Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospital Industry In Texas Urban Areas Soars Under Obamacare, But Rural Patients See Decline In Care
The past 铿乿e years have been a strong period for the hospital industry in Texas, according to a recent report from market research 铿乺m IBISWorld. And while the demand for health care services has risen nationwide as people became insured through the Affordable Care Act, the demand statewide grew faster than the number of available facilities. (Rice and Joseph, 4/9)
An audit by independent consultants found Maryland鈥檚 experimental program to curb health care spending has saved money and improved the health of citizens, but another evaluation by professors from Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh painted a less rosy picture. The state entered into an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services four years ago to implement a system that scrapped the fee-for-service payment model for hospitals. (McDaniels, 4/6)
[Richard] Boykin is one of a few Cook County politicians that recently have started wondering whether taxpayers can get a better return on the roughly $170 million of unpaid medical bills the health system has that's now with collection agencies. Boykin wants the hospital system to sell the right to collect that debt to a private company instead. (Bryan, 4/9)
For the second time in less than a year, nurses at Baystate Health鈥檚 community hospital in Greenfield are preparing to go on strike amid a stalemate in contract negotiations. About 200 members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association are planning a 24-hour walkout on Wednesday. (Dayal McCluskey, 4/9)
U. of C. Medicine is set to launch the first adult trauma center on the South Side in decades next month after gaining approval from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Level 1 adult trauma center will fill the hole left in trauma care since Michael Reese Hospital closed its center in 1991. (Whitehair, 4/9)
For the first time in 27 years, Chicago鈥檚 South Side will soon have a Level I adult trauma center, now that University of Chicago Medicine has gained the final stamp of approval from the state. The program, scheduled to open May 1, will treat people with traumatic injuries, such as from gunshots, vehicle crashes, burns and falls. (Schencker, 4/9)
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recently recommended approval of a 13-hospital merger led by Beth Israel and Lahey Health, which will dramatically alter our health care landscape for generations to come. As the impact of this mega merger is largely unknown, the DPH鈥檚 recommendation is both unfortunate and premature. (Jennings, 4/9)
