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. Hospital 'superbug' outbreak at UCLA
As of Thursday, two patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles had died after contracting carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections from improperly cleaned scopes, according to an LA Times report. After discovering the outbreak in late January, the hospital started notifying 179 patients who could have been exposed to the deadly bacteria from October to January. Seven patients have confirmed CRE infections, which have been linked to a specific type of scope, a duodenoscope. UCLA officials traced the infections back to two scopes that have since been removed from use. While the hospital had been cleaning the scopes "according to the standards stipulated by the manufacturer," the hospital now cleans them in a way that "goes above and beyond the manufacturer and national standards," according to the Times.
2. Mercy Health CEO sues SEIU for defamation
Michael Connelly, president and CEO of Cincinnati-based Mercy Health, filed a defamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit against Service Employees International Union No. 1199, according to a USA Today report. My. Connelly alleges the labor union attempted to destroy his reputation by driving a van displaying his image, the words "GREED! GREED! GREED!" and his personal telephone number around the neighborhood near his home. The side of the van featured a message that read "Mercy Health CEO Michael Connelly is getting rich off the sick, disabled and indigent!" The attacks stem from labor dispute negotiations between Mercy Health and the union. The lawsuit was filed against the union and its president, Becky Williams.
3. Partners HealthCare abandons deal to acquire South Shore Hospital
Boston-based Partners HealthCare backed out of a deal to acquire South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Mass., according to a Boston Business Journal report. The announcement was made in a motion filed by Partners and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy with the Suffolk Superior Court Feb. 17. The news comes after a Suffolk Superior Court Judge rejected a settlement deal in January that would have allowed Partners to acquire South Shore and Hallmark Health System in Melrose, Mass. The system may still move forward with its acquisition of Hallmark.
4. General Assembly moves closer to controlling UPMC's tax-exempt status
In a 30-19 vote, the Pennsylvania Senate approved a measure that would allow the Pennsylvania General Assembly, rather than the courts, to determine whether organizations qualify as public charities making them exempt from local property taxes. Critics of the constitutional amendment claim nonprofit "healthcare behemoths" in the state stand to benefit the most from the proposal and argue the amendment "will hamper the ability of municipalities to challenge the status of exempt organizations," according to TribLive. The proposal passed the General Assembly in 2013, and if the Pennsylvania House approves the measure in coming months, the proposal would be put on the statewide ballot in November.
5. Epic to launch app exchange
Verona, Wis.-based Epic Systems announced plans to launch its own app store, which will allow outside companies to develop applications that work with Epic's EHR platform, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The app store, to be called App Exchange, provides a channel for companies to develop and market apps, according to Mark Bakken, co-founder and former CEO of Nordic Consulting, the largest consultant firm working with Epic customers. Mr. Bakken also has said such an offering will solidify Epic's long-term legacy. Epic's App Exchange will be similar to Apple's App Store, according to Mr. Bakken, where outside developers can offer apps that integrate with the existing EHR system. He also said in the report that Epic plans to publish guidelines on how to work with Epic.
6. Anthem selects AllClear ID for client identity protection
Anthem chose AllClear ID to provide two years of identity theft repair and credit monitoring to members affected by its data breach. The service is available to any clients of plans from Anthem or its subsidiaries dating back to 2004, according to Anthem's breach website. AllClear ID PRO, which includes an identity theft insurance policy, is also available at no cost to Anthem customers who wish to enroll any time within the next 24 months. Blue Cross Blue Shield customers who used their insurance in states where Anthem operates, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, are also eligible.
7. UnitedHealthcare plans for 750+ ACOs this year
UnitedHealthcare announced plans to add up to 250 new accountable care programs to its current list of more than 520 active programs. The payer now covers more than 11 million beneficiaries with value-based care. UnitedHealthcare's existing accountable care organizations have increased primary care visits for Medicaid patients by 21 percent and decreased readmissions to the hospital within 30 days of discharge by 14 percent on average, according to the statement. The insurer's value-based programs include performance-based contracting, bundled payments, primary care bonuses and fully integrated population health programs.
