Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Detroit's Last Remaining Independent Hospital Is Still Open -- Barely
After narrowly avoiding closure last month, metro Detroit's last remaining independent hospital could be on a path out of bankruptcy and toward new private ownership. Doctors' Hospital of Michigan in Pontiac filed for Chapter 11 in July and, until recently, faced a nearly week-to-week struggle to meet payroll and pay vendors. A low point came in September, when a patient care ombudsman recommended moving patients out of the hospital because of a looming cash crunch. (Reindl, 10/19)
One of the largest hospital systems in the Tampa Bay area is expanding its reach with the purchase of a Polk County hospital. BayCare Health System is acquiring the 72-bed Bartow Regional Medical Center from the for-profit Community Health Systems (CHS) chain. According to a statement, the changeover should be complete by the end of the year. (Shedden, 10/29)
Three Atlanta hospitals are among the top-rated in the state, according to a data analysis by HealthGrove.com. Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown and Piedmont Hospital were ranked at Nos. 1, 3 and 9, respectively, according to HealthGrove's "smart rating." (Carlson, 10/19)
Women going in for their mammograms might encounter a fairly new technology: 3D. Also called breast tomosynthesis, the technology was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2011. In recent years, as more hospitals purchase the equipment, it鈥檚 gradually arriving in front of more patients. Jim Culley, a spokesman for Boston-based Hologic, which sells the 3D mammography units, said his company has noticed a significant increase in recent years and shipped out a record number in the last fiscal quarter, although he declined to release figures. (Bowen, 10/18)
