States Struggle With More Hospital Closures

New Hampshire Bulletin: NH Has Lost 11 Maternity Wards In 20 Years. Frisbie Memorial Is The Latest
Citing cost concerns, Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester has struck an agreement with the Attorney General’s Office to close its labor and delivery services two years early. It is the 11th hospital in the state to cease those services since 2000, worrying public health leaders. (Timmins, 3/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: Pennsylvania Lawmakers Want 6 Months' Notice Before A Hospital Closes
A pair of Pennsylvania state representatives have drafted legislation designed to prevent abrupt hospital closures by doubling the time in which a health system must notify state and local agencies of a planned closure. State Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski and Jennifer O'Mara's House Bill 158 doubles the time in which a system must notify state and local agencies of a planned closure from 90 to 180 days. The lawmakers pointed to specific hospital closures over the past year that, while abiding by the current state law of 90 days' notice, they deemed abrupt. (Gamble, 3/9)

The Boston Globe: ‘This Is Outrageous’: Advocates Urge State To Take Control Of Four Nursing Homes Slated To Close
Advocates for elderly and disabled nursing home residents in Western Massachusetts are urging state regulators to take control of four nursing homes slated to close this spring, saying frail residents are being abruptly forced out, with some threatened with homelessness, if they don’t leave quickly. Others are being told they will be placed in facilities more than an hour away, far from family and loved ones, if they don’t find alternative placements soon. (Lazar, 3/9)

In related news about shortages —

AP: West Virginia Lawmakers OK Hospital Expansion Rule Changes
West Virginia hospitals seeking to improve or add services would no longer be required in some circumstances to undergo a review process, under a bill that won final legislative approval Thursday. The House of Delegates voted 75-20 to pass the bill. It previously made it through the Senate. (Raby, 3/9)

The Texas Tribune: Workforce Shortages In The State’s Psychiatric Hospitals Prolong Jail Time
Ronald Singer was arrested and charged more than a year ago for the murder of his ex-wife and the kidnapping of their child. He remained in the Denton County Jail all that time, unable to be tried for the crime because a judge found that he was mentally incompetent, meaning he is unable to fully understand the charges against him and assist in his own defense. More than 2,500 mentally ill defendants are in a similar predicament. They wait in Texas county jails for months and sometimes more than a year for the kind of intense therapy and medication treatment available only through the state’s psychiatric hospital system. And while they wait, their conditions, if not treated locally, deteriorate. (Simpson, 3/10)

Roll Call: Noncompete Rule Puts Doctors, Hospitals At Odds
Hospitals and physicians are squaring off over a proposed Biden administration rule that would ban noncompete agreements — contractual clauses common in the health care industry that prevent workers from working for a competitor for a certain amount of time after leaving a company. (Hellmann, 3/9)

In other health care industry news —

Becker's Hospital Review: New Jersey Disciplines 46 Nurses Tied To Degree Sham
Forty-six nurses implicated in the fraudulent degree scandal have been ordered to stop practicing in New Jersey, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said March 9. State officials rescinded the licenses of 20 nurses allegedly involved in the scheme and demanded they stop practicing in the state. The nurses are required to notify their employers about the actions and could face further fines or penalties if they continue practicing. (Bean, 3/9)

St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Health Care Providers To Address Language Barriers
With more people from other countries likely to arrive in the St. Louis area this year, advocates for refugees and immigrants say it’s critical for health care providers to make sure they can communicate with new arrivals. (Davis, 3/9)

Roll Call: Officials Probe DC Health Link Breach That Exposed Hill Staff Data
Lawmakers are calling for clarity Thursday after the personal information of members of Congress, their families and staff was compromised in a large-scale data breach. House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine L. Szpindor on Wednesday informed Hill enrollees of DC Health Link, the district’s Affordable Care Health marketplace that provides health insurance to members and staff, that a breach potentially exposed the information of thousands of planholders. Members did not appear to be specifically targeted, Szpindor said in a memo to those with DC Health Link coverage. (Papp, 3/9)

Modern Healthcare: How Lawsuits Targeting The No Surprises Act Could Weaken It
The No Surprises Act has taken the patient out of the middle of payment disputes between insurers and out-of-network providers, shielding more than 9 million people from unexpected bills since the law was enacted in 2022. But in the background, providers and payers are fighting over how to set appropriate reimbursement rates in a dozen lawsuits or so that could take years to resolve. (Kacik, 3/9)

Axios: Growth Of AI In Mental Health Raises Fears Of Its Ability To Run Wild
The rise of AI in mental health care has providers and researchers increasingly concerned over whether glitchy algorithms, privacy gaps and other perils could outweigh the technology's promise and lead to dangerous patient outcomes. As the Pew Research Center recently found, there's widespread skepticism over whether using AI to diagnose and treat conditions will complicate a worsening mental health crisis. (Moreno, 3/9)