December 2019 Issue of Becker's Healthcare Review
ON THE COVER
Healthcare leaders: We'll all benefit if we reconcile the terms 'patient' and 'consumer'
In recent years, I've found myself involved in conversations at my health system and with my chief experience officer colleagues around the country about the nomenclature for the people we serve.
'We had to begin to change behaviors': Novant Health CEO Carl Armato on making diversity and inclusion a core value
Embedding diversity and inclusion into an organization in a sustainable way can be a challenge. However, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health has made it part of its strategy from the board-level down.
Michael Dowling: Staying focused is the best thing leaders can do for their teams
I'm often asked about the best thing leaders can do to keep their teams engaged. My answer is simple: Stay relentlessly and unapologetically focused.
Corner Office: Stanford Children's CEO Paul King on why he always remembers to take a jacket
Changing and improving the lives of children motivates veteran healthcare leader Paul King each day, making him the perfect fit for his role as president and CEO of Stanford Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, based in Palo Alto, Calif.
22 hospital closures, state by state
From reimbursement landscape challenges to dwindling patient volumes, many factors lead hospitals to close.
Allscripts, Northwell Health to build voice-enabled EHR
Northwell Health and Allscripts have teamed up to develop and deploy a cloud-based, voice-enabled EHR across the New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based health system.
Houston Methodist innovation VP's advice to healthcare organizations: 'Disrupt or be disrupted'
Though it has since been formally rebranded as the Center for Innovation, Houston Methodist's innovation team can't seem to shake its tongue-in-cheek nickname: the D.I.O.P group, short for "Digital Innovation-Obsessed People."
Amazon buys healthcare startup to power primary care program
Amazon has acquired a medical technology startup to help power Amazon Care, a primary care program launched in September at the company's Seattle headquarters.
'I'm not sure that this is ethical, moral or right': Newark Beth Israel kept patient alive to improve transplant program's survival rate
Newark (N.J.) Beth Israel Medical Center allegedly kept a patient in a vegetative state alive for a year to improve its transplant program's survival rate, according to an investigative report from ProPublica.
UnitedHealth, Optum offer care + coverage under new package
UnitedHealth Group and its health services subsidiary Optum are undertaking a new effort to combine health insurance and medical care, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen
Erlanger posts $4M loss in Q1 of FY 2020: 7 things to know
Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System lost $2 million more than it anticipated in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, CFO Britt Tabor reported this week, according to a health system email to Becker's Hospital Review.
UnitedHealthcare's policy will limit outpatient surgery payments to hospitals
UnitedHealthcare has expanded prior authorization requirements and site of service medical necessity reviews for certain surgeries in an effort to shift surgical procedures to less expensive locations, according to Modern Healthcare.
Boards are tired of focusing on diversity, PwC finds
Board members see the benefits of diversity but are largely "ready to move onto other topics," according to PwC's 2019 Annual Corporate Directors Survey.
Mount Sinai opens diversity innovation hub
New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System's Icahn School of Medicine announced the launch of its Diversity and Inclusion Hub, in which researchers will use technology and data to address social determinants of health.
California clinic to close after ransomware wipes out patient records
Wood Ranch Medical announced Sept. 18 that it will close in December after a ransomware attack caused the Simi Valley, Calif.-based medical clinic to lose all access to its patients' medical records.
Half of nurses, physicians are burned out, study finds
Between 35 percent and 54 percent of U.S. nurses and physicians are burned out, a situation that won't improve until healthcare organizations, educational institutions and the government all make systemic changes, according to a new report from the National Academy of Medicine.
Tryon Medical Partners CEO: Our mission is to 'free physicians from hospital systems'
Nearly 100 physicians split from Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health last year to form an independent medical group called Tryon Medical Partners. Now, more physicians are joining the group, according to The Charlotte Observer.
CFO / FINANCE
Chicago hospital halts some services, cuts more than half its beds
Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago is scaling back services and reducing its bed count amid financial challenges, according to the Chicago Tribune.
UnitedHealth, Optum offer care + coverage under new package
UnitedHealth Group and its health services subsidiary Optum are undertaking a new effort to combine health insurance and medical care, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen.
VCU Health says it will stop suing patients over unpaid bills
Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University Health System said it will stop filing lawsuits against patients to collect debt and make it easier for patients to receive financial assistance, according to Kaiser Health News.
Florida hospital abruptly closes, lays off 300
The Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health, a 44-bed psychiatric hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., abruptly closed Oct. 18, leaving more than 300 employees without jobs, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Ballad aims to reopen Virginia facility as a critical access hospital
Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health has filed an application to reopen Lee County Community Hospital with a critical access hospital designation.
