Taking Burden Off Hospitals, HHS Tells UnitedHealth To Notify Hack Victims
The American Hospital Association welcomed the decision, saying it would have imposed unnecessary costs on providers who "have already suffered so greatly from this attack," Modern Healthcare reported. Other news is on Steward Health, Uber Health, psychiatric facilities, and more.
Modern Healthcare:
Change Healthcare Hack Notification Requirements Set By HHS
UnitedHealth Group must take responsibility for informing people about privacy breaches resulting from the Change Healthcare cyberattack, the Health and Human Services Department announced Friday. Providers, health insurance companies and other affected entities may direct UnitedHealth Group, which operates Change Healthcare through its Optum subsidiary, to notify their patients, customers and business partners under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. (Berryman, 5/31)
Modern Healthcare:
Steward Health Sales Plan Will Be Reviewed: Massachusetts AG
Massachusetts supports Steward Health Care's plans to quickly sell its hospitals in the state, but reserves the right to review those sales, Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a Thursday response to Steward's bankruptcy financing plan. Thursday's court filing asserts Massachusetts' right to ensure a proposed sale meets the state's criteria for operating healthcare facilities, as well as determine how the sale could impact market competition and costs of care. (Hudson, 5/31)
The Boston Globe:
Steward Bankruptcy In Court Amid Questions About Who Will Run It
As a bankruptcy court reconvenes Monday to address Steward Health Care’s financing, when its hospitals get sold and who gets the money, three US senators want to bring a new issue into the mix: Who should run the embattled hospital system while it unwinds its operations? The Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, are calling on the US Trustee Program, an arm of the Justice Department, to appoint a special trustee to replace Steward’s management and “claw back” payments they say the company’s top executives “looted” from the hospitals. (Weisman, 6/3)
The Boston Globe:
St. Mary’s Home For Children Closing Its Psychiatric Residential Facility By June 7
St. Mary’s Home for Children is temporarily closing its psychiatric residential treatment facility by June 7 and “redeploying qualified staff” six months after the state child advocate reported finding rampant chaos, abuse, and neglect of the children living there. Donna Goulet-Truppi, whose grandchild Trevor endured neglect, had access to sharp objects, and ran away twice over the last year while a resident at St. Mary’s, told the Globe she was “blindsided” by the sudden news Friday. (Milkovits, 5/31)
Colorado Sun:
Major Psychiatric Hospital In Grand Junction Will Stay Open — For Now
Just over a month after a western Colorado psychiatric hospital warned it might have to close its doors, its leaders say the facility will remain open, at least for now. Mind Springs Inc., which owns West Springs Hospital, said it signed a new contract with Rocky Mountain Health Plans to help it resolve its financial problems over the next year. (Flowers, 6/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Uber Health’s Caitlin Donovan Departs For General Catalyst
Caitlin Donovan, the global head of Uber Health, is leaving the ride-sharing company for venture capital firm General Catalyst, she said Friday on LinkedIn. Donovan has been the global head of Uber Health since April 2021 after arriving from MyOrthos, an orthodontist tech platform company. Uber Health on Friday said the company's head of growth Zachary Clark will be taking over her role. (Perna, 5/31)
Also —
AP:
Being A Patient Is Getting Harder In A Strained And Complex US Health Care System
Tamika Davis couldn’t nap on her couch during cancer treatment. She kept worrying one of her toddlers would wander over and pull out the needle delivering chemotherapy. Friends and family watched her kids when they could during her treatment last year for colon cancer. But Davis had gaps with no help because she couldn’t afford child care and didn’t know where to look for assistance. “I did not have the strength nor the energy to try to navigate these things myself,” the San Antonio, Texas, resident said. Patients are not getting enough help dealing with a healthcare system that is growing increasingly complex, according to researchers and other experts in care delivery. (Murphy, 6/2)
KFF Health News:
Readers Issue Rx For Clogged ERs And Outrageous Out-Of-Pocket Costs
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (6/3)
