November 2021 Issue of Becker's Hospital Review

ON THE COVER

The 50 largest public hospitals in America | 2021
Here are the 50 largest public hospitals in America, listed by number of beds. Figures are based on CMS cost report data analyzed by the American Hospital Directory. Data are for short-term acute-care hospitals, critical access hospitals and children's hospitals.

Why RWJBarnabas fired 4 New Jersey hospital execs
The pace of developing clinical programming and academics was behind the firing of the CEO and three top administrators at Livingston, N.J.-based Saint Barnabas Medical Center, the head of the hospital's parent company told NJ Advance Media.

Travel nurses bring gig-minded approach to profession
A message board for travel nurses is filled with posts from nurses who have recently quit their full-time jobs at hospitals to pursue high-paying, temporary staffing contracts around the U.S.

10 ACOs with the most shared savings in 2020
ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program in 2020 earned performance bonuses totaling nearly $2.3 billion and saved Medicare a record $1.9 billion, CMS said Aug. 25.

5 questions hospital CIOs need answered & why
Hospital and health system CIOs face unique challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic as they navigate the rapid digitalization of healthcare, maintaining telehealth on a large scale and more.

256 hospitals warned about violating CMS price transparency rule
As of late September, CMS has issued warnings to 256 hospitals deemed not in compliance with its price transparency rule, according to Bloomberg Law.

CommonSpirit rebounds, posts $998M operating income
CommonSpirit Health, a 140-hospital system based in Chicago, saw its operating income rebound in the fiscal year ended June 30.

Hospital rebrands: 7 recent name changes
Below are seven hospitals that have announced name changes or other rebranding efforts since Aug. 11.

How empathic leaders avoid the 'Great Resignation'
Empathic leaders improve employee engagement and innovation and reduce burnout and resignations in their employees, according to a recent Catalyst report.

Digital health investment red flags to look out for, per 9 hospital innovation execs
Last month, hospital innovation leaders shared with Becker's the No. 1 thing they seek in a potential innovation investment. Now, they're detailing what red flags to look out for.

Travel nurses quit California hospital after 1 day over HER
Four traveling nurses quit their assignments at Providence St. Joseph Hospital just one day after starting because they were unfamiliar with the Eureka, Calif.-based hospital's EHR system, the Times Standard reported Sept. 4.

One physician's case for refusing to treat unvaccinated patients in person
A family medicine physician has given the nearly 3,000 patients of her independent practice in South Miami a deadline of Sept. 15 to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or terminate their patient-physician relationship, the Miami Herald reports.

It's time to upgrade from cloth masks, experts say
Misinformation surrounding masking has turned the topic into a binary for Americans: either you're masked or not — but experts say the public needs to start paying attention to the quality of their masks.

Steve Purves
Steve Purves is the CEO of Phoenix-based Valleywise Health, a title he has held since 2013. The health system, formerly called Maricopa Integrated Health System, has undergone a billion-dollar transformation since 2014. Mr. Purves spoke to Becker's in August.

Alexa Kimball, MD
As a CEO, people often ask me about my pathway to success. What did I do to advance my career, and how did I move into the executive ranks? Serendipity certainly played a role and always does. And while there is no one-size-fits-all career path to senior leadership, there are specific steps or phases that tend to lead to growth: knowing where to focus your energy at each stage of your career will help you continue to advance without leaving gaps in your skillset or missed opportunities in your wake.

Chad Lefteris
Chad Lefteris is the CEO of UC Irvine (Calif.) Health, a role he assumed in April 2020 after serving as COO since December 2018. He spoke with Becker's in August about continuing with the health system's planned expansion during the pandemic and workforce burnout in the wake of post-vaccine COVID-19 surges.

Eric Palmer
Eric Palmer is the newly appointed CEO of Evernorth, succeeding Tim Wentworth on Sept. 23. Mr. Palmer, who joined Cigna in 1998, played an integral role in Evernorth's September 2020 launch. The platform is a rebranding of Cigna's health services division. Mr. Palmer spoke to Becker's about his new position on Sept. 30.

Tony Ambrozie
In August 2020, Miami-based Baptist Health South Florida initiated a $100 million digital transformation project, which CEO Brian Keeley said would help the system achieve its goal of becoming the "Amazon Prime of healthcare in South Florida."

