Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Whistleblower Reveals Startling Cash Bribery Allegations About Steward CEO
CBS News: Whistleblower Tells Congress Steward Health Care CEO Ralph De La Torre Bragged He Could Sway Foreign Officials With "Brown Bags" Of Cash
A whistleblower has come forward to Congress alleging Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre and other Steward executives illegally conspired with foreign officials to secure a hospital contract abroad, CBS News has learned. "In touting Steward's supposed competitive advantage in Malta… de la Torre boasted that he could issue 'brown bags' to government officials if necessary to close transactions," Ram Tumuluri, a health care executive who worked with the Maltese government, wrote in a complaint to Congress, shared with CBS News. (Kaplan, Samu and Milton, 9/5)
AP: Physician Sentenced To 9 Months For Punching Officer During Jan. 6 Riot
A Massachusetts medical doctor who punched a police officer during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Thursday to nine months of imprisonment followed by nine months of home confinement. Jacquelyn Starer was in a crowd of rioters inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when she struck the officer with a closed fist and shouted a profane insult. ... Online licensing records indicate that Starer agreed in January 2023 not to practice medicine in Massachusetts. The state issued her a medical license in 1983. (Kunzelman, 9/5)
The Boston Globe: Medical Workers At South County Hospital Voice Concern Over ‘Systemic’ Issues At The Facility
Health care workers at South County Hospital accused its management of instituting “alarming changes” that they say threaten to damage medical care and called for changes that include replacing top management. In a statement shared with the Globe on Wednesday, the workers said management decisions were jeopardizing the future of the hospital in South Kingstown. The letter was signed by dozens of medical professionals at the hospital and sent to its board of trustees. (Mohammed, 9/5)
Bloomberg: New Mountain Merges 3 Companies To Create $3 Billion Medical Payments Firm
A $3 billion merger of three closely held health technology firms aims to use artificial intelligence to help health plans police their payments to doctors and hospitals. New Mountain Capital LLC is forming the new company by combining three in its portfolio: the Rawlings Group, the payment-integrity business of Apixio, and a recently acquired firm called Varis. The deal values the combination at more than $3 billion, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing private information. (Tozzi, 9/5)
Crain's Chicago Business: UChicago Medicine Consolidates Cybersecurity After Data Breach
At a time when cybersecurity threats pose a growing risk to hospitals and patient privacy, UChicago Medicine is combining the roles of chief of information security and chief privacy officer, and promoting one of its own into the role. The academic health system's chief privacy officer, Karen Habercoss, on Sept. 1 was named chief information security and privacy officer and promoted to vice president, according to Yeman Collier, UChicago Medicine's chief information officer and senior vice president. (Asplund, 9/5)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: A Nurse Practitioner’s $25,000 In Student-Loan Debt Relief Turned Into A $217,500 Bill From The Government
Haley Clements was working as a nurse practitioner at a rural Alabama clinic when she enrolled in a federal program that would pay off her remaining $25,000 in student debt in exchange for staying in her job for three more years. But when one of her supervising doctors died and the other retired, she struggled to find another qualifying position in the area. The penalty for breaching her contract with the National Health Service Corps would be at least $217,500, the program told her. Instead, Clements is suing the government. (Ballhaus, 9/5)
Modern Healthcare: How HRSA, CMS Could Help Grow The Geriatrician Workforce
The future of the U.S. healthcare system is already being shaped by the growing population of older adults. But providers with expertise caring for them are dwindling — and the federal government’s work to grow the field is hitting a wall. Older adults tend to have more complex health conditions, are disproportionately impacted by chronic disease and disabilities, and are more likely to be affected by problems such as injuries from falls, according to the National Council on Aging. Those complexities result in billions of dollars in care each year, largely financed by Medicare and Medicaid. (Early, 9/5)
Modern Healthcare: How DEI Leaders In Healthcare Are Responding To Opposition
Healthcare’s diversity, equity and inclusion leaders are grappling with a lack of resources and support, while also battling a heavily politicized landscape. The industry saw a major spike in job postings for chief diversity officers and other DEI-related leadership positions between 2020 and 2022 as healthcare organizations reckoned with the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (Devereaux, 9/5)
Axios: U.S. Looks To Electric Air Taxis For Rural Health Care And Disaster Relief
The federal government is laying the groundwork to test electric air taxis to quickly respond to natural disasters and other public health emergencies in remote areas, Axios is first to report. Rural areas increasingly lack access to hospitals and other medical facilities — a health care gap that's especially acute after a natural disaster like a hurricane. (Muller, 9/4)
