Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Doctor Allowed To Continue To Work At Mass. Health Center Despite Allegations; Troubled Texas Psych Hospital Blasted In Report
Boston Globe: For Years, Fenway Health Center Kept Prominent Doctor Accused Of Harassment, Bullying
Fenway Community Health Center permitted a doctor accused of sexually harassing and bullying employees to continue working there for four years after the first serious complaint was filed in 2013, according to interviews with current and former employees and documents reviewed by the Globe. (Healy and Pfeiffer, 12/8)
Boston Globe: Fenway Health CEO Resigns Under Pressure Over Handling Of Sex Harassment Complaints
The chief executive of Fenway Community Health Center resigned Sunday, under pressure from the board of directors, employees, and donors over his handling of complaints that a prominent doctor had allegedly sexually harassed and bullied staff members there for years. (Healy and Pfeiffer, 12/10)
Dallas Morning News: 'Immediate Jeopardy': How Safe Are Kids At State-Monitored Timberlawn Psych Hospital?
Two years ago, Texas threatened to shut down Timberlawn psychiatric hospital over severe safety problems that investigators said put patients in jeopardy. Instead, the state decided to let the Dallas hospital stay open but to monitor it more closely. Yet on the state’s watch, Timberlawn has had many of the same problems — and at least one new one, according to interviews and inspection records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. (Mervosh and Ambrose, 12/10)
Boston Globe: Partners HealthCare Reverses Financial Loss
Partners HealthCare, the state’s largest health system, recovered from the worst financial loss in its history to record a profit this year after a turnaround in its insurance business, Neighborhood Health Plan. In the 2016 fiscal year, Partners lost $108 million on operations, driven almost entirely by losses at Neighborhood, a Medicaid insurer that Partners acquired in 2012. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/8)
Bloomberg: Clover Health Loses Co-Founder Ahead Of Expansion Outside New Jersey
Clover Health, an insurance startup propelled by Silicon Valley money, is losing one of its two founders. The setback comes about six months after an investment that valued the company at more than $1 billion. Kris Gale told employees last month that he’s stepping away from his role as chief technology officer but will remain an adviser. He didn’t detail a reason for his departure, which he said would be official at the end of January. “Getting to this point took a lot out of me, and because of that, I can better serve Clover as an adviser going forward,” he wrote in a message to staff reviewed by Bloomberg. (Huet, 12/8)
Denver Post: Colorado Divide: In Rural Colorado, Doctors Are Retiring And Dying — And No One Is Taking Their Place.
Nationally, fewer than 10 percent of the nation’s physicians practice in a rural area — even though such areas hold 20 percent of the U.S. population. In Colorado, there are 13 counties — all rural — that do not have a hospital, including two without even a clinic. Two counties, including Crowley, don’t have a single doctor. As a result, rural Coloradans face greater barriers to receive care. Ratios of patients to providers are higher in rural areas than in urban. A Colorado Health Institute survey from earlier this year found that rural Colorado counties have the longest wait times for patients trying to see a general-practice doctor or a specialist. (Ingold, 12/10)
PBS NewsHour: Health Concerns Swirl In Texas Months After Floods From Harvey Spread Toxic Waste
Three months after Hurricane Harvey struck the shores of Texas, some local environmental groups say they are in the dark about the safety of federal Superfund sites damaged during the storm. (Regan, 12/10)