Rick Evans
I've written in the past about how we need to reconcile the terms "patient" and "customer" in healthcare. There are segments of the healthcare community that still believe thinking of the people we serve as anything but patients diminishes the dignity of the patient-provider relationship.

Dennis Dahlen
Dennis Dahlen serves as the CFO of Mayo Clinic, one of the largest nonprofit academic health systems in the U.S., with $13.9 billion in annual revenue and more than 60,000 employees.

Mike Slubowski
As president and CEO of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, Mike Slubowski said he is passionate about employee and patient safety, boosting patient access to care and addressing inequities in healthcare.

CFO / FINANCE

COVID-19 will push hospital losses to $54B this year, report estimates
A new analysis shows the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to drive hospital and health system losses throughout 2021.

KHN analysis: Nonprofit hospitals invest for returns, not mission
Nonprofit hospitals and health systems are experimenting as venture capitalists for startups, but most of the time they aren't selecting investments that put their humanitarian goals first, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of IRS filings.

AMA releases 405 CPT code changes for 2022: 5 things to know
The American Medical Association released updates Sept. 7 to its Current Procedural Terminology code set for 2022.

FEMA to cover NYC Health + Hospitals' $900M COVID-19 tab
The U.S. government has agreed to reimburse NYC Health + Hospitals for nearly $900 million in pandemic-related emergency expenses, the Daily News reported Sept. 15.

CEO/STRATEGY

Prove it, hospital asks unvaccinated employees claiming religious exemption
An attestation form from Conway (Ark.) Regional Health System asks employees requesting a religious exemption from the hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate to confirm they will not use certain everyday medications, such as Benadryl, Sudafed and Tylenol, in alignment with their sincerely held religious belief.

Tenet's new CEO gets pay raise: 6 things to know
Saum Sutaria, MD, became Tenet Healthcare's new CEO on Sept. 1, and he'll receive higher total compensation than during the years he served as the Dallas-based company's COO.

An Arkansas healthcare CEO's 'excruciating decision' amid vaccination exemption controversy
As Conway (Ark.) Regional Health System introduced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, officials said they noted more religious exemption requests that cited the use of fetal cell lines to develop and test the vaccines.

Novant responds to leaked internal discussion of COVID-19 numbers
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant has responded after a video of an internal discussion about how one of its hospitals reports COVID-19 patient numbers was leaked on social media, WECT reported Sept. 10.

2 North Carolina hospital board members resign over HCA ownership
Two members of Transylvania Regional Hospital's board resigned Sept. 20, saying they are "powerless, voiceless and definitely unessential" now that the hospital is owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP

Baptist Health South Florida No. 1 for female healthcare workers, per Fortune
Baptist Health South Florida is the top workplace in the healthcare industry for women, according to Fortune's "75 Best Large Workplaces for Women," published Sept. 16.

Detroit Medical Center CEO resigns
Audrey Gregory, PhD, is resigning from her role as CEO of Detroit Medical Center, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare. Her last day will be Oct. 22.

Less than 12% of August job gains went to women
For August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 235,000 jobs gained nationwide, with hospitals contributing 3,200 jobs to that total. However, only 11.9 percent of the 235,000 jobs added last month went to women, reports the National Women's Law Center.

Yale New Haven Health CEO retiring next year; successor named
Marna Borgstrom will retire as CEO of Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health next March and will be succeeded by the health system's president, Christopher O’Connor, according to a statement shared with Becker's Sept. 15.

Innovation to solve problems: Geisinger's strategy for healthcare transformation
Karen Murphy, PhD, RN, executive vice president and chief innovation and digital transformation officer for Geisinger in Danville, Pa., joined the Becker's Healthcare podcast to talk about innovation amid the pandemic and how technology improves healthcare delivery.

INNOVATION

FDA names new CIO, launches digital transformation office: 5 details
Amid its IT reorganization, the FDA established a new Office of Digital Transformation and appointed Vid Desai to serve as CIO, the agency announced Sept. 15.

14 health systems invest in digital health startup Xealth
Xealth, a digital health startup spun out of Renton, Wash.-based Providence in 2017, has garnered 14 health system investors to date.

Top health areas for startup funding — Cardiology is No. 1
Health IT startups have secured more than $1 billion in recent funding rounds, with cardiology as the top-funded medical area, according to a Deloitte report.

