amid the public health crisis. (Lisinski, 8/3)
ABC News: Nursing Home Leaders Hope New Antibody Trials Will Put Them On 'Offense' Against COVID-19
For the medical director at one of the nation’s largest nursing home operators, the opportunity to open the facilities to pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company to conduct research on a promising new coronavirus treatment was irresistible. After spending the past six months trying desperately to keep the deadly virus from invading their facilities, Dr. Mark Gloth said he believes he is finally getting a chance to strike back. (Mosk and Salzman, 8/3)
AP: Virus Outbreak At West Virginia Nursing Home Grows
More than 60 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in an ongoing outbreak at a West Virginia nursing home, officials said Monday. Republican Gov. Jim Justice said 31 staffers and 33 residents at the Princeton Health Care Center have tested positive. Nineteen people linked to the Mercer County facility have been hospitalized. Three have died. “Absolutely the Princeton situation is not good." (8/3)
