Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Three Mt. Sinai Hospitals To Pay $3M In Medicare, Medicaid Overpayments
Three hospitals within Mount Sinai Health System will pay nearly $3 million to settle a whistle-blower suit alleging they held onto Medicare and Medicaid overpayments beyond the 60-day repayment window, marking one of the first settlements over an issue that could affect health systems across the country.The New York City health system agreed on Wednesday to pay $2.95 million rather than go to trial over $844,000 in retained Medicaid overpayments, where they could have faced treble damages as well as $4.9 million in False Claims Act penalties for the 444 payments in question. (Teichert, 8/24)
State health officials say 48 rural hospitals are eligible to receive donations from individuals and corporations under a new Georgia program that will give tax credits to donors. The list of eligible hospitals, along with financial forms, were issued by the state Department of Community Health this week. The tax credit program, passed by the Legislature this year, has generated high interest within the hospital industry. At the same time, new attention has been focused on the creation of consulting services that aim to help rural hospitals market themselves and apply for the funds. (Miller, 8/24)
Most Massachusetts hospitals were profitable last year, even as they faced pressures to control expenses and become more efficient in a fast-changing health care market. A report set to be issued Thursday by the state鈥檚 Center for Health Information and Analysis, or CHIA, showed that 80 percent of the state鈥檚 65 hospitals ended 2015 with a net profit.Hospitals posted a median operating margin of 3 percent of revenue. Total profit margin, which includes investment income, was a median of 3.7 percent. Those results were similar to how hospitals have performed over the past few years. (McCluskey, 8/25)
The Parkland Memorial Hospital board of managers unanimously passed a $1.5 billion budget Wednesday for the coming year, in which officials project rising costs and falling revenue. The budget still contains a $38.8 million hole, largely due to the whopping $105 million in depreciation related to Parkland's new hospital. Even so, the public hospital projects to have $54 million in cash reserves that it needs for operations. (Martin, 8/24)
A "minimally qualified" applicant was chosen Wednesday (Aug. 24) by the Jefferson Parish Council to operate two publicly owned medical clinics. The award came three months after the council moved to end its lease with the current operator, Jefferson Community Health Centers, which then applied for the new lease but was deemed unqualified because of faulty paperwork. The council selected Access Health Louisiana for the leases at 1855 Ames Blvd. in Marrero and 11312 Jefferson Highway in River Ridge. (Nobles, 8/24)
