Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pandemic Prompts Hospitals To Review Energy Costs As A Way To Save Money
Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Ignites Energy Efficient Healthcare Design
The COVID-19 pandemic is sparking an interest on health systems' energy costs, a new report found. The U.S. healthcare system spends $8.8 billion a year on energy, but it is an often-overlooked sector, according to a healthcare construction report from construction firm Robins & Morton. COVID-19's squeeze on hospital revenue has reignited cost-cutting initiatives, which increasingly involve reducing energy costs, cutting carbon use and infrastructure efficiency, construction experts said. (Kacik, 4/23)
The Advocate: Inside The Fight Among Louisiana's Major Hospital Systems And Why It Might Become Public Soon
A behind-the-scenes war between some of the state’s largest health systems could soon spill into public view at the State Capitol, after months of negotiations broke down over an obscure but bitterly contested topic: non-compete agreements written into doctors’ contracts. The fight is years in the making, pitting Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System against Ochsner Health System – which has made heavy use of non-competes as it has grown into Louisiana’s dominant health provider – and drawing in some of the Legislature’s top leaders, including Senate President Page Cortez. (Karlin, 4/26)
KHN: From Hospital Profits To Gender Gaps, Journalists Are On The Case
KHN freelancer Christine Spolar discussed how during the pandemic the nation’s richest hospitals and health systems profited after accepting the lion’s share of the federal health care bailout grant with WESA’s “The Confluence” on Tuesday. ... Midwest editor and correspondent Laura Ungar unpacked the gender breakdown of covid vaccinations with NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” on April 18. ... Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed covid cases across the Midwest with “WisBusiness: The Podcast” on April 16. (4/24)
KHN: Time To Say Goodbye To Some Insurers’ Waivers For Covid Treatment Fees
Just as other industries are rolling back some consumer-friendly changes made early in the pandemic — think empty middle seats on airplanes — so, too, are health insurers. Many voluntarily waived all deductibles, copayments and other costs for insured patients who fell ill with covid-19 and needed hospital care, doctor visits, medications or other treatment. (Appleby, 4/26)
Stat: AI Caught A Hidden Problem In One Patient's Heart. Can It Work For Others?
Somewhere in Peter Maercklein’s heartbeat was an abnormality no one could find. He survived a stroke 15 years ago, but doctors never saw anything alarming on follow-up electrocardiograms. Then, one day last fall, an artificial intelligence algorithm read his EKGs and spotted something else: a ripple in the calm that indicated an elevated risk of atrial fibrillation. (Ross, 4/26)
In news about health care personnel —
San Francisco Chronicle: Feds Allege S.F. Doctor Used Fake Botox On Her Patients
A San Francisco physician was indicted by a federal grand jury this month and charged with injecting patients with fraudulent medicines used to reduce wrinkles, according to authorities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Food and Drug Administration allege that Lindsay Marie Clark, a licensed doctor specializing in cosmetic injections, purchased from offshore pharmacies what were purported to be foreign versions of Botox and Juvaderm. The FDA has approved Botox, Juvaderm and similar medications for use, but the foreign versions the 44-year-old Clark is alleged to have purchased and used do not have FDA approval. (Cabanatuan, 4/25)
Gainesville Times: After $3 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict, NGHS Doctor Still Faces Other Lawsuits
A Northeast Georgia Health System surgeon at the center of a recent $3 million medical malpractice judgment in Hall County has two open lawsuits filed against him, and a settlement was reached in December 2019 on a third case, according to county court records. NGHS officials told The Times that these cases and the recent $3 million judgment have not affected Dr. Andrew Green’s standing with the hospital nor his ability to perform surgery within the health system. (Watson, 4/23)
KHN: ‘We’re Coming For You’: For Public Health Officials, A Year Of Threats And Menace
Dr. Gail Newel looks back on the past year and struggles to articulate exactly when the public bellows of frustration around her covid-related health orders morphed into something darker and more menacing. Certainly, there was that Sunday afternoon in May, when protesters broke through the gates to her private hillside neighborhood, took up positions around her home, and sang “Gail to Jail,” a ritual they would repeat every Sunday for weeks. (Barry-Jester, 4/25)
