Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.
1. Surgeon dies from shooting at Brigham and Women's
The cardiovascular surgeon who was shot Tuesday at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston died, according to a Boston Globe report. Michael Davidson, MD, was shot by Stephen Pasceri shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday. Mr. Pasceri reportedly walked into the hospital, requested Dr. Davidson and fired two shots from a .40-caliber pistol upon seeing him. Dr. Davidson was seriously wounded from the shots. He was rushed to the emergency department and underwent surgery. Police and hospital administrators announced he died 12 hours later. Police found Mr. Pasceri's body in an exam room after conducting a room-to-room search. According to the report, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot. The police's preliminary investigation suggests Mr. Pasceri "had some issue" with previous medical treatment his late mother received at Brigham and Women's. Marguerite Pasceri died Nov. 15.
2. New bill introduced to overturn PPACA's individual mandate
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act individual mandate would be overturned under recently introduced legislation, according to The New York Times. The bill, called the American Liberty Restoration Act, was introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. This is the first time a bill seeking to overturn the individual mandate has been introduced by a Senate majority party, according to NYT.
3. Florida teen poses as physician at hospital for a month before being caught
A teenager in Florida was busted after pretending to be a physician at West Palm Beach, Fla.-based St. Mary's Medical Center for a month, according to a KCTV report. The teen wore a white coat with the hospital's logo and "anesthesiology" embroidered on it. He introduced himself as Dr. Robinson and interacted with hospital personnel and security guards during the month he pretended to be a physician. Sebastian Kent, MD, finally ousted the teen. No charges were filed against him.
4. Cleveland Clinic accused of Medicare fraud in False Claims Act lawsuit
Cleveland Clinic was hit with a federal False Claims Act lawsuit alleging the system performs unnecessary medical tests and procedures on patients, according to a Cleveland.com report. The lawsuit was originally filed under the qui tam, or whistle-blower, provisions of the False Claims Act by Sam Ghoubrial, MD, an internal physician. The federal government declined to intervene in this case, so Dr. Ghoubrial and his attorney will prosecute the claim.
5. Yorkville Endoscopy may retain CMS certification
Yorkville Endoscopy, the New York surgery center under the spotlight in connection with comedienne Joan Rivers' death, has been given until March 2 to comply with the changes requested by CMS, according to The New York Times. CMS initially decided to revoke certification in mid-January, but has now reversed its decision, allowing more time for the center to correct deficiencies. The surgery center's AAAASF accreditation was revoked earlier in January.
6. New privacy concerns on HealthCare.gov
Dozens of third-party sites embedded in HealthCare.gov are raising concerns about the privacy of users' personal information, according to The Detroit News. Third-party connections cannot access a person's name, birthday or Social Security number, but they can see age, income, zip code and whether one smokes or is pregnant. They may also be able to pair this information with other Internet browsing activity. The Web monitoring company Catchpoint Systems detected 50 third-party connections to HealthCare.gov, the report stated. The sites are primarily advertisers and Web analytics sites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter.
7. NBA picks Kaiser Permanente as first-ever healthcare partner
The NBA chose Kaiser Permanente as its first healthcare partner for health and wellness initiatives under a multi-year deal. The health system will serve as the "Official Health Care Partner" of the NBA, WBNA, NBA D-League and USA basketball. Kaiser Permanente caregivers will act as medical officers and consultants for the NBA's health and wellness programming across the league. This deal marks Kaiser Permanente's first national partnership with a professional sports league.
8. CRE infections at Virginia Mason tied to dirty scopes
At least 35 patients at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center fell ill from carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections between 2012 and 2014, according to a Seattle Times report. The bacteria were likely to spread to the patients by duodenoscopes, a specialized endoscope used in a procedure known as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Investigators found CRE on some of those scopes at Virginia Mason even after they had been disinfected, the report said. Since the outbreak, the medical center has changed its cleaning protocol for duodenoscopes, even though investigators did not uncover any "breach in infection-control practices in the hospital."
9. Northwestern Medicine starts Center for Comprehensive Orthopedic and Spine Care
Northwestern Medicine recently launched a 1 million square-foot multidisciplinary outpatient center on the health system's downtown medical campus in Chicago. The Center for Comprehensive Orthopedic and Spine Care offers care for orthopedic and musculoskeletal issues, treatment for sports injuries and a specialized center for neck, back and spine. The center is designed specifically for orthopedic and spine patients — who often have limited mobility — by minimizing the amount of walking and standing required for patients. It also includes advanced diagnostics and imaging, as well as capabilities to take full-body X-rays in under a minute.
10. MedPAC recommends 0% update to 2016 ASC facility fee — 5 things to know
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended ambulatory surgery centers receive no updates to their facility fees in 2016, according to an Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society report. MedPAC argues increases aren't needed because access to ASC services continue to increase and current access to capital is adequate. In addition to no facility fee increase, MedPAC staff recommended facilities be subject to "some form of Medicare cost reporting."
11. 5 things healthcare leaders should know about the State of the Union address
On Jan. 20, President Barack Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union address. His speech focused on highlighting an improved economy and striving for better politics, though numerous health-related issues were also discussed. These included the ongoing Ebola efforts, health insurance, cyberattacks and his Precision Medicine Initiative (which will likely include increasing funding for the National Institutes of Health). Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) delivered the Republican Party's response to President Obama's address, vowing to repeal the PPACA.