November 2018 Issue of Beckers Hospital Review
ON THE COVER
Walmart Is Changing How We Pay For Healthcare: 5 Things to Know
With nearly 1.5 million employees across 4,700 stores, Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart is the nation's largest private employer. And with nearly 1 million of those employees self-insured, it's also a heavy influencer on the U.S. healthcare market, according to a MarketWatch analysis. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Fewer People are Dying from Gunshots in Chicago: Stroger Hospital Is A Big Reason Why
In early August, a series of shootings in Chicago left 41 people wounded and seven dead in a single day. Most of the shootings were on the city's South and West sides, sending many of the wounded to Cook County Health & Hospitals System's flagship John H. Stroger Hospital. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
UCHealth's Dr. C.T. Lin On Crucial Skills For Aspiring CMIOs
C.T. Lin, MD, chief medical information officer at UCHealth in Aurora, explains how he helped develop UCHealth's CMIO role and why fostering human connections is a crucial part of his responsibility. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
4 Questions With Yuma Regional Medical Center's Dr. Sarah Kramer
Sarah Kramer, MD, chief medical information officer at Yuma (Ariz.) Regional Medical Center, discusses the importance of building relationships with physicians and hearing their opinions on how to improve patient care. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Cleveland Clinic May Grow to 15 Hospitals
The boards of Cleveland Clinic and Vero Beach, Fla.-based Indian River Medical Center voted to approve a series of agreements allowing IRMC to integrate into the Cleveland Clinic, the organizations announced Oct. 3. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Colorado Hospital Ousts CFO After 2 Months
Cortez, Colo.-based Southwest Health System fired interim CFO Sam Radke after two months on the job, according to The Journal. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Maryland Is Displaying Healthcare Costs on T-shirts
Maryland officials are using T-shirts to raise awareness of healthcare costs, according to a Kaiser Health News report. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
6 Healthcare Leaders Discuss Their Hardest Day At Work
Becker's Hospital Review asked healthcare leaders to discuss their hardest day at work and what they learned from it. Read about their hardest day of work below, in their own words. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Mayo Completes Epic Transition
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic completed its "Plummer Project," the name given to its systemwide rollout of a new Epic EHR, the health system confirmed Oct. 8. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
11 Steps Hospitals Can Take to Improve EHRs by 2028
Stanford Medicine in California released a white paper on the future of EHRs, recommending key action items medical practices, payers, regulators and technologists should consider to improve the technology within the next decade. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
How the Nationwide IV Bag Shortage Helped Texas Health Boost Patient, Nurse Satisfaction
Hospitals across the nation have been grappling with a shortage of IV bags since Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico and caused manufacturing disruptions last year. While supply shortages generally cause problems for healthcare organizations, one hospital — Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas — said this shortage has morphed into a positive experience for both patients and staff. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
CFO / FINANCE
Kansas hospital to close by Dec. 31
Mercy, a St. Louis-based health system with more than 40 acute care and specialty hospitals, plans to close its hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., by Dec. 31. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Baylor, Memorial Hermann to form 68-hospital system
The boards of Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health and Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System signed a letter of intent to merge, the systems announced Oct. 1. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
California hospital operator bankrupt after Anthem sues
Sonoma West Medical Center, Inc., which formerly managed a hospital in Sebastopol, Calif., entered Chapter 7 bankruptcy Sept. 26, according to the Sonoma West Times & News. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Trinity Health forms new 5-hospital system
Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, which includes 93 hospitals in 22 states, has formed a new regional health system called Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
CHS subsidiary to pay $262M to settle fraud probe
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems subsidiary Health Management Associates has agreed to pay the federal government $262 million to settle fraudulent billing and kickback allegations. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
400% price hike for generic drug a 'moral requirement,' Missouri pharma CEO says
Nostrum Laboratories, a Missouri-based drugmaker, raised the price of a generic antibiotic 400 percent to more than $2,000 per bottle, and its CEO is defending the price hike, according to The Financial Times. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
UnitedHealth warns hospitals it may drop Envision ER physicians from network
UnitedHealthcare sent letters to more than 250 hospitals Sept. 21 warning them it may drop Nashville, Tenn.-based Envision Healthcare from its network starting next year, according to CNBC. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Dignity Health's timekeeping software denies nurses overtime pay, lawsuit alleges
Three nurses, who all worked for San Francisco-based Dignity Health at one time, filed a lawsuit against the health system Sept. 10, alleging seven of its regional hospitals denied them overtime pay, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
U of Kansas Health receives record-breaking $66M gift
Kansas City-based University of Kansas Health System received the largest gift in its history — a $66 million donation from The Sunderland Foundation. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
AHA, CHA leaders fire back at emergency room cost op-ed
American Hospital Association CEO Rick Pollack and California Hospital Association CEO Carmela Coyle responded in a joint article to a recent op-ed that criticized emergency rooms as the main drivers of rising healthcare costs. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Advocate Aurora's operating income down 20%, in part due to Epic EHR implementation
Advocate Aurora Health, the merged entity comprising Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care, saw lower operating income in the first half of fiscal year 2018 than in the same period last year. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Aging population, rising healthcare costs a dangerous mix for economy, Moody's says
U.S. healthcare spending will continue to rise as the population ages and as the costs of medical services grow, which will pose severe negative implications for both public and private sectors, according to a recent report by Moody's Investors Service. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
