August 2020 Issue of Becker's Hospital Review
ON THE COVER
State-by-state breakdown of 130 rural hospital closures
Nearly one in five Americans live in rural areas and depend on their local hospital for care. Over the past 10 years, 130 of those hospitals have closed.
Epic vs. Cerner vs. Allscripts vs. Meditech: 12 key comparisons
Epic, Cerner, Allscripts and Meditech have the largest market share of EHRs at hospitals across the nation.
Cleveland Clinic is advising United Airlines, whose CEO says 'airplanes don't have social distancing'
Weeks after tapping Cleveland Clinic to inform its social distancing protocols, United Airlines is back to booking flights to full capacity, according to USA Today.
10 actions for companies to meaningfully advance racial equity
Industrywide, U.S. companies have been quick to condemn racism and pledge to do more to combat racism. Now the question is whether companies — including health systems — will make the changes needed for meaningful progress toward racial equity.
What hospitals should know before their next Joint Commission survey
The Joint Commission on June 17 outlined some of the hospital requirements it will assess during normal survey processes, which resumed this month.
Mayo Clinic to restore pay, end furloughs months early
Mayo Clinic will restore pay to pre-COVID-19 levels for staff and call back furloughed workers months sooner than anticipated, the Rochester, Minn.-based system said June 24.
29 hospital bankruptcies in 2020
From reimbursement landscape challenges to dwindling patient volumes, many factors lead hospitals to file for bankruptcy. At least 29 hospitals across the U.S. have filed for bankruptcy this year, and the financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may force more hospitals to enter bankruptcy in coming months.
US News says it erred in children's hospital specialty rankings
U.S. News & World Report said that an error occurred in a data transfer procedure, affecting the specialty ranking scores of three children's hospitals.
RIP 'girlboss'
The "girlboss" mode of female corporate empowerment was not made to survive a national reckoning over racial injustice and the politics of power.
8 big ideas in healthcare innovation
Here are eight key quotes about the role of innovation in healthcare that executives from hospitals and health systems across the country shared with Becker's Hospital Review in June.
Kaiser terminates employee that inappropriately accessed 2,756 patients' records over 8 years
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States has reported an employee inappropriately accessed members' radiology records from 2012 to 2020.
News report spurs probe of New Mexico hospital's COVID-19 screening
State and federal regulators are investigating claims that Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Women's Hospital is unfairly targeting Native American women through a COVID-19 screening policy, according to a joint report from New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica.
10 most in-demand medical specialties & average compensation
Family medicine is the most in-demand physician specialty in the U.S., and before the COVID-19 pandemic, orthopedics was the specialty with the highest annual compensation.
Jenni Alvey
Despite a financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health has made a commitment to no layoffs or salary cuts for its 34,000 employees.
Matthew Kull
Matthew Kull began as CIO of Cleveland Clinic in March, and he brought with him experience leading IT strategies.
Rick Evans
I imagine it would be hard to find an American right now who has not been part of conversations about race these last few weeks. We've watched black men and women die at the hands of law enforcement and seen other racist incidents. The list of names is painfully long. And, we've seen our streets filled with protests.
John Couris
Like every healthcare leader across the country, I have spent the last 12 weeks focused 24/7 on caring for my community. As with all of my colleagues, taking care of our patients and working to ensure the safety and well-being of our teams during this global health crisis is our No. 1 priority.
John Starcher
When John Starcher took the helm of Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health in 2018, he was tasked with leading a new organization formed through the merger of Marriottsville, Md.-based Bon Secours Health System and Cincinnati-based Mercy Health. The president and CEO has had a new challenge in recent months — leading the 50-hospital health system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
David Tam, MD
When David Tam, MD, joined Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Healthcare as CEO in February, one of his top priorities was examining the system's telehealth program and finding ways to optimize it.
Philip Ozuah, MD, PhD
Growing up in West Africa, Philip Ozuah, MD, PhD, realized that he had a passion for healthcare and helping people. Now, as president and CEO of New York City-based Montefiore Medicine, he's aligned that passion with meaningful work in what he considers "the greatest city in the world."
CFO / FINANCE
Kaiser returns $500M in CARES Act payments
Kaiser Permanente reported a $1.1 billion net loss in the first quarter, but the Oakland, Calif.-based health system's finances are expected to bounce back, Chair and CEO Greg Adams told the San Francisco Business Times.
COVID-19 to cost hospitals $323 billion, American Hospital Association says
Hospitals will lose $323.1 billion this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the American Hospital Association.
Mayo Clinic to restore pay, end furloughs months early
Mayo Clinic will restore pay to pre-COVID-19 levels for staff and call back furloughed workers months sooner than anticipated, the Rochester, Minn.-based system said June 24.
8 nonprofit health systems got $1.7B bailout, furloughed more than 30,000 workers
Sixty of the largest hospital chains in the U.S., including publicly traded and nonprofit systems, have received more than $15 billion in emergency funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
Saint Luke's Health System to close Kansas hospital
Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System will close its hospital in Leavenworth, Kan., on Oct. 1.
CEO/STRATEGY
Hospital rebrands: 5 recent name changes
Below are five hospitals that have announced name changes or other rebranding efforts since Jan. 1.
Munson Healthcare to cut 25 leadership positions
Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare is cutting 25 leadership positions to help offset financial losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Erlanger eliminates 11 leadership jobs
Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System cut 11 leadership positions June 13 to help offset financial damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Cleveland Clinic is advising United Airlines, whose CEO says 'airplanes don't have social distancing'
Weeks after tapping Cleveland Clinic to inform its social distancing protocols, United Airlines is back to booking flights to full capacity, according to USA Today.
