Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Launch Bipartisan Inquiry Of Private Equity Ownership Of Hospitals
Stat: Private Equity Owned Hospitals Target Of New Senate Investigation
The two leaders of the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday launched a bipartisan investigation into private equity ownership of hospitals in the United States, citing concerns that such arrangements are bad for both health care providers and patients. (Trang, 12/7)
Bloomberg: Humana Disbands Board’s Executive Committee Amid Cigna Merger Talks
Humana Inc. disbanded the executive committee of the board, a governance change that comes as the company is in talks to combine with Cigna Group. The board voted to amend its bylaws to remove the requirement for an executive committee and disbanded the group, the company said in a filing Thursday. ... It’s unclear what the decision means. A Humana spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. (Tozzi, 12/7)
Modern Healthcare: Humana Details Plans To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Humana said Thursday it plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 54.6% by 2032 and its targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. The initiative works with companies to improve their environmental sustainability. Humana said its strategies include lowering by 30% the emissions caused by the purchase, transportation and distribution of products used throughout the company. (DeSilva, 12/7)
The Boston Globe: Harvard Morgue Case: Panel Recommends Changes After Arrests
A long-awaited review of Harvard’s anatomical gift program, ordered by the university after its morgue manager was arrested for allegedly stealing and selling body parts, points no fingers and finds no fault. Instead, the panel of outside experts recommends a series of procedural improvements that, taken together, imply that the morgue’s three-person staff often operated without adequate documentation and oversight. For example, the experts found there was no formal procedure for receiving, reviewing, and approving requests to use donors’ bodies. (Freyer and Cotter, 12/7)
Modern Healthcare: IT Departments In Health Systems Face Reorganization, Rebadging
The digital transformation is underway at health systems but it increasingly doesn't involve in-house IT departments. Health systems are transitioning their analytics and tech employees to managed service companies as they look to scale virtual care, artificial intelligence and analytics initiatives. By moving the work out-of-house and the employees with it, a process called rebadging, health systems struggling with razor-thin margins say they can deploy IT projects more efficiently while saving on costs. (Perna, 12/7)
Also —
Axios: New AI-Powered Doctor's Office Allows Patients To Draw Blood, Take Vitals
Now coming to a mall, gym or office building near you: A self-contained doctor's office, powered by artificial intelligence, where you — the patient — draw your own blood and take your own vitals. (Kingson, 12/8)