Is Big Tech bailing on healthcare? 9 insights from Providence digital innovation chief
While some have wondered if Big Tech is on its way out of healthcare — following Haven's disbanding and Google Health's recent restructuring — Providence's digital chief, Aaron Martin, said he believes tech giants expanding into the industry are here to stay.

Biden to nix Medicare coverage of breakthrough medical technologies: 4 details
CMS wants to rescind a rule introduced by former President Donald Trump's administration that lets Medicare cover medical devices that the FDA designates as "breakthrough" technologies, according to a proposed rule scheduled to be filed in the Federal Register Sept. 15.

CIO/HEALTH IT

DOJ will take firm stance against 'killer acquisitions': 5 things to know
The Department of Justice will not back down from enforcing antitrust laws against so-called "killer acquisitions," where dominant companies purchase startups before they can become competitive threats, according to Justice Department Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta.

How the pandemic changed the CIO role: 5 insights
CIOs' responsibilities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased, with the pay to match as the average annual salary hitting $260,000, according to a Sept. 20 report by The Wall Street Journal.

8 hospital CIOs share their most exciting EHR project this year
Here, eight hospital CIOs share the EHR project they've been most excited by or proud of in 2021, from integrating home care to facilitating mass vaccination efforts to improving the patient experience.

CIOs turning to talent-facing execs to deliver a hybrid workforce
To succeed in a hybrid workforce, CIOs are turning to talent-facing executives to develop policies and procedures for an inclusive and engaging work environment, according to a Sept. 21 report by The Wall Street Journal.

CMO/CARE DELIVERY

Off-shift nurse delivers baby in Sparrow Hospital's parking ramp elevator
An off-duty nurse at Lansing, Mich.-based Sparrow Hospital helped deliver a baby in the elevator of the hospital's parking lot Sept. 13, reports the Lansing State Journal.

Oregon physician who spread COVID-19 misinformation gets license revoked
A physician from Oregon had his medical license revoked and was fined $10,000 for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and refusing to wear a mask in his medical practice.

Viewpoint: Mocking the unvaccinated dead doesn't save anyone
The shame and contempt that shadows some discourse surrounding COVID-19 deaths among unvaccinated Americans isn't helping anyone, writes Elizabeth Bruenig of The Atlantic.

Vaccine mandates have hospitals concerned about staffing
Amid President Joe Biden's plan to vaccinate healthcare workers against COVID-19, hospitals are expressing concerns about potential unintended consequences of the mandates, such as exacerbating workforce shortages.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Valleywise Health CEO: 'This is not your grandfather's county hospital anymore'
Steve Purves is the CEO of Phoenix-based Valleywise Health, a title he has held since 2013. The health system, formerly called Maricopa Integrated Health System, has undergone a billion-dollar transformation since 2014. Mr. Purves spoke to Becker's in August.

3 career phases every healthcare leader should know
As a CEO, people often ask me about my pathway to success. What did I do to advance my career, and how did I move into the executive ranks? Serendipity certainly played a role and always does. And while there is no one-size-fits-all career path to senior leadership, there are specific steps or phases that tend to lead to growth: knowing where to focus your energy at each stage of your career will help you continue to advance without leaving gaps in your skillset or missed opportunities in your wake.

UCI Health CEO on expanding during pandemic: 'Access was even more important'
Chad Lefteris is the CEO of UC Irvine (Calif.) Health, a role he assumed in April 2020 after serving as COO since December 2018. He spoke with Becker's in August about continuing with the health system's planned expansion during the pandemic and workforce burnout in the wake of post-vaccine COVID-19 surges.

Evernorth's new CEO: 'We have such an opportunity to meaningfully change healthcare'
Eric Palmer is the newly appointed CEO of Evernorth, succeeding Tim Wentworth on Sept. 23. Mr. Palmer, who joined Cigna in 1998, played an integral role in Evernorth's September 2020 launch. The platform is a rebranding of Cigna's health services division. Mr. Palmer spoke to Becker's about his new position on Sept. 30.

How Baptist Health South Florida is becoming 'the Amazon Prime of healthcare'
In August 2020, Miami-based Baptist Health South Florida initiated a $100 million digital transformation project, which CEO Brian Keeley said would help the system achieve its goal of becoming the "Amazon Prime of healthcare in South Florida."