Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
UnitedHealth To Roll Physician Group Stewardship Health Into Optum
Stat: UnitedHealth, In A Surprise, Takes Aim At Steward’s Physician Group
UnitedHealth Group has gobbled up physician practices at an astounding rate — roughly 20,000 last year alone. Most of them share a common trait: They’re independent groups, not affiliated with hospital chains. (Bannow, 4/1)
KFF Health News: Hospitals Cash In On A Private Equity-Backed Trend: Concierge Physician Care
Nonprofit hospitals created largely to serve the poor are adding concierge physician practices, charging patients annual membership fees of $2,000 or more for easier access to their doctors. It’s a trend that began decades ago with physician practices. Thousands of doctors have shifted to the concierge model, in which they can increase their income while decreasing their patient load. (Galewitz, 4/1)
KFF Health News: How Primary Care Is Being Disrupted: A Video Primer
How patients are seeing their doctor is changing, and that could shape access to and quality of care for decades to come. More than 100 million Americans don’t have regular access to primary care, a number that has nearly doubled since 2014. Yet demand for primary care is up, spurred partly by record enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans. Under pressure from increased demand, consolidation, and changing patient expectations, the model of care no longer means visiting the same doctor for decades. (Appleby, Norman and Tempest, 4/1)
KFF Health News: For-Profit Companies Open Psychiatric Hospitals In Areas Clamoring For Care
A for-profit company has proposed turning a boarded-up former nursing home here into a psychiatric hospital, joining a national trend toward having such hospitals owned by investors instead of by state governments or nonprofit health systems. The companies see a business opportunity in the shortage of inpatient beds for people with severe mental illness. (Leys, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare: Tenet Healthcare, Adventist Health Close California Hospital Deal
Adventist Health has acquired two California hospitals from Tenet Healthcare. Roseville, California-based Adventist announced last month it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital, in addition to related physician practices and imaging centers, in a $550 million cash deal. (Hudson, 3/29)
Modern Healthcare: Ephraim McDowell Health Faces Discrimination Lawsuit From EEOC
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against Ephraim McDowell Health after an employee was allegedly turned down for a promotion because she was a woman. The suit was filed after the EEOC received a complaint from an employee of the Danville, Kentucky-based health system. She alleged her application for an administrative position at Fort Logan Hospital in Stanford, Kentucky, was denied based on her gender, the EEOC suit alleges. (DeSilva, 3/29)
Modern Healthcare: Why Home Health Care Could Be The Next Cybersecurity Target
Cybersecurity experts warn that as more healthcare is provided in patients’ homes, the flow of data between those locations, vendors and providers raises the risk for ransomware attacks. In the wake of the Change Healthcare attack, cybersecurity consultants are scrutinizing home-based care — particularly the storage and transfer of data through telehealth, remote patient monitoring and wearable devices. (Eastabrook, 3/29)
In news about health workers —
The Mercury News: Seton Temporarily Shuts Moss Beach ER; Workers Protest Health Benefits
Seton Medical Center’s Coastside emergency room in Moss Beach is set to temporarily close for nine months beginning Monday, April 1. The announcement came as workers at the health care provider’s main Daly City location protested a new employee health plan they say severely limits their own options for medical care.The two events are the latest in a long-running saga of financial challenges and labor issues that have beleaguered the community hospital and vital health service provider in northern and coastal San Mateo County. (Macasero, 3/31)
CBS News: Nurses On Staten Island Reach Tentative Deal, Averting Strike
A nurses strike on Staten Island has been averted after an all-night bargaining session. The New York State Nurses Association says it reached a tentative contract with Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health early Saturday morning. More than 1,000 nurses were set to strike on April 2 if that deal wasn't reached. (3/30)
