Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Hospital Promises Quick Restart To Paused Kidney Transplants
Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Says Kidney Transplant Program Will Be Reactivated
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center said Friday that it is working toward a “quick reactivation” of its kidney transplant program, which was halted amid an investigation that found a doctor was manipulating records for liver transplant candidates. The hospital said it is working with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to “make the necessary changes that will allow for the quick reactivation of the kidney transplant program under a different physician leadership structure.” (MacDonald, 4/12)
Los Angeles Times: Grant Saves Catalina's Only Hospital From Closure — For Now
A health insurer serving low-income Southern Californians has awarded Catalina Island’s only hospital a $2-million grant, which is expected to keep Catalina Island Health open for the time being. But it looks like the hospital will run out of cash again in December. The emergency grant from L.A. Care is one of the largest cash infusions received by the financially strapped healthcare facility. (Deng, 4/12)
Modern Healthcare: CMS’ IPPS Rate Miscalculation Led To Underpayments: Lawsuit
More than two dozen hospitals sued the Health and Human Services Department, as well as HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, over alleged Medicare inpatient hospital underpayments stemming from a decades-old error. HHS miscalculated the Inpatient Prospective Payment System base payment rate used in fiscal 1984, skewing years of subsequent Medicare payments to hospitals, alleges the lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. (Kacik, 4/12)
Modern Healthcare: Potential CMS Measure Shows Divide Over Quality Training Standards
Hospitals may soon be required to provide set quality training to staff as part of a Medicare reporting program, but health systems and advocacy organizations are split on whether the standardization of quality-related skill sets is necessary to improve patient care. (Devereaux, 4/12)
Modern Healthcare: Defense Health Agency’s Naomi Escoffery Outlines Telehealth Plan
With an operating budget of $16.9 billion and a global workforce of almost 130,000, few healthcare delivery organizations can match the size of the Defense Health Agency. ... As a result, the agency is in the middle of a digital transformation initiative with plans to adopt virtual care services across all military hospitals and clinics beginning in October. (Turner, 4/12)
Military.com: A Decade After Scandal, VA Health Care May Be At Another Crossroads
Ten years after a scandal over wait times at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers sparked new programs to increase veterans' access to private health care services, a divided Congress is debating the future of VA medical care and how best to fund the department. The VA has requested $369.3 billion for its fiscal 2025 budget, including nearly $150 billion for health care. Within that amount, the VA has allocated $86 billion for care provided in VA hospitals and clinics and $41 billion for private network care. (Kime,4/12)
Stat: Mass General Brigham Is Ready To Move On Without Dana-Farber, CEO Says
The split between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham has been messy. Some people who don’t see breakups coming wonder what went wrong, and maybe channel the sorrow into a love ballad. But Mass General Brigham is taking a different tack — it’s simply getting over it. (Herman, 4/15)
KFF Health News: When Rogue Brokers Switch People’s ACA Policies, Tax Surprises Can Follow
Tax season is never fun. But some tax filers this year face an added complication: Their returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had. While the concern about unscrupulous brokers enrolling unsuspecting people in ACA coverage has simmered for years, complaints have risen in recent months as consumers discover their health insurance coverage isn’t what they thought it was. (Appleby, 4/15)
