Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Staff Allegedly Invented Diagnoses To Justify Treatments In Colorado Mental Facility
Colorado News Collaborative: Mental Health Workers Say They Falsified Patient Records
A troubled Western Slope mental health care center falsified assessments of its patients’ conditions for at least nine years in an effort to make its treatment programs seem more effective and secure funding from the state, whistleblowers say. The state overlooked what former workers describe as a long practice by the Grand Junction-based Mind Springs Health of intentionally writing bogus patient evaluations. The three departments tasked with regulating Colorado’s mental health safety net system did not include the allegedly falsified reports in a multi-agency audit of the center released Thursday. (Greene, 5/15)
In corporate news —
Modern Healthcare: Oscar Health Hit With Shareholder Proposed Class-Action
Oscar Health was hit with a proposed class-action from stockholders alleging the insurtech concealed the negative impact the COVID-19 pandemic was having on its business ahead of its $7 billion initial public offering. Shareholder Lorin Carpenter sued the company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of New York on Thursday, alleging the startup, its executives and the investment banks that underwrote its IPO violated the federal Securities Act. The proposed class could include the thousands of shareholders who bought stock during the company's public debut, the complaint said. Oscar Health did not respond to an interview request. (Tepper, 5/13)
Stat: Real Estate Firms Own Nearly 1 In 10 Health Care Properties
Not all hospitals and nursing homes own the property they sit on, and new research attempts to quantify just how many health care providers are tenants in their own buildings. Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, own 8% of all health care properties, according to estimates published in JAMA Health Forum. This new data provide a fresh look into the world of REITs — which essentially act as landlords to hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers — and underscores how they operate a highly lucrative business that is out of the view of patients but is an inextricable and growing part of the country’s $4.3 trillion health care system. (Herman, 5/13)
Crain's New York Business: Rensselaer, Mount Sinai Partner On Center To Tackle Uncured Diseases
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai on Thursday announced the creation of the Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine. The schools said the lab will combine engineering, science and medicine with the goal of tackling uncured diseases. The institute is leasing 23,000 square feet in the Hudson Research Center in Midtown from Taconic Partners and Silverstein Properties, the developers said. Rensselaer, which is funding the project, declined to share the amount it is paying for the space. (Treffeisen, 5/13)
Valley News: AG Objects To Dartmouth, GraniteOne Health Hospital Merger
Dartmouth Health and GraniteOne Health, which includes Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center, are abandoning plans to combine forces after the state Attorney General’s Office said the collaboration as proposed would violate the New Hampshire constitution. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office released a report Friday objecting to the proposed combination. In a statement, Attorney General John Formella said the combination would have violated a clause in the state constitution that requires “free and fair competition in the trades and industries.” (Doyle-Burr, 5/13)
