Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Penn Medicine To Phase Out Greenhouse Gas Anesthetic
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Will Stop Using Greenhouse Gas Desflurane For Anesthesia
Philadelphia-area health systems are phasing out a common anesthesia gas that hangs in the atmosphere for 14 years. Desflurane is the most potent greenhouse gas found in hospitals, which are increasingly engaged in efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. (Gantz, 5/7)
Fallout from the Steward Health Care bankruptcy filing —
Modern Healthcare: States Strengthen Defense Against Private Equity Healthcare Deals
States are targeting private equity-backed acquisitions amid the financial fallout from Steward Health Care and Prospect Medical Holdings, threatening to curb corporate investment in healthcare. Over the past two years, more than a dozen states have passed laws bolstering healthcare merger and acquisition notification and financial disclosure requirements, in some cases requiring clearance from state attorneys general when corporate investors are involved. (Kacik, 5/6)
The Wall Street Journal: The Private-Equity Deal That Flattened A Hospital Chain And Its Landlord
In the spring of 2020, Cerberus Capital Management was faced with a tricky financial situation. It owned a struggling hospital chain that needed $400 million to dig out of a deep financial hole, but Cerberus wanted to sell rather than invest more. With the surging Covid-19 pandemic making the financing more urgent, Cerberus convinced the hospital’s landlord to put up the cash. The transaction didn’t make financial sense and, until recently, was impossible to untangle. (Weil, 5/7)
On rural health care —
Texas Community Health News: Rural Texas ERs Face Growing Mental Health Crisis
Across the state, rural hospitals face a shortage of mental health care providers, with over 60% of rural counties designated as provider shortage areas by the Health Resources and Service Administration. At the same time, the number of people experiencing mental health crises has increased, and these patients are often forced to seek care in the emergency room of rural hospitals, where they face long waits for treatment and use resources that are needed by patients with critical conditions. (Kalinina, 5/7)
Axios: America's Most Vulnerable: Rural Hospitals Face Financial Meltdown
Half of America's rural hospitals are running in the financial red, per a recent report from health care consultancy Chartis. Millions of Americans rely on rural hospitals for emergency and other forms of care. (Fitzpatrick and Feng, 5/7)
