Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
What Happens When An Urban Hospital Closes
The Guardian: 'People Will Die': Chicago Could Lose An Essential Hospital In The Middle Of The Pandemic
Activists, medical professionals and community members in Chicago are rallying against the looming closure of Mercy hospital – the oldest healthcare facility in the city, and one of its most storied – warning that its closure would drastically worsen racial health disparities in the city. Trinity Health, which has owned the facility for eight years, plans to shutter it later this winter or early spring, citing financial struggles. But organizers here say that its closure, particularly against the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis, will exacerbate existing healthcare inequalities in the city, and have called on officials to intervene on behalf of the hospital, an oasis in the medical desert of the predominantly Black and brown South Side. (Lutz, 12/13)
In other health care industry developments —
Becker's Hospital Review: What Was The Biggest Missed Opportunity For Healthcare IT In 2020? 5 Hospital CIOs Weigh In
While the teams handling hospital and health systems' IT systems made significant, necessary changes to help provide patients with quality care and keep operations afloat during the pandemic, reflection would prove that there were some improvements health IT professionals failed to implement in 2020. Below, five hospital and health system CIOs share what they think were health IT's biggest mishandlings and missed opportunities in 2020. (Adama, 12/11)
Stat: World Trade Council Fails To Act On Proposal To Waive IP Rights To Covid-19 Drugs And Vaccines
In a widely anticipated meeting, a World Trade Organization council failed to act on a controversial proposal to temporarily waive some provisions in a trade agreement governing intellectual property rights, which would make Covid-19 medical products more easily accessible, especially by low-income countries. During the closed-door session, which took place on Thursday, several wealthy nations reiterated arguments that patent rights do not create barriers to wider access and affordability. (Silverman, 12/11)
Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Leverages Partnerships, Social Needs Data To Address COVID-19
When COVID-19 hit, Carilion Clinic used its arsenal of social determinants of health data to figure out which patients would need the most education and support throughout the pandemic. With help from an artificial intelligence vendor, the Roanoke, Va.-based health system used ZIP code and census data and other social needs data to identify thousands of patients most at risk for negative outcomes should they contract COVID-19. Data from electronic health records was also used. (Castellucci, 12/12)
KHN: This Health Care Magnate Wants To Fix Democracy, Starting In Colorado
In the final weeks before the Nov. 3 election, supporters of a down-in-the-weeds effort to overturn a tax law in Colorado received a cascade of big checks, for a grand total of more than $2 million. All came from Kent Thiry, the former CEO of DaVita, one of the largest kidney care companies in the country. This was not the first time he donated big to a ballot initiative aimed at tweaking the nitty-gritty details of how Colorado functions. Nor will it be the last. (Bichell, 12/14)
