Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
St. Jude Uses Donations To Cultivate Bequests, Challenge Wills
ProPublica: St. Jude Fights Donors’ Families In Court For Share Of Estates
Most Americans know St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through television advertisements featuring Hollywood celebrities asking for contributions or the millions of fundraising appeals that regularly arrive in mailboxes across the country. But a select group of potential donors is targeted in a more intimate way. Representatives of the hospital’s fundraising arm visit their homes; dine with them at local restaurants; send them personal notes and birthday cards; and schedule them for “love calls.” (Armstrong and Gabrielson, 3/21)
In other health care industry news —
Detroit Free Press: Henry Ford Health System Gets New Name, Logo In Rebranding Campaign
The familiar signature of auto baron Henry Ford will no longer be part of the logo for the health system he founded 107 years ago and that bears his name. The Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System announced Tuesday that it is changing its name — by dropping the word "system" — and is updating its logo as it launches a massive rebranding for the first time in 28 years. "It's something that we've been considering and evaluating for a period of time and we think the time is right for lots of reasons," said Wright Lassiter III, CEO of the newly renamed Henry Ford Health. (Jordan Shamus, 3/22)
Modern Healthcare: Two University Of Maryland Medical System Hospitals To Join Kaiser Network
Two University of Maryland Medical System hospitals will partner with Kaiser in an effort to increase patient access to value-based care, the providers said Tuesday. The University of Maryland Medical System's St. Joseph Medical Center and Capital Region Medical Center will be designated as Kaiser Premier hospitals and help Kaiser Permanente physicians provide inpatient services to their patients. (Devereaux, 3/22)
Stat: TeamHealth Hit With Alleged Overbilling Lawsuit, This Time From An Employer
A Louisiana employer filed a class-action lawsuit against TeamHealth, alleging the private-equity-backed physician staffing firm “used a fraudulent and intentionally obfuscated scheme” to overcharge employers for care their workers got in hospital emergency rooms. It’s the first time employers — specifically those that are self-funded and therefore pay their own medical claims — have taken legal action against TeamHealth, which has repeatedly faced lawsuits with similar allegations from health insurance companies and patients. (Herman, 3/22)
Billings Gazette: State Investigating Patient Assault At Montana State Hospital
State officials and local law enforcement are investigating an assault on a patient by another patient at the state psychiatric hospital Monday evening, the state health department confirmed Tuesday. The attack comes at a moment for the Montana State Hospital where severe understaffing has contributed to the "immediate jeopardy" status imposed by the federal inspectors last month. The facility came in $7 million over budget this year after an increasing reliance on contract staff to supplement the ranks. A spokesperson for Providence St. Patrick Hospital, which has a Level II trauma center, did not immediately return a call seeking a status update on the victim. Sources say the victim was taken to a Missoula hospital. (Larson, 3/22)
