Medical Properties Trust financed Steward's expansion across the country, buying hospitals at premium prices. Steward soon became the country's largest private for-profit health system, and by far MPT's biggest single investment and source of revenue. But behind the scenes, little was as it appeared. Steward began to founder under the weight of the new rent payments and eventually started cutting corners on the basic expenses of medicine — nurses, equipment, maintenance — putting patients at risk. MPT couldn't afford to let its biggest tenant fail, so it intervened in substantial, sometimes secretive ways to funnel money to Steward and bolster its balance sheet.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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