State officials in Massachusetts confirmed Thursday they expect to provide more than $489 million over three years to help hospitals owned by the bankrupt, for-profit company Steward Health Care transition to new owners and keep serving patients. Some of that money has already flowed to the hospitals to help pay salaries and other expenses while Steward finalized sales agreements. A bankruptcy court judge in Houston approved the deals Wednesday, and they are scheduled to close by the end of this month. The judge also approved $42 million in immediate state aid to ensure the hospitals can make payroll next week and continue operating until the deals close. That will bring the total funding the state has provided so far to $72 million, in the form of advance payments for care the hospitals are providing to Medicaid patients.
De la Torre's attorney responded to the subpoena with a scathing letter saying the HELP Committee appeared "determined to turn the hearing into a pseudo-criminal proceeding in which they use the time, not to gather facts, but to convict Dr. de la Torre in the eyes of public opinion."
The merger brings together hospitals from metro Detroit and mid-Michigan, combining 50,000 employees and 550 sites branded as Henry Ford Health and headquartered in Detroit.
The FTC says a merger between Union Health and Regional Hospital would consolidate control over the Terre Haute healthcare market — leading to higher costs for patients, lower wages for workers, reduced access to healthcare, worse working conditions and worse quality of care.
As Santa Clara County moves forward with the purchase of Regional Medical Center, East San Jose advocates are calling on the hospital’s ownership to provide a community reparations package as part of the sale. The county is expected to finalize the acquisition of the hospital early next year for $175 million from Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, the largest for-profit hospital corporation in the country.
Community Memorial Hospital in Defiance County officially closed its doors on Saturday. The hospital temporarily suspended services in May due to financial issues, according to former Community Memorial CEO Bill Cherry.