8. Flu continues to decline but mortality remains above epidemic threshold
Flu activity declined in the week ending Feb. 7, meaning the flu has been on the decline for the second week in a row. However, flu levels remain elevated nationwide, according to the most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the specimens tested and reported by the collaborating laboratories of the U.S. World Health Organization and the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System, 14.9 percent tested positive for the flu, down from 17.5 percent the week before. However, the flu is still at elevated levels, as the percentage of physician office visits due to influenza-like illness is above the national baseline. The proportion of outpatient visits for flu-like illness was 3.8 percent for the week ending Feb. 7, above the national baseline of 2 percent.
9. Illinois governor proposes $1.5B in Medicaid cuts
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R), proposed cutting state spending on Medicaid by $1.5 billion, or roughly 10 percent. The proposed cuts, which the governor announced Wednesday evening, are part of more than $6 billion in total proposed cuts in state spending in areas such as education, healthcare and local governments. Gov. Rauner also called for lowering pension benefits for state workers, according to The New York Times. Gov. Rauner's proposal was met with some opposition. Illinois Hospital Association President and CEO Maryjane A. Wurth said the proposed $1.5 billion spending cut, as well as policy changes, "would take the state in the wrong direction and undo the substantial, groundbreaking progress being made to transform the Medicaid program and the state's healthcare delivery system" and have a negative effect on the economy.
10. HHS pushes to reform oncology care model
HHS announced a new value-based payment and care delivery model, called The Oncology Care Model, to encourage better oncology care. The new model will invest in physician-led practices and encourage participating practices "to improve care and lower costs through episode-based, performance-based payments that financially incentivize high-quality, coordinated care." Under The Oncology Care Model, physicians will receive performance-based payments for addressing the complex care needs of patients receiving chemotherapy, and they will be rewarded for improving the health outcomes of that population.
11. Study shows need for 7,000 more Florida physicians by 2025
A study commissioned by the Teaching Hospital Council of Florida and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida projected the state will face a shortage of 7,000 physicians by 2025, affecting 19 different specialties. The projected shortage is largely attributed to the severe lack of residency programs in the state. Psychiatry, general surgery, rheumatology and thoracic surgery will be hit the hardest across the state. However, shortages will be most critical in the panhandle and southwest regions of the state, and will be concentrated in endocrinology, rheumatology, hematology and other specialties. The state needs 13,568 new residency spots to be created and filled over the next 10 years to avert the shortage, according to researchers.
12. Hospitals, surgery centers voice opposition to HCA's plan to move Tennessee surgery center
Hospital Corporation of America's TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., plans to move its surgery center to a new location, but numerous providers are prepared to argue against the application, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.; Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tenn., and others, according to a Nashville Business Journal report. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center's plan to move the Southern Hills Surgery Center from its campus to a new location would cost approximately $17.4 million. The new site would hold the surgery center as well as a new, $11 million freestanding emergency department. The surgery center project is up for review by the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency Feb. 25.
13. Kaiser Permanente makes major renewable energy purchase
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente announced plans to purchase enough renewable energy to replace half of the electricity it currently uses in California. The decision was made in hopes of reducing the system's greenhouse gas emissions nationwide by 30 percent by 2020 (as of the system's levels in 2008). The purchase is part of a national sustainable energy policy Kaiser launched in 2012. The system will purchase the green energy from a solar plant in Riverside County, Calif., called NextEra Resources — a renewable energy generator — through a 20-year contract. Kaiser will also purchase wind power energy output produced by a NextEra wind turbine farm in Altamont Pass, Calif. Kaiser will support the construction and operation of new wind turbines on a Riverside County farm as part of its agreement with NextEra. It also plans to add rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels to 170 hospitals and campuses in the state, the first phases of which will begin later in 2015.