Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Supreme Court Deals Blow To Insurers' Claims For ACA Loss Reimbursement
Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court Rejects Review Of Insurers' ACA Funding Lawsuit
The U.S Supreme Court on Monday rejected the latest appeal by private insurance companies seeking reimbursement for losses over claims covered under the Affordable Care Act. Maine Community Health Options and Community Health Choice from Texas asked the high court in February to reverse a lower-court ruling that only would permit them to recoup a portion of the money the insurers say the federal government owes them. Justices declined to hear the appeal, leaving it in the hands of other courts, where this issue remains active. (Gellman, 6/21)
In other updates from the health care industry —
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Health Systems File Thousands Of Lawsuits: Johns Hopkins
Wisconsin health systems and hospitals filed more than 18,000 lawsuits to collect unpaid medical bills from Jan. 1, 2018, through July 31, 2020, according to a recent report from researchers at Johns Hopkins University. A separate report by ABC for Health, a public interest law firm based in Madison, looked at 5,023 lawsuits to collect unpaid medical bills filed by five large health systems in Wisconsin from 2017 through 2019. The report — which was not connected to the one from Johns Hopkins — found that the patients were without legal representation in 99% of the court actions. (Boulton, 6/21)
Savannah Morning News: Savannah Hospitals Use Back Up Systems For Fifth Day After Cyberattack
For the fifth day, doctors, nurses and patients at St. Joseph's/Candler on Monday made do with computer backup procedures, including the use of paper records, after a cyberattack prompted a shut down of the hospitals' network Thursday. Spokesman Scott Larson issued a statement around 2 p.m. Monday: "While we continue to investigate the incident, we’re working to get systems up and running as quickly and as safely as possible," Larson wrote. "Our priority is patient care, and our staff are committed to doing everything they can to mitigate disruption and provide uninterrupted care to our patients." (Landers, 6/21)
Modern Healthcare: The Patient Is The New Site Of Care: VCU Health Moves Into Post-Acute Care
For a few years, Jay Holdren knew that VCU Health had a patient throughput problem that was contributing to higher readmission rates than the health system wanted. “We have a high demand for inpatient care and emergency services, and so moving patients through in a timely manner is an issue,” said Holdren, senior director of continuum integration at the Richmond, Va.-based system. “And balancing that against readmissions, it's a tough proposition.” VCU Health—comprised of an academic medical center, a smaller community hospital, a children’s hospital and a physician group—had its own home health agency in the 1990s, but it shuttered after very limited success. (Gillespie, 6/22)
Modern Healthcare: Encompass Health Names New Home Health And Hospice CEO
Encompass Health appointed Barbara Jacobsmeyer as CEO of its home health and hospice segment, the company announced Monday. She succeeds April Anthony, whose last day was June 18. Jacobsmeyer previously served as president of inpatient hospitals for Encompass Health, a role that the company President and CEO Mark Tarr will fill until further notice, the company said. Jacobsmeyer will still report to Tarr. (Christ, 6/21)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Students Studying Medicine Grapple With Career Path In Light Of Pandemic: ‘Did I Make The Right Decision?’
In April, Sreya Pattipati, a pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania, received a text from her aunt, a critical care specialist in India, where a dangerous second coronavirus wave was taking hold. “The waters are dark and deep at the moment. We are trying to hold on,” the text read. “My team and I are exhausted, depressed, and totally lost. I hope this ends soon.” Pattipati recently completed her first year virtually and has hopes to follow her aunt in a career in medicine. But the pandemic’s toll on health care workers’ physical and mental health, its exposure of serious gaps in the health care system, and her extended family’s battle on the front lines in India has made her wary. (Ahn, 6/22)
Daily Montanan: New Legislation Aims To Boost Number Of Rural, 'Frontier' Doctors
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has introduced legislation that could make a substantial difference in the number of doctors being trained in Montana’s frontier medical centers. Additional training opportunities would allow for the hundreds of medical school graduates to be matched with clinical training sites, which provide the experience they need to be licensed. (Ehrlick , 6/18)
AP: Ex-CEO Of Phoenix Health Facility Pleads Guilty To Fraud
The former CEO of a Phoenix health care facility has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony fraud, according to state prosecutors. William J. Timmons is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22.The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Monday that Timmons could be facing between three and 12 ½ years in prison on each count. (6/22)
KHN: Hemmed In At Home, Nonprofit Hospitals Look For Profits Abroad
Across the street from the Buckingham Palace Garden and an ocean away from its Ohio headquarters, Cleveland Clinic is making a nearly $1 billion bet that Europeans will embrace a hospital run by one of America’s marquee health systems. Cleveland Clinic London, scheduled to open for outpatient visits later this year and for overnight stays in 2022, will primarily offer elective surgeries and other profitable treatments for the heart, brain, joints and digestive system. The London strategy attempts to attract a well-off, privately insured population: American expatriates, Europeans drawn by the clinic’s reputation, and Britons impatient with the waits at their country’s National Health Service facilities. The hospital won’t offer less financially rewarding business lines, like emergency services. (Rau, 6/22)
