Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Trauma Care Access Improves, But Remains Patchy
Stat: Access To Trauma Care Is Improving In The U.S., But Progress Is Uneven
Six years ago, an expert panel made a strong suggestion to the White House: set up a national system to care for patients with traumatic injuries, which lead to about 30,000 deaths every year. (Chen, 8/9)
In other health care industry news —
USA Today: Are Hospitals Meeting Requirement Of Medical Billing Transparency Law?
Lax federal enforcement means hospitals feel little pressure to comply despite fines that could reach $5,500 a day, patient advocates say. And in cases where hospitals do make pricing information available to the public, the information can be incomplete or presented in formats that are nearly indecipherable to average consumers. (Alltucker, 8/9)
Becker's Hospital Review: How Social Media Is Shaking Up Hospital Marketing
From clinical healthcare to public health campaigns, chief marketing officers are using social media to find meaning in data gathered from social channels to support and engage their patients beyond their health systems' walls. Here, three health system marketing leaders share how social media has shaken up the healthcare marketing field. (Diaz, 8/8)
Bloomberg: Whole Foods Co-Founder John Mackey Builds Chain Of Cafes, Wellness Centers
Whole Foods Market co-founder John Mackey is planning a second act when he retires from the Amazon-owned grocer next month: building a chain of plant-based restaurants and wellness centers that offer fitness and spa services. Corporate records list Mackey, 68, as a partner in Healthy America LLC, a startup that raised about $31 million from investors earlier this year and aims to launch a “national network” of medical wellness centers and vegetarian restaurants. (Day, 8/8)
In corporate and legal updates —
Modern Healthcare: Centene Sued Over Ambetter Networks, Benefits
The plaintiffs claim the insurer acquired local Medicaid carriers to enroll people into its Ambetter exchange products when they lose eligibility for the low-income health program. Centene then named its exchange policies after the Medicaid plans to mislead members into thinking they were enrolling in coverage with similar benefits, the lawsuit alleges. (Tepper, 8/8)
Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Permanente's Second-Quarter Net Loss Exceeds $1B
Kaiser Permanente reported a $1.3 billion net loss in the second quarter, a 144% plunge from a year ago. Operating income for Kaiser, a not-for-profit integrated health system, fell nearly 75% year-over-year to $89 million. Expenses rose by 0.2% to $23.38 billion, while revenue fell 0.9% to $23.47 billion. Kaiser's operating margin was 0.4%. It attributed the losses to investment market conditions. (Hudson, 8/8)
Jacksonville Daily Record: Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Starts Work On $233 Million Oncology Building
Site work has begun on the $233 million Mayo Clinic integrated oncology building in Jacksonville that will include proton beam and carbon ion therapy. (Mathis, 8/8)
