Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Over 1,000 Acute Care Hospitals To Split $700 Million In Opioid Settlement
Fierce Healthcare: Court Approves $700M Opioid Class-Action Settlement For Hospitals
A federal court has signed off on a $700 million class action settlement that will see drug manufacturers and distributors pay more than 1,000 acute care hospitals over alleged misconduct regarding prescription opioids. The deal consolidates four class-action settlements involving, among other defendants, Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Cardinal Health, McKesson, Johnson & Johns, Teva and Allergan. (Muoio, 3/5)
In other health industry developments —
Modern Healthcare: BCBSA Antitrust Deal Declined By CommonSpirit, Bon Secours
More than 100 providers filed new antitrust lawsuits against the nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its 33 affiliated insurance companies on Tuesday, alleging the carriers illegally conspired to suppress competition and lower hospital rates. The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, Nashville-based physician staffing firm TeamHealth and numerous others filed lawsuits to opt out of a $2.8 billion settlement some providers have reached with the insurance companies. (Tepper, 3/5)
Daily Southtown: Advocate Children's Launches Pediatric Heart Transplant Program
Nataly Paramó was preparing to celebrate her 15th birthday in October when she experienced unexpected and alarming fatigue during basketball tryouts. The teen from East Chicago, Indiana, had always been active and loved basketball. So when she couldn’t run a single lap around the gym, a specialist recommended she go to the emergency room at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, said Steve Pophal, the hospital’s medical director of heart transplantation. ... In December, Nataly became the hospital’s first pediatric heart transplant patient, following a three-year effort to establish the new program, Advocate said in a news release. The hospital has performed three heart transplants since December. (Moilanen, 3/5)
Modern Healthcare: Amazon One Medical CEO Trent Green To Step Down
Amazon One Medical CEO Trent Green is stepping down after less than two years in the role. Green's last day is April 4, an Amazon One Medical spokesperson said. Beginning June 1, Green will assume his new role as CEO of National Research Corp., a healthcare AI and analytics company doing business as NRC Health, according to a news release. (Hudson, 3/5)
Modern Healthcare: Medical Office Construction A Priority For Health Systems: JLL
High demand for outpatient care is driving growth in the medical office building sector. Health systems are increasingly looking to buy or rent medical offices to provide more complex procedures outside of the hospital, according to a new report from real estate management firm JLL. The medical office space is poised to continue to grow as providers aim to lower costs, boost patient satisfaction and treat more patients, JLL researchers said. (Kacik, 3/4)
The Hill: 31 Million Americans Borrowed Money For Health Care: Survey
More than 31 million Americans borrowed money last year to pay for health care, a new survey found. Those Americans borrowed about $74 billion, despite most of them have some form of health insurance, the West Health-Gallup survey found. Most of the borrowers were ages 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49. Just two percent of Americans who borrowed were over 65 years old. (Irwin, 3/5)
On nursing —
Modern Healthcare: HIMSS 2025 Vendors Court MD Anderson Cancer Center Nurses
A growing number of nurses are fielding direct pitches from healthcare technology vendors. Nurses at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s annual conference in Las Vegas are noticing an uptick in companies selling technology aimed at their profession. (Turner, 3/5)
Becker's Hospital Review: What's Overlooked In Nurse Retirements
It's well known that a "silver tsunami" is on the horizon with millions of adults turning 65 each year — but the additional compounding impact of nurse retirements on systems is often overlooked. "I don't think we fully realize the tsunami that’s coming in less than five years," Syl Trepanier, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at Renton, Wash.-based Providence, told Becker's. "It's underestimated how many nurses will be retiring versus those entering the profession. The time to prepare is now, and I’d argue that the biggest risk we face is maintaining the status quo. The biggest risk we face is doing nothing." (Taylor, 3/4)