CEO / STRATEGY
Iowa Hospital Association VP fired after criticizing governor on Facebook
Thomas McIntyre was fired as vice president of communications of the Iowa Hospital Association after making a Facebook post critical of Gov. Kim Reynolds' handling of Medicaid in the state, the Des Moines Register reported.
Erlanger cuts management positions
Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, Tenn., has eliminated or restructured 30 management positions as part of a management reorganization, the health system confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.
Dignity Health issues layoffs at 3 California hospitals
San Francisco-based Dignity Health will lay off roughly 1 percent of the staff at three California hospitals, according to TV station KRCR, which cited an email sent to Dignity employees.
Sam's Club launches healthcare pilot program for members: 5 things to know
Walmart's Sam's Club is teaming up with healthcare companies to offer members bundles of healthcare services ranging from $50 to $240 per year.
Mayo-Fairmont to cut 17 nursing positions
Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minn., said it plans to cut 17 positions, effective Dec. 9, according to the Sentinel.
CIO/HEALTH IT
Michigan Medicine receives $10M donation for global health innovation
Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine received a $10 million gift from Tadataka Yamada, MD, and Leslie D. Yamada to fund a new University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity.
Mount Sinai opens diversity innovation hub
New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System's Icahn School of Medicine announced the launch of its Diversity and Inclusion Hub, in which researchers will use technology and data to address social determinants of health.
Epic launches data interoperability resource for third-party app developers
Epic recently announced the release of a new online resource that aims to increase interoperability for third-party application developers.
United Health Foundation funnels $1.1M into expanding access to digital health tech
The United Health Foundation announced on Oct. 17 a partnership with Atlanta-based Morehouse School of Medicine to research ways to improve accessibility and usability of digital health tools in underserved communities in the southeastern U.S.
Partners pours $80M into investment funds for digital tech, AI, life sciences
Partners HealthCare has created two new investment funds to support innovation in the realms of artificial intelligence, digital technology and pre-clinical life sciences, the Boston-based health system announced Oct. 21.
CMO/CARE DELIVERY
'I'm not sure that this is ethical, moral or right': Newark Beth Israel kept patient alive to improve transplant program's survival rate
Newark (N.J.) Beth Israel Medical Center allegedly kept a patient in a vegetative state alive for a year to improve its transplant program's survival rate, according to an investigative report from ProPublica.
FDA tried to ban vape flavors years before illness outbreak, investigation shows
The FDA tried to ban flavored fluids for e-cigarettes four years ago, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times.
Half of nurses, physicians are burned out, study finds
Between 35 percent and 54 percent of U.S. nurses and physicians are burned out, a situation that won't improve until healthcare organizations, educational institutions and the government all make systemic changes, according to a new report from the National Academy of Medicine.
Steroids effective treatment for vaping illnesses, physicians say
Many physicians are using steroids to treat patients with vaping-related illnesses, as health officials believe the sickness may stem from inflammation or injury caused by chemicals in the lungs, according to The Wall Street Journal.
CDC modernizes 1998 infection prevention guidelines for healthcare workers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an update Oct. 18 of its 1998 guidelines for infection control and prevention in healthcare settings, with new recommendations about the Americans with Disabilities Act and emergency response personnel.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Houston Methodist innovation VP's advice to healthcare organizations: 'Disrupt or be disrupted'
Though it has since been formally rebranded as the Center for Innovation, Houston Methodist's innovation team can't seem to shake its tongue-in-cheek nickname: the D.I.O.P group, short for "Digital Innovation-Obsessed People."
Healthcare leaders: We'll all benefit if we reconcile the terms 'patient' and 'consumer'
In recent years, I've found myself involved in conversations at my health system and with my chief experience officer colleagues around the country about the nomenclature for the people we serve.
'We had to begin to change behaviors': Novant Health CEO Carl Armato on making diversity and inclusion a core value
Embedding diversity and inclusion into an organization in a sustainable way can be a challenge. However, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health has made it part of its strategy from the board-level down.
Michael Dowling: Staying focused is the best thing leaders can do for their teams
I'm often asked about the best thing leaders can do to keep their teams engaged. My answer is simple: Stay relentlessly and unapologetically focused.
Corner Office: Stanford Children's CEO Paul King on why he always remembers to take a jacket
Changing and improving the lives of children motivates veteran healthcare leader Paul King each day, making him the perfect fit for his role as president and CEO of Stanford Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, based in Palo Alto, Calif.