Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Top Doctor At D.C. Public Hospital Is Fired After Alleging Mismanagement
The Washington Post: United Medical Center’s Top Doctor Is Fired After Criticizing Hospital Consultants
The chief medical officer at the District’s public hospital, who this month accused the contractor running the facility of mismanagement and illegal overbilling of federal insurance programs, has been fired, his attorneys said Tuesday. Julian Craig, the top doctor at United Medical Center in Southeast Washington and a past president of the Medical Society of D.C., received a letter during the weekend from hospital board Chairwoman LaRuby May saying that his contract won’t be renewed. As a result, his employment will end Dec. 18. (Jamison, 11/21)
Modern Healthcare: 13 Hospitals Join CMS' Rural Pay Experiment
The CMS on Monday added more hospitals to a program that industry executives say has been key to ensuring access to care in underserved communities. All in all, 13 additional hospitals will participate in the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program, which reimburses hospitals for the actual cost of care for inpatient services provided to Medicare beneficiaries rather than standard Medicare rates. Medicare typically pays as little as 80% of inpatient services costs. (Dickson, 11/21)
The Boston Globe: Mass. Eye And Ear Says It Needs Larger System To Thrive
Almost 150 years ago, the leaders of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary faced a difficult prospect. The hospital was treating more and more patients, but it was still losing money. “The unhappy thought was voiced that the Infirmary might not survive, that its burdens were too heavy, its revenues too small and uncertain,” according to a 1984 history of the institution. Hospital leaders took steps to shore up their finances and weathered the challenges. Today, Mass. Eye and Ear is confronting a similar crisis. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/21)
