A day after a fire destroyed its Orthopedic Institute, Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City remained closed Thursday and its future uncertain. A spokesperson for Jefferson Health, which owns the 4-year-old hospital, issued a statement Thursday afternoon that says it will remain closed temporarily "while teams conduct thorough damage assessments and plan for a safe reopening." Jefferson declined to make officials available for interviews. The statement recapped the fire and said the hospital was affected and all patients, staff and visitors safely evacuated with patients taken to "other area healthcare facilities to ensure continuity of care." The statement credited "the professionalism and preparedness of our staff and first responders" for relocating more than 70 patients, visitors and staff" and "ensuring everyone's safety."
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was unexpectedly ordered to return to a New York City courtroom Friday. Mangione was not due in state court until May, but he and prosecutors were summoned to appear by New York Judge Gregory Carro. The reason for the hearing was unclear early Friday morning, and the notice to appear reportedly caught both the prosecution and the defense off guard.
After nearly 40 years in healthcare, opening a hospital and guiding it to growth, it’s time for Marilyn Schock to take care of herself. Schock is retiring today as the president of UCHealth Greeley Hospital after 12 years with one of the state's largest healthcare systems. Schock previously worked for Banner Health, which operates Greeley's other hospital.
Flames shot from the roof of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City on Wednesday night forcing patients and employees to evacuate and prompting a massive response from about 100 firefighters and first responders from throughout the region. Lackawanna County Emergency Management Agency Director Tom Taylor said 77 patients were evacuated and relocated to area hospitals. Dickson City Fire Chief Richard Chowanec said there were no injuries. The extent of the damage to the hospital was not clear late Wednesday, but its closure, even temporarily, would add pressure to an already strained local health care landscape, including in terms of emergency department beds. Chowanec said the fire call came in at 9:40 p.m. He responded immediately and saw smoke in the air. As he got closer, he saw flames coming through the roof of the orthopedic center.
Many healthcare systems talk about three main pillars of care for treating cancer patients: medical, surgical and radiation oncology. It turns out that having state-of-the-art radiation technology can not only help heal patients, it can also be beneficial to a hospital system's bottom line. A high-stakes dispute among three major hospital systems in the Triangle — Duke Health, UNC Health/Rex and WakeMed — has revealed just how financially advantageous such equipment can be. The clash also gives a glimpse into how certificate of need, or CON, laws can be used to try to stifle competition — and provides insight into the lengths major healthcare systems will go to try to maintain a competitive edge in the specialized care market.
Healthcare workers and patients are raising concerns about Huntsville Hospital's $450 million acquisition of Crestwood Medical Center, fearing the deal will reduce competition for jobs and healthcare costs in North Alabama. The blockbuster deal, announced last month, is expected to close early this year. Under the agreement, Crestwood will maintain its name, logo and doctors but will operate under Huntsville Hospital ownership. The Huntsville Hospital system currently owns 12 hospitals in North Alabama. With the Crestwood acquisition, all general hospitals within a 50-mile radius will be owned by Huntsville Hospital. The FTC has challenged similar hospital mergers. In 2023, nonprofit Novant Health announced a $140 million deal to buy two North Carolina hospitals. The FTC sued, saying it would reduce competition. Novant eventually backed out while the case was in court. A Huntsville Hospital spokesperson did not address the issue directly but said the hospital's 'goal is to provide better coordinated care for our community and to enhance the workforce development and training programs for our staff.'