Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Price Gouging Runs Rampant In ERs, With Vulnerable Populations Taking The Brunt Of Pain
The Baltimore Sun: Emergency Rooms Marking Up Costs, Hurting Uninsured And Minority Patients The Most, Hopkins Study Finds
Emergency rooms are marking up prices by an average of 340 percent, with minorities and uninsured patients getting the biggest bills, according to new research by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. ... The researchers found that hospitals charged anywhere from 1.0 to 12.6 percent, or $100 to $12,600, more than what Medicare paid for services. For-profit hospitals in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States that tend to serve higher populations of uninsured, African-American and Hispanic patients were more likely to have the largest markups, the report found. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. (McDaniels, 5/30)
Tampa Bay Times: Stalemate Between All Children's Hospital, UnitedHealthcare Leaves Families In A Bind
United provides health insurance for some of the region's largest local governments, including Pinellas County government and the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa... United used to have a contract with All Children's that allowed members to pay in-network rates. But when it came time to renegotiate last fall, All Children's asked United to pony up more money. (McGrory, 5/30)
Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Northeast Breaks Ground On New Patient Care Tower
Memorial Hermann Northeast broke ground on the $70 million new patient care tower May 30. The tower is set to open in December 2018. The 123,000-square-foot patient tower is going to be a five-story facility that includes 90 large patient rooms, with the flexibility to add 30 additional beds in the future. In addition to the new tower, plans for a surface parking lot with 240 spots, as well as renovations to the east entrance of the hospital are planned to be completed the same time as the tower. (Kesbeh, 5/30)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Reading Health To Buy Five SE Pa. Hospitals
Reading Health System has agreed to buy five community hospitals in Southeastern Pennsylvania from Community Health Systems Inc. for an undisclosed price, the two parties announced Tuesday. The hospitals included in the deal, which is expected to close this summer, are: the 169-bed Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville, the 148-bed Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia, the 63-bed Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, the 151-bed Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville, and the 232-bed Pottstown Memorial Medical Center in Pottstown. (Brubaker, 5/30)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Barnes-Jewish Breaks Ground On New Creve Coeur Hospital
Hospital executives gathered Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in Creve Coeur. The new hospital is expected to be complete in 2019 and will replace the current 77-bed facility that was first built in 1969, known as Faith Hospital, which was later sold to what is now BJC HealthCare. Tuesday marked the beginning of the end for the 48-year-old building that will be torn down once the new 100-bed facility is completed. (Liss, 5/30)
