Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wave Of Mergers That Have Widened Reach Of Catholic Hospitals Brings Religious-Based Restrictions On Care
The New York Times: As Catholic Hospitals Expand, So Do Limits On Some Procedures
After experiencing life-threatening pre-eclampsia during her first two pregnancies, Jennafer Norris decided she could not risk getting pregnant again. But several years later, suffering debilitating headaches and soaring blood pressure, she realized her I.U.D. had failed. She was pregnant, and the condition had returned. At 30 weeks, with her health deteriorating, she was admitted to her local hospital in Rogers, Ark., for an emergency cesarean section. To ensure that she would never again be at risk, she asked her obstetrician to tie her tubes immediately following the delivery. The doctor’s response stunned her. “She said she’d love to but couldn’t because it was a Catholic hospital,” Ms. Norris, 38, recalled in an interview. (Hafner, 8/10)
Meanwhile —
Modern Healthcare: CHI-Dignity Merger Approval May Hinge On Catholic Religious Rules For Care
Catholic religious rules could pose serious obstacles to the pending merger between Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health, a deal that would create the nation's largest not-for-profit hospital company by revenue. Those rules, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, substantially shaped the way the deal, initially announced in 2016, was structured. The reason is that 15 of Dignity's 39 hospitals are historically non-Catholic and provide services that are prohibited under Catholic doctrine, forcing the dealmakers to craft a merger model that worked around the directives. (Meyer, 8/11)
Modern Healthcare: A Waiting Game: Meeting Minutes Reveal Challenges To Closing CHI, Dignity Megadeal
The respective governing boards at Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives have encountered multiple setbacks in their quest to merge the two organizations since formal negotiations began in 2016, and there are few indications that they will consummate the deal soon. Paperwork filed with the California attorney general hint at some fundamental problems with combining the organizations, which have contrasting financial standings and differing management structures. The deal also needs approvals at multiple levels within the Catholic Church. (Bannow, 8/11)
