Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
PPE Innovation: Disposable Hijabs For Health Care Professionals
CBS News: Respiratory Therapists Create Disposable Hijabs For Muslim Health Care Workers
It's a challenge facing health care workers. There's a lack of personal protective equipment for Muslim women. Now, two Minnesota respiratory therapists are breaking barriers in the health care world, by filling that need and creating disposable, hygienic hijabs. (Mitchell, 11/4)
In other health industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Why Private Equity's Investing In Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Private equity firms are increasingly investing in hospital-owned ambulatory surgery centers, allowing the companies to bankroll a growing sector while limiting regulatory scrutiny. The sector is poised to expand as providers and patients more frequently choose the lower-cost setting over a hospital. The dynamic has attracted corporate investors for years. (Kacik, 11/4)
Modern Healthcare: Pacs Group Acquires Operations Of 8 Pennsylvania Facilities
Skilled nursing facility operator Pacs Group has closed its deal to acquire the operations of eight facilities in Pennsylvania through subsidiaries. Pacs Group subsidiaries will own the real estate of four of the facilities, with the remaining four leased from real estate investment trust CareTrust REIT. The deal involves nearly 1,200 skilled nursing beds, according to a Monday news release. (DeSilva, 11/4)
Crain's Detroit Business: Blue Cross-Backed Diabetes Startup Hygieia Files For Bankruptcy
Ann Arbor-based Hygieia Inc. — a company named after the Greek goddess of health — is on life support. The maker of a digital insulin management software filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Oct. 31 after 16 years of trying to commercialize their product. (Walsh, 11/4)
Modern Healthcare: Novant Buys UCI Medical's Urgent Care, Physical Therapy Sites
Novant Health has completed its purchase of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's UCI Medical Affiliates, a company that manages and provides administrative services for urgent care centers and physical therapy facilities. The acquisition includes 52 urgent care centers and 20 clinics across South Carolina that are part of UCI Medical subsidiaries Doctors Care and Progressive Physical Therapy, according to a news release. Financial details were not disclosed. (DeSilva, 11/4)
Modern Healthcare: MD Anderson, City Of Hope, Rush Embrace Cancer Care Partnerships
Top cancer treatment organizations are leaning into partnerships to take care delivery to the next level. The National Cancer Institute estimates more than 2 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2024. Healthcare leaders say collaboration among technology companies, research institutes, academic medical centers and universities allows them to combine resources and develop cutting-edge treatments more quickly — potentially at a fraction of the cost of standalone projects. (Hudson, 11/4)
KFF Health News: As Nuns Disappear, Many Catholic Hospitals Look More Like Megacorporations
Inside the more than 600 Catholic hospitals across the country, not a single nun can be found occupying a chief executive suite, according to the Catholic Health Association. Nuns founded and led those hospitals in a mission to treat sick and poor people, but some were also shrewd business leaders. Sister Irene Kraus, a former chief executive of Daughters of Charity National Health System, was famous for coining the phrase “no margin, no mission.” It means hospitals must succeed — generating enough revenue to exceed expenses — to fulfill their original mission. (Liss, 11/5)
