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. Judge clears way for House GOP lawsuit challenging ACA spending
A federal judge on Sept. 9 allowed House Republicans to move forward with part of a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to The Wall Street Journal. In a 43-page decision, U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer ruled the House had standing to bring its claims alleging the way the Obama administration is paying for part of the ACA violates the Constitution.
2. Husband and wife physicians convicted of healthcare fraud
Paramjit Singh Ajrawat, MD, and his wife, Sukhveen Kaur Ajrawat, MD, were convicted Sept. 4 of healthcare and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors claim the couple defrauded the U.S. of $2.5 million. The Ajrawats owned and operated Greenbelt, Md.-based WashingtonPainManagementCenter. Trial evidence shows the Ajrawats filed claims for procedures that were not performed to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and other federal benefit programs.
3. CMS unveils equity plan for Medicare
CMS released the CMS Equity Plan for Improving Quality in Medicare, which aims to reduce health disparities in four years. The plan highlights Medicare populations that experience disproportionately high burdens of disease, lower quality of care and barriers accessing care, including racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities and those living in rural areas.
4. Banner scraps UA's $115M Epic system for Cerner
Phoenix-based Banner Health announced plans to drop Epic's EHR system at its two Tucson hospitals — Banner-University Medical Center Tucson and Banner-University Medical Center South — and will replace the system with Cerner's platform, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
5. CMS: About 9.9 million consumers pay for insurance on state, federal sites
About 9.9 million consumers had paid their premiums and had an active health insurance policy by June 30, according to CMS data released Sept. 8. Of those 9.9 million consumers, about 84 percent, or over 8.3 million consumers, were receiving an advanced premium tax credit. The average APTC for those qualified enrollees was $270 per month.
6. New York Blues plan reports cyberattack affecting 10M
A cyberattack on computers at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, based in Rochester, N.Y., may have compromised more than 10 million personal records. Excellus said it learned of the cyberattack Aug. 5, according to the company notice released this week. Cyberattackers initially accessed the payer's IT systems Dec. 23, 2013.
7. Illinois hospital to close, be replaced with outpatient center
Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System is ceasing healthcare services at St. Mary's Hospital in Streator, Ill., and transferring ownership of the hospital and its related facilities to Peoria, Ill.-based OSF Healthcare System.
8. Baltimore hospitals devise program to create 1k new jobs
Baltimore hospitals have created the Health Employment Program, which is designed to create up to 1,000 new positions for Maryland residents. The hospitals backing the program include The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, MedStar Health, Mercy Health Services and the University of Maryland Medical System. The jobs created could range from cleaning floors and transporting patients to assisting people with health insurance.
9. Cleveland Clinic standardizes to 2 implant vendors, at least one orthopedic surgeon out
Cleveland Clinic standardized implants to just two vendors — Stryker and Zimmer — for joint replacements in a broad cost-cutting effort. In response, orthopedic surgeon Raymond L. Horwood, MD, moved his long-running practice from Cleveland Clinic to St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, part of Cleveland-based University Hospitals, in order to continue using DePuy implants for joint replacements. In a letter explaining his decision, Dr. Horwood wrote that he "does not feel in good conscience that he can jeopardize his patients by changing to an unfamiliar implant system simply to save money for the hospital."