Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.
1. Baystate Health System to lay off 300 employees
Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health will lay off roughly 300 people as a result of a projected $75 million budget shortfall, according to the Boston Business Journal.
2. Massachusetts hospitals to lose $84M due to Partners' math errors
CMS said it will not allow Boston-based Partners HealthCare to resubmit paperwork for 19-bed Nantucket (Mass.) Cottage Hospital that, if it had been filed correctly, would have resulted in higher Medicare payments to Massachusetts hospitals. As a result, hospitals across Massachusetts are projected to lose nearly $84 million, according to the Boston Business Journal.
3. Maryland hospital shuts down NICU after deadly bacteria discovered
The neonatal intensive care unit of the Prince George's CountyHospitalCenter in Cheverly, Md., was shut down Tuesday after three patients tested positive for the Pseudomonas bacteria, according to The Washington Post.
4. Indiana woman released from Cancún hospital after paying $67k toward bill
An elderly woman from Lafayette, Ind., was released from a hospital in Cancún, Mexico, after paying $67,000 toward her bill of more than $100,000, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
5. ONC names Dr. Vindell Washington National Coordinator
ONC appointed a new National Coordinator to take over duties for Karen DeSalvo, MD, as she moves full-time to her position as acting assistant secretary for health. Vindell Washington, MD, will oversee the ONC, effective Aug. 12.
6. Aetna-Humana merger trial slated for Dec. 5
Trial proceedings concerning the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against the proposed Aetna-Humana merger are set to begin Dec. 5, The Wall Street Journal reported.
7. Man removes patient at gunpoint from Pennsylvania hospital
Police are trying to locate a woman who was removed at gunpoint from Philhaven Hospital in Mt. Gretna, Pa., according to a LancasterOnline report.
8. Ex-Birmingham Health Care CFO sentenced in $11M fraud
Birmingham (Ala.) Health Care's former CFO was sentenced to 17 years in prison, after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $1.7 million and diverting $11 million in funds from two healthcare facilities, according to AL.com.
9. How CHS, Tenet, UHS, LifePoint and HCA fared in Q2
Major for-profit hospital operators produced mixed results in the second quarter of 2016.