New Mexico hospital fires CEO after staff alleges mismanagement
The board of Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in Gallup, N.M., fired its CEO June 11, about a month after a group of staff alleged mismanagement and approved a no confidence vote.
WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP
Meet 8 women leading medical societies and associations
For the female physicians across the U.S. who head medical societies and associations, the experience is more than an opportunity to represent colleagues in their chosen practice, it's also a chance to advocate for them on healthcare issues.
How an Ohio hospital addressed the needs of its 84% female workforce
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on women in the healthcare workforce as they strive more than ever to balance work and home responsibilities.
Your implicit bias training probably won't work, but these 2 strategies will
One of the social psychologists to further research and identification of implicit bias sees most training to counter these hidden attitudes as "window dressing" that helps an organization look good internally and externally. The two strategies that really can counter implicit bias, he says, are not used nearly enough.
'If you don't have women, you've lost half of the best people': New film exposes systemic discrimination in science
The common societal assumption that scientists are men has had detrimental effects on women in science, a field in which women are extremely underrepresented, as examined in the new documentary "Picture a Scientist," co-directed by Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney.
Leadership advice from 9 women across Yale New Haven Health
Female leaders have been crucial to Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health's COVID-19 pandemic response. Across the organization, they have led incident command centers and are planning recovery operations.
INNOVATION
Where 20 health systems are investing innovation dollars in 2020
Health systems and their venture capital arms have invested millions in digital health technologies and startups over the past six months.
Uber Health to provide medical transportation for Medicare Advantage members
Medicare Advantage members may now request rides for non-emergency medical visits thanks to a new benefits program in partnership with Uber Health, according to a June 18 news release.
Texas Children's is building a 'startup culture' with innovation, tech at the forefront
Myra Davis became the CIO and chief innovation officer at Texas Children's Hospital in 2019, overseeing a culture change to promote new ideas within the largest pediatric center in the nation.
Mount Sinai, NYU Langone use taxi app to transport health workers, patients
New York City-based health systems Mount Sinai and NYU Langone Health have partnered with Curb, a mobile platform for taxi and for-hire rides, to transport healthcare workers and patients during the pandemic.
Cleveland's University Hospitals, NASA partner on tech to clean PPE
Cleveland-based University Hospitals partnered with NASA to create technologies and methods to decontaminate personal protective equipment for aerospace applications and COVID-19 front-line workers.
CIO/HEALTH IT
10 common reasons for HIPAA violations
In the past 12 months, there were 393 protected health information breach incidents reported to HHS.
Epic vs. Cerner vs. Allscripts vs. Meditech: 12 key comparisons
Epic, Cerner, Allscripts and Meditech have the largest market share of EHRs at hospitals across the nation.
Kaiser terminates employee that inappropriately accessed 2,756 patients' records over 8 years
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States has reported an employee inappropriately accessed members' radiology records from 2012 to 2020.
UCSF pays $1M+ ransom to unlock medical school's computer systems
University of California San Francisco confirmed that it paid $1.14 million to hackers after a June 1 ransomware attack on its medical school's computer servers.
Cerner to cut 100 positions
Cerner will eliminate 100 jobs as part of its third round of layoffs since September 2019, The Kansas City Star reports.
CMO/CARE DELIVERY
DMC Sinai-Grace nurses sue Tenet, allege retaliatory firings
Four nurses and former employees of DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit are suing their former employer and its parent company, alleging they were terminated after speaking out about inadequate staffing and patient care during the COVID-19 patient surge.
News report spurs probe of New Mexico hospital's COVID-19 screening
State and federal regulators are investigating claims that Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Women's Hospital is unfairly targeting Native American women through a COVID-19 screening policy, according to a joint report from New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica.
Leaving WHO could leave US without vital flu vaccine information
The White House decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization may leave the U.S. without crucial information used to determine influenza vaccines for the coming season, according to STAT News.
What hospitals should know before their next Joint Commission survey
The Joint Commission on June 17 outlined some of the hospital requirements it will assess during normal survey processes, which resumed this month.
US aims to 'take flu off the table' in preparation for second wave of coronavirus
Drugmakers are making millions of extra flu shots this year in preparation for a possible second wave of COVID-19 during the annual flu season, and in a rare move, the CDC has bought 7 million doses directly from them, The Washington Post reported.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
'We plan and prepare for disruptions': How IU Health is getting through the pandemic without layoffs or pay cuts
Despite a financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health has made a commitment to no layoffs or salary cuts for its 34,000 employees.
Cleveland Clinic CIO Matthew Kull on how coronavirus disrupted operations for the better
Matthew Kull began as CIO of Cleveland Clinic in March, and he brought with him experience leading IT strategies.
NewYork-Presbyterian CXO's message for white colleagues: We need to be allies
I imagine it would be hard to find an American right now who has not been part of conversations about race these last few weeks. We've watched black men and women die at the hands of law enforcement and seen other racist incidents. The list of names is painfully long. And, we've seen our streets filled with protests.
No such thing as competition when it comes to saving lives
Like every healthcare leader across the country, I have spent the last 12 weeks focused 24/7 on caring for my community. As with all of my colleagues, taking care of our patients and working to ensure the safety and well-being of our teams during this global health crisis is our No. 1 priority.
Bon Secours Mercy Health may not see complete COVID-19 rebound this year, CEO says
When John Starcher took the helm of Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health in 2018, he was tasked with leading a new organization formed through the merger of Marriottsville, Md.-based Bon Secours Health System and Cincinnati-based Mercy Health. The president and CEO has had a new challenge in recent months — leading the 50-hospital health system during the COVID-19 pandemic.