Steward Asks Pennsylvania To Pony Up $1.5M To Keep Sharon Hospital Open
State officials are considering the request even as a judge has determined that it's OK for the bankrupt hospital operator to close two other facilities in Ohio. Also in the news, Evolent Health, Mission Hospital, the Veterans Administration, and more.
Bloomberg:
Pennsylvania AG Accuses Steward Of Demanding Funds To Halt Hospital Closure
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement officer accused bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health of neglecting one of its hospitals and threatening to close the facility if authorities don’t immediately provide $1.5 million in government funding. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle A. Henry said in a Thursday court filing that her office is considering Steward’s request to provide Sharon Hospital support but requires detailed financial information and more time to secure approval to do so. (Randles, 8/22)
Reuters:
Steward Health To Close Two Ohio Hospitals, Pennsylvania Hospital At Risk
A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday ordered Steward Health Care not to take immediate action to close a Pennsylvania hospital that is perilously short on funds, while allowing the company to proceed with two just-announced closures in Ohio. (Knauth, 8/22)
More health industry developments —
Reuters:
Exclusive: Evolent Health In Sale Talks After Receiving Takeover Interest, Sources Say
Evolent Health is in talks with private equity firms and healthcare services providers for a potential sale, in a process that kicked off after it received takeover interest, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Private equity firms TPG, CD&R and KKR are among the parties that have expressed interest in a deal for healthcare software provider Evolent, which has a market value of about $3.8 billion, the sources said. TPG was one of the early investors in Evolent. (Vinn and Sen, 8/22)
The Texas Tribune:
UT System To Merge UTSA And UT Health San Antonio
San Antonio will soon be home to the third largest comprehensive public research university in the state. The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted Thursday to combine the University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio — the system’s health institution in the city — by 2025, putting the 35,000-student university and UT Health San Antonio’s six health care schools under one umbrella. (McGee, 8/22)
Asheville Watchdog:
Mission Hospital Losing Half Of Staff Neurologists
Three staff neurologists are leaving Mission Hospital by the end of September, potentially leaving only two to provide critical care to hundreds of patients at the Asheville flagship hospital and across western North Carolina, including many who have suffered strokes. (Jones, 8/23)
The New York Times:
Michigan Doctor Accused Of Recording Nude Images In Hospitals And Changing Rooms
A Detroit-area doctor recorded nude women and children with hidden cameras in private places such as hospitals, bathrooms and the changing area at a swim club over a period of at least six years, law enforcement officials in Michigan said this week. The activities that led to charges against Dr. Oumair Aejaz, an internal medicine doctor, were reported to the authorities by his wife, Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard of Oakland County said. (Sanders, 8/22)
In news from the VA —
The Buffalo News:
Two Top Officials At Buffalo VA Hospital Reassigned Pending Investigation Into Treatment Delays
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has reassigned two top executives at the VA hospital in Buffalo after hearing complaints that local veterans experienced delays in receiving critical treatments. “Upon learning of concerns raised by clinicians about local leadership and instances of delayed care, VA immediately transferred the medical center director and the chief of staff out of clinical- and Veteran-facing positions pending the results of an investigation,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement Wednesday morning. (8/22)
Military.com:
VA Sets Up Website, Call Center To Protect Vets From Fraud As More Companies Profit From Benefits Claims
The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a new website and call center to help veterans who think they've been defrauded or charged exorbitant or illicit fees -- former service members such as Navy veteran David Rouse, who recently learned he owes a company nearly $9,000 for helping with his disability claim. (Kime, 8/22)
Also —
The New York Times:
Columbia Medical School Gets $400 Million After Some Donors Pause Gifts
Columbia University’s medical school announced on Thursday that one of its graduates was donating $400 million, the largest gift in the medical school’s history. The gift, from P. Roy and Diana Vagelos, would expand biomedical research at a school that already bears their name, after they donated $250 million in 2017. It comes at a critical time for the university, which spent much of the last school year convulsed by protests over the Israel-Hamas war. The university’s handling of those protests led some major donors to pause their contributions to the school. (Goldstein, 8/22)