U of California health system faces 'existential threat' if it doesn't adapt, health officials say
University of California healthcare officials said the organization's health network may be in jeopardy if it doesn't adapt to the industry's shifting landscape, the Los Angeles Times reports. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
BCBS of Michigan to pay members up to $550 for healthcare shopping
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will pay more than 520,000 policyholders for shopping around for cheaper care, the health insurer said Sept. 18. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
GAO: 10 things to know about the spike in rural hospital closures
A total of 64 rural hospitals closed between 2013 and 2017 — not counting the eight that closed and reopened — which is more than twice as many closures as the previous five-year period, according to a report released Sept. 28 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Physicians say BCBS of Georgia has denied hundreds of patients' ER claims: 'This puts patients in a terrible position'
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia's discretionary emergency room policy is landing hundreds of patients with denied claims after the insurer decided their care could be performed outside the ER, according to physicians who testified during a Sept. 27 hearing. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
CEO / STRATEGY
Mark Zuckerberg to sell $13B in Facebook stock to help cure major diseases
Mark Zuckerberg is selling $13 billion in Facebook stock to fund a new goal: curing, preventing or managing all diseases "in our children's lifetime," CNBC reports. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Ex-New York hospital CEO’s severance package focus of criminal probe
The Onondaga County District Attorney's office and the New York Inspector General are investigating SUNY's Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, according to the Times Union. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
6 healthcare leaders discuss their hardest day at work
Becker's Hospital Review asked healthcare leaders to discuss their hardest day at work and what they learned from it. Read about their hardest day of work below, in their own words. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Netflix co-founder urges healthcare leaders to develop 'tolerance of risk'
Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph and former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, MD, shared advice with 1,500 medical professionals and executives Sept. 12 at the Healthcare Analytics Summit in Salt Lake City, according to Desert News. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
LifePoint shareholders approve RCCH merger, reject $120M in payouts for top execs
LifePoint Health shareholders approved a proposed agreement to merge the Brentwood, Tenn.-based hospital operator with RCCH HealthCare Partners, which is owned by Apollo Global Management, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
CMO / CARE DELIVERY
Orlando Health hit with $100M defamation suit by fired physician
A Florida plastic surgeon filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Orlando (Fla.) Health Aug. 21, alleging he was fired and made the target of a smear campaign for pointing out unethical and illegal conduct between Orlando Health and Allergan, a pharmaceutical company. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Hospital privacy curtains are breeding MRSA, study finds
Privacy curtains in hospitals can pose a threat to patient safety, with high percentages of curtains testing positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control found. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
EEOC sues Saint Thomas Health over mandatory flu shot policy
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Nashville, Tenn.-based Saint Thomas Health Sept. 28, alleging Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital violated federal law by ordering an employee to receive a flu shot despite his religious beliefs. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Why the world could see another flu pandemic
A century ago, hospitals reported an average of 100 patient deaths a day attributed to influenza, infecting about 500 million people worldwide in 1918. While technological and scientific advancements allow for better flu detection, tracking and treatment, health experts said flu pandemics are likely to occur again, according to USA Today. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Paper towels spread less bacteria than air hand dryers in hospital bathrooms, study finds
A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection found bacterial contamination was lower in washrooms where paper towels were used for hand drying than in washrooms where jet air dryers were used. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Pennsylvania hospital makes escape room for sepsis staff training
A nurse at Philadelphia-based Penn Presbyterian Medical Center created an escape room training activity to educate fellow staff on sepsis, according to ABC 6. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
How the nationwide IV bag shortage helped Texas Health boost patient, nurse satisfaction
Hospitals across the nation have been grappling with a shortage of IV bags since Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico and caused manufacturing disruptions last year. While supply shortages generally cause problems for healthcare organizations, one hospital — Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas — said this shortage has morphed into a positive experience for both patients and staff. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
FDA proposes antibiotic subscription plan for hospitals
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, on Sept. 14 outlined the agency's plan to fight antimicrobial resistance, which includes a proposal for a subscription-based model for hospitals to access antibiotics. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Physicians' choice: Best hospitals for treating key conditions
In a survey asking physicians to rank their hospital preferences for the treatment of several conditions, Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic was ranked highest for the treatment of six of the 10 conditions, and Houston-based MD Anderson Cancer Center took the top spot in treating all five cancer types, a Medscape survey found. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
4 flu preparedness lessons from the 1918 pandemic
The 1918 flu pandemic offers several lessons on infection control and outbreak response efforts for health officials today, according to a study published Oct. 8 in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Most physicians burned out, overworked + 8 other survey findings
U.S. physicians continue to struggle with burnout and job satisfaction, according to a survey from the national, nonprofit Physicians Foundation. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Summa Health denied bid to restart ER residency program
Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health revealed its request to restart its emergency medicine residency program was denied by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Texas hospital to offer free drive-thru flu shots
