Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Several Health Facilities Accused Of Being Unsanitary, Unsafe, Neglectful
ProPublica: New Report Says Nurses At Illinois Facility Forced Patients To Dig Through Their Own Feces
Newly released reports from the Illinois Department of Human Services’ watchdog office reveal shocking instances of cruelty, abuse and poor care of patients who have mental illnesses and developmental disabilities at a state-run facility in rural southern Illinois. (Hundsdorfer and Parker, 2/15)
NBC News: Roaches In The Operating Room: Doctors At HCA Hospital In Florida Say Patient Care Has Suffered From Cost Cutting
On Dec. 7, 2021, more than a dozen surgeons convened a meeting at their hospital, HCA Florida Bayonet Point in Hudson, Florida. Their concerns about patient safety at the 290-bed acute care facility owned by HCA Healthcare Inc. had been intensifying for months and the doctors had requested the meeting to push management to address their complaints. (Morgenson, Schecter and McFadden, 2/15)
The Washington Post: St. Elizabeths Hospital Settles Lawsuit Over Water Crisis, Covid
St. Elizabeths Hospital patients settled a lawsuit with the District-owned psychiatric hospital and the city over allegations that the facility failed to provide needed care during an extended water outage in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the settlement with the three patients, filed Tuesday in federal court, the District agreed to provide a water remediation plan as well as the process for regular testing. (Silverman, 2/15)
Bangor Daily News: Lawsuit Against Lewiston Hospital Alleges Racial And Religious Discrimination
A Muslim man has sued Central Maine Healthcare Corp. in Lewiston alleging that the company discriminated against him on the basis of race, religion, gender and national origin when it eliminated his position in 2020. Motaz El Kelani, who was born in Egypt but now lives and works in Texas, worked for Central Maine Clinical Associates Corp. as a practice manager from July 1, 2019, to May 20, 2020. (Harrison, 2/15)
In other corporate news —
Modern Healthcare: Community Health Systems' Profits Soar While Operating Income Drops
The Franklin, Tennessee-based for-profit system on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net income of $414 million, or $3.18 per share, compared with $178 million, or $1.34 per share, a year ago. The results included a $180 million gain from early debt extinguishment and $119 million from HealthTrust Purchasing Group's sale of CoreTrust Holdings, which closed on Oct. 1. Community Health Systems is a noncontrolling partner in HealthTrust. (Hudson, 2/15)
Modern Healthcare: CommonSpirit To Purchase 5 Steward Health Care Hospitals
CommonSpirit said on Wednesday it will acquire Steward Health Care's Utah locations, which include more than 35 clinics and five hospitals—Davis Hospital and Medical Center in Layton; Jordan Valley Medical Center in West Jordan; Jordan Valley Medical Center-West Valley Campus; Mountain Point Medical Center in Lehi; and Salt Lake Regional Medical Center in Salt Lake City—for an undisclosed amount. (Hudson, 2/15)
Modern Healthcare: Elevance Health Acquires BioPlus From CarepathRx
Elevance Health has added specialty pharmacy BioPlus to its portfolio of businesses, the health insurer announced Wednesday. Elevance Health purchased BioPlus from CarepathRx, a private equity owned company that provides pharmacy services to hospitals, according to a news release. The company announced the transaction in November. (Berryman, 2/15)
Chicago Tribune: University Of Chicago Medicine Cancer Hospital To Cost $182 Million More Than Expected, Have Fewer Beds
University of Chicago Medicine’s new cancer hospital will cost $182 million more to build than expected — and have fewer beds than originally planned — because of runaway inflation and design changes. (Schencker, 2/15)
KHN: She Sued A Hospital And Lost — But Felt She’d Won
When a patient faces an outrageous medical bill, they have two choices: Pay the balance or fight. Lauren Slemenda chose to fight. After failing to reach a consensus with the hospital on a fair price, she took the case to small-claims court. (2/16)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: 5 Health Data Privacy Takeaways From AHA, Industry Group Report
Advocacy groups representing clinicians, hospitals, health insurers and technology companies released a new report showing the challenges with the industry's consumer data sharing and privacy practices. (Turner, 2/15)
