Literature Review

Kansas’ unrivaled rural hospital crisis—58% at risk of closing, 82% lost money on patient careKansas ReflectorDecember 12, 2023Topeka, KS—Financial weaknesses at four of every five rural Kansas hospitals provide leverage to Medicaid expansion advocates who are eager for the infusion of $680 million annually in new government investment into the state’s health care system. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform says 84 of the state’s 102 rural hospitals recorded financial losses on patient services in the most recent year data is available. The health policy organization reports 59 of the state’s rural hospitals are in jeopardy of closing. Twenty-eight are at immediate risk of collapse. A health care delivery calamity has been building for years, as 10 of Kansas’ rural hospitals closed since 2005. ... “How much more evidence do we need that rural communities need our support to keep health care affordable and accessible?” said Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Kelly said expansion of Medicaid eligibility to about 150,000 lower-income Kansans will narrow coverage gaps and throw a lifeline to hospitals and communities. ... “We can only judge the impact of not expanding Medicaid by looking at the states around us that have,” Kelly said. ... Administrators at hospitals in Kansas are urging lawmakers to break from the 10 Southern and rural states that—so far—reject Medicaid expansion.

CT hospitals need nurse-to-patient ratios. Legislators should mandate themBy Kristin Henry, RNCT MirrorDecember 9, 2023As a registered nurse in Connecticut—one who graduated in 2019 shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic made its boisterous presence—I have seen firsthand the detrimental effects that inadequate staffing and unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios can have on the health of your loved ones. ... Appropriate nursing staff not only would achieve clinical and economic improvements in patient care, it would decrease nurse fatigue and burnout. ... Unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios have been statistically shown to increase patient mortality. ... Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill into law effective October 1 of this year. Under Public Act 23-204, CT hospitals must create a dedicated staffing committee to develop nurse staffing plans. Hospitals that fail to comply can face penalties. This bill is a small step in a very long staircase. Nowhere in this bill does it mention mandating specific staffing ratios. Until nurses and patients are protected from unsafe situations by the state, the battle is not over.

Patients stuck in Washington hospitals pose quandary for state lawmakersWashington State StandardDecember 6, 2023Washington needs to do more to keep people from staying at hospitals longer than medically necessary, state health officials told lawmakers this week. Over the last five years, the Legislature has approved spending and policy changes to help shorten stays for “complex discharge” patients—those who are in hospitals but cannot be discharged to a long-term care or behavioral health facility for a variety of complicated reasons. In 2020, the average length of stay was 57 days for patients who were referred to the state for long-term support and Medicaid funding, compared to 32 days this year. But Bea Rector, assistant secretary for aging and long-term support at the Department of Social and Health Services, says 32 days is still too long.

Ascension nurses begin strikesBecker’s Hospital ReviewDecember 7, 2023Nurses at three Ascension hospitals in Texas and Kansas began one-day strikes Dec. 6, marking the second strikes for each hospital this year. The strikes involve members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United. ... Union members have been in contract negotiations at the two Wichita hospitals since February 2023 and at the 391-bed Austin hospital since November 2022. They are striking to call attention to equipment and staffing issues at their organizations, according to NNU. ... “Patient safety is our top priority, and our hospitals remain open and well-prepared to continue to provide patient-centered, holistic care during these strikes,” an Ascension spokesperson told Becker’s on Dec. 6.

Tower Health laid off 30 people on TuesdayPhiladelphia InquirerDecember 6, 2023Tower Health laid off 30 people on Tuesday, citing efforts to streamline operations at the nonprofit health system based in Berks County. Not included in that total were an unspecified number of people in Tower’s information technology department, whose jobs were moved to an outside vendor. “Although Tower Health’s financial position has improved, we still face challenges and are working hard collectively as an organization to improve performance,” Tower said in a statement. 

The Center to Advance Palliative Care Celebrates 20th Anniversary of its Palliative Care Leadership CentersNews ReleaseDecember 5, 2023New York, NY—Since 2000, the percentage of hospitals (with 50 or more beds) with a palliative care program has more than tripled, from 25% to more than 83%. Additionally, palliative care has expanded beyond the hospital into community settings such as long-term care facilities, nursing homes, office practices, and patient homes. This expansion and growth has been fueled by the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s Palliative Care Leadership Centers first launched in 2003 with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ... Over the past 20 years, more than 1,300 palliative care teams have trained with a PCLC. And, 80% of them went on to institute palliative care services within two years. Today, there are eight Palliative Care Leadership Centers, including:

After strike, Everett nurses, Providence agree on tentative contractEverett (WA) HeraldDecember 5, 2023Everett, WA—Providence Regional Medical Center Everett reached a tentative contract agreement with more than 1,300 union nurses, the hospital announced Monday. The agreement—reached Friday night—comes after nearly nine months of talks and a five-day strike in November. Nurses walked out Nov. 14 to protest understaffing, the main sticking point between both sides. ... If the new agreement stands, nurses will have a contract that includes most of the terms they have asked for. The nurses’ union, United Food and Commercial Workers 3000, declared victory in a message to nurses Saturday. 

Medical City Healthcare buys Wise Health System, increasing D-FW footprintDallas Morning NewsDecember 1, 2023Dallas-based Medical City Healthcare has again expanded in North Texas with the purchase of Wise Health System, bringing the health system giant to 19 in-patient hospitals. Medical City, a division of HCA Healthcare in Nashville, announced the acquisition Friday, nearly a year after word surfaced of discussions with the Decatur, Texas-based hospital system.

Northwell’s operating income drops $104M in Q3Becker’s Hospital CFO ReportNovember 30, 2023New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health reported a $103.9 million drop in operating income in the third quarter, from a $92.4 million gain in the third quarter of 2022 to an $11.6 million loss in the third quarter of this year, according to financial documents published Nov. 29. Revenue increased 5.8% year over year to $4.1 billion while expenses increased 8.6% to $4.2 billion.

CT presents draft settlement in YNHH-Prospect hospitals sale

Cleveland Clinic cuts operating loss to $14.9M in Q3

HCA to buy bankrupt Texas hospital

Nurses weigh in on proposed Tenet lease for Desert Regional; special meeting date set