Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rural Hospital Ills Reflect Economic Troubles In Small Town USA
Georgia Health News/HuffPost: A Hospital Crisis Is Killing Rural Communities. This State Is ‘Ground Zero’
Rural hospitals are in danger across the country, their closures both a symptom of economic trouble in small-town America and a catalyst for further decline. Since 2010, 82 rural hospitals have closed nationwide. As many as 700 more are at risk of closing within the next 10 years, according to Alan Morgan, the CEO of the National Rural Health Association, a nonprofit professional organization that lobbies on rural health issues. The reasons are complex, woven into the fabric of a changing economy and an evolving health care system. But these rural hospital closures are hitting the southern United States the hardest. (Weber and Miller, 9/22)
The CT Mirror: Old Hospital Lawsuit Poses New Wrinkle In Budget Talks
The struggle to adopt a new state budget hit another stumbling block Wednesday centered on a hospital industry lawsuit. At issue is a new taxing arrangement that the administration and the Connecticut Hospital Association negotiated that would help both sides by leveraging $365 million in new federal aid for them to share. (Phaneuf, 9/27)
Stat: An Inside Look At Brigham And Women's Hospitals Struggle To Cut Costs
The heart of the Brigham’s austerity plan was a buyout offered this past June to more than 1,000 senior employees, including more than 400 veteran nurses. Some 800 workers decided to retire, including 7 percent of the nursing staff — a remarkably high acceptance rate. Many of them are leaving this week. While hundreds of new nurses are being hired at substantially lower entry-level pay, the large exodus underscores a critical challenge for the Brigham’s leadership: how to cut costs without harming patient care. (Winslow, 9/28)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Children's Hospital Works To Lower Risk Of HIV For Sex Assault Victims
[Barbara] Cuene is just one member of a team at Children’s Hospital taking a new approach to drastically reduce the risk of child victims of sexual assault contracting HIV. That innovative work, in partnership with Walgreens, puts an entire 28-day supply of the medication, known as post-exposure prophylaxis, into the hands of victims and their families before they leave the emergency room. (Lutheran, 9/27)
