Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trainee Doctors At Mass General Brigham Protest Over Exploitation
The Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham Residents Union Alleges Exploitation
Eighteen months after residents and fellows at Mass General Brigham voted to unionize, about 400 doctors in training protested outside the health system’s flagship hospitals Thursday and accused their employer of bargaining in bad faith as the union seeks its first contract. Shouting “shame” and “union power,” members of the Committee of Interns and Residents, or CIR, of the Service Employees International Union said MGB has offered raises that fail to keep pace with inflation. (Saltzman, 12/5)
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa’s Troubling Physician Shortage Is Expected To Get Worse. Doctors Are Advocating For Solutions
Iowa is among the worst states in the country for physician-to-patient ratio. It ranks 44th in United States for physicians per capita, according to the Iowa Medical Society. The problem is especially acute for patients in rural areas seeking specialized care. (Dunlap, Kieffer and Gehr, 12/5)
Modern Healthcare: Acutus Medical Layoffs To Hit 70% Of Staff In 2025
Acutus Medical, a manufacturer of cardiac electrophysiology devices, plans to lay off about 70% of its employees in early 2025. The company submitted a filing to California's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification database on Dec. 2 for the permanent termination of 57 employees, set to take effect Feb.1. (Dubinsky, 12/5)
Chicago Tribune: Criminally Charged Illinois Health Care Providers Kept Working
After investigating complaints that Crystal Lake endocrinologist Dr. Hiralal Maheshwari had touched patients inappropriately in his exam rooms, McHenry County prosecutors approved a felony charge of criminal sexual abuse in December 2021. Under state law, the prosecutors should have immediately notified the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the state agency with oversight over medical professionals. (Hoerner and Schencker, 12/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF To Pay $15M To Woman Whose Anesthesia Was Mixed With Formaldehyde
A 42-year-old woman from Sonoma entered the emergency room at the UCSF hospital in 2021 with a swollen and bleeding fibroid in her uterus that required surgery. What followed was agony. According to a lawyer for the woman and her husband, medics mistakenly mixed her anesthetic with a mislabeled cup on the same tray that contained formalin, a liquid form of the chemical formaldehyde, and injected it. She suffered burns to her pelvic muscle and tissue, nerve damage, loss of strength and mobility, and pain that still torments her three years later. (Egelko, 12/5)
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Los Angeles Times: Santa Clara County Hospitals Accused Of Illegally Dumping Fentanyl, Data
Santa Clara county hospitals have illegally dumped tons of biohazardous waste, including prescription drugs, human tissue and vials containing blood, county prosecutors said. One photo appeared to show a discarded umbilical cord or part of a human organ, among piles of trash with soiled towels, used syringes, unemptied prescription vials and over-the-counter drugs, including fentanyl, and medical equipment, officials said in a news release Thursday. Hundreds of documents with unredacted personal patient information were also found. (McDonald, 12/5)