Cuero (Texas) Regional Hospital is offering free drive-thru flu shots in its parking lot Oct. 10, the Victoria Advocate reports. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Flu lasts longer in larger cities, experts say
The duration of a flu season and strain of flu virus responsible for infections vary based on a city's size and structure, according to a study published by Science. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Tenet's Detroit Medical Center strikes deal with 300-member physician group
Detroit Medical Center, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, has reached a five-year agreement with Troy, Mich.-based Wayne State University Physician Group, which includes more than 300 physicians. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
70% of physicians unwilling to recommend their profession, survey finds
Given changes to healthcare, many physicians are unwilling to recommend the medical profession to their children and other family members, according to a report from The Doctors Co., a physician-owned medical malpractice insurer. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
CIO / HEALTH IT
3 Boston hospitals fined nearly $1M for letting 'Boston Trauma' film on-site, breaching HIPAA
HHS' Office for Civil Rights fined three Boston-based hospitals — Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital — a total of $999,000 to settle a potential HIPAA violation after they allowed the TV show "Save My Life: Boston Trauma" to film on premise. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Health plans increasingly cover telemedicine services, despite low adoption
More employer health plans are offering telemedicine coverage, and employees are increasingly enrolling in plans that cover the service, according to new data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Mayo completes Epic transition with Arizona, Florida go-lives
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic completed its "Plummer Project," the name given to its systemwide rollout of a new Epic EHR, the health system confirmed Oct. 8. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
KLAS: 5 clinical documentation vendors, ranked by workflow efficiency
KLAS Research released a report on clinical documentation improvement in September to evaluate which software vendors and services firms provide support that drives workflow efficiency and financial gains. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Cerner names physician 'all-stars' from MedStar Health, Dignity Health, more
Cerner recognized five providers as "physician all-stars" at its Cerner Physician Community meeting Oct. 7-8, an event within the EHR vendor's annual Cerner Health Conference. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Cerner President Zane Burke sells 283K shares after tendering resignation
One day after Cerner President Zane Burke announced plans to step down from the company, he sold 283,539 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Sept. 11, SEC filings show. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Advocate Aurora Health unveils 1st project under Matter collaboration
Advocate Aurora Health — the health system formed through the recent merger of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Milwaukee-based Aurora Health — entered into a collaboration with Matter, a healthcare incubator and innovation hub in Chicago. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Analysts: GE's removal of CEO could jeopardize spinoff of healthcare unit
After General Electric abruptly removed John Flannery from his roles as chairman and CEO Oct. 1, industry analysts are saying the company's plan to spin off GE Healthcare may no longer be certain, CNBC reports. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Elon Musk suggests he's only months from 'merging' the human brain with AI
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is only months away from revealing a product developed by his neurotechnology company Neuralink, according to claims he made during a Sept. 6 interview on "The Joe Rogan Experience." CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
IBM says its new services 'open the black box of AI'
IBM launched a new service to give businesses transparency into how artificial intelligence makes decisions, in a move the company says is a "major step in breaking open the black box of AI." CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Colorado regional hospital to save $5M on Epic EHR after affiliating with larger system
Memorial Regional Health in Craig, Colo., will use a newly announced affiliation with SCL Health St. Mary's Regional Health System to invest in a new Epic EHR, a deal expected to save the hospital about $5 million over the next five years, Craig Press reports. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Aspire Health hacked in phishing scheme, seeks to subpoena Google for more details
Nashville, Tenn.-based Aspire Health lost some patient information to an unknown cyberattacker who gained access to its internal email system in September, federal court records filed Sept. 25 and reviewed by The Tennessean show. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
AI to save healthcare $150B by 2025: 5 report insights
Artificial intelligence and cognitive computing will generate more than $150 billion in savings for the healthcare industry by 2025, according to a report by the market research firm Frost & Sullivan. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Cyberattack forces Indiana hospital to cancel elective surgeries, divert ambulances
Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., canceled all remaining elective surgeries around 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18, after its IT team discovered a computer virus, wane.com reports. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Robert C. Garrett: Redesigning medical education to create the physician of the future
Medical education must undergo a major transformation if we expect to succeed in moving the needle toward patient-centered, value-based care throughout our nation’s health system. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
How does Kaiser Permanente decide which public health causes to invest in? We asked CEO Bernard J. Tyson
Hospitals and health systems still play a largely indeterminate role in population health. Not Kaiser Permanente. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Michael Dowling: The evolving relationship between hospitals and Big Pharma
The pharmaceutical industry has been the target of widespread public criticism in recent years, with most of the narrative centered on seemingly unjust pricing. But if providers and pharmaceutical companies make an effort to cultivate stronger partnerships, consumers can reap the benefits. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Corner Office: Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital CEO Caitlin Stella on how payer, provider struggles hurt patients
Caitlin Stella has held a number of healthcare leadership positions, though in no other role has she been able to advocate for patients as much as she has in her short time as CEO of Hollywood, Fla.-based Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE