Incomplete (tip-o-the-iceberg) list of healthcare related layoffs, shutdowns and crimes in March 2018:
“In 2016, the United States spent nearly twice as much as 10 high-income countries on medical care and performed less well on many population health outcomes. Contrary to some explanations for high spending, social spending and health care utilization in the United States did not differ substantially from other high-income nations. Prices of labor and goods, including pharmaceuticals and devices, and administrative costs appeared to be the main drivers of the differences in spending.”–Health Care Spending in the United States and Other High-Income Countries, Journal of the American Medical Association
“Warren Buffett said healthcare is a ‘tapeworm’ on the U.S. economy. It’s true. 50% of the American population has a chronic disease. They drive 86% of our cost.”-Mark Bertolini, CEO of insurance giant Aetna
The Vitals Index Physician Wait Time Report says 53% of people who said they had poor healthcare access canceled their medical appointments because of long wait times.
Fair Health says the cost of a basic hospital ‘visit’ went up by 28% in 2017.
Kaiser Health News reports 80% of hospitals will pay ObamaCare-ACA penalties due to patient re-admissions.
Medical liability insurance company Coverys reports that 50% of malpractice claims are the result of failed ordering, performing, receiving/transmitting and interpreting of lab testing.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association reports a 150% increase in children suffering sever allergic reactions.
Medscape reports 46% of medical students get ‘burned out’ before they even get a job!
Verizon 2018 Protected Health Information Data Breach Report says 58% of healthcare data hacks involved healthcare employees!
CBS News: “…a CBS News investigation found some rural hospitals have become hugely profitable because insurance providers reimburse them at much higher rates. We found these out-of-the-way hospitals have become gold mines for enterprising health care executives looking for a way to quietly make a quick buck…”
Star Tribune: 210 hospitals ripped off taxpayers by failing to pass on $4.4-million USD in Medicare credits
According to GoodRx the top ten states for hydrocodone (opioid)- acetaminophen (tylenol) prescriptions are Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and North Carolina.
Japan based drugs maker Daiichi Sankyo eliminating 280 jobs at its operations in the U.S. (New Jersey, New York, California)!
Alabama: Since 2010, The Yellowhammer State experienced five rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether.
Arizona: Phoenix based Banner Health under investigation for a 2016 cyber attack, Banner Health administrators admitted the federal investigation will find fault with its InfoTech security and result in a fine.
Arkansas: A State Hospital psychologist and a psychiatric patient were arrested in Nevada after they fled the hospital because they had been involved in a contraband crime.
California: La Jolla based fat fighting drug maker Orexigen Therapeutics now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, the asset sale begins in May. The Golden State caught red handed in signing up hundreds of thousands of INELIGIBLE people for Medicaid, ripping off federal taxpayers by $1-billion USD! The U.S. Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General found that California spent $738.2 million on 366,078 ineligible beneficiaries and $416.5 million on 79,055 ‘potentially’ ineligible beneficiaries. Union employees of Stanford University Medical Center shelled out $882-thousand of their own money to pay for advertising to alert consumers to high infection rates inside the hospital. The employees say that back in 2016 the federal government reduced ObamaCare-ACA reimbursements due to increased infection rates, and there’s been no improvement. Hospital administrators deny the union’s claim. The U.S. DEA arrested a San Diego doctor and five other people for intent to distribute hydrocodone. Community Medical Center Long Beach stopped accepting advanced life support care patients due to impending shutdown in July (due to being located on a newly discivered active earthquake fault). Texas based Concentra issued a layoff WARN for its Valencia ops, 150 jobs gone in April!
Colorado: God’s own Saint Mary-Corwin Medical Center issued a mass layoff WARN, as many as 272 people unemployed between now and the end of September! God powerless to stop ‘his’ CovenantCare at Home from shutting down, due to the “saturated competitive market of home-care providers in this region and the uncertainty with reimbursement rates”. God’s own Porter Adventist Hospital canceled most surgeries due to a ‘sterilization breach’, which happened back in February. Several patients were exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and/or HIV! Sonoma West Medical Center suspended toxicology testing after insurance company Anthem stated “Sonoma West appears to have conspired with several third parties to fabricate or misrepresent claims for toxicology testing services that were improperly billed to Anthem.”
Connecticut: God powerless to stop ‘his’ Missouri based Ascension Health from selling-off Saint Vincent’s Medical Center to competitor Hartford HealthCare.
Florida: A doctor at god’s own Baptist Medical Center finally resigned after getting arrested in December 2017 for masturbating while examining a patient! Miami Medical Center now officially chapter 11 bankrupt busted, the hospital already halted services and laid off all employees back at the end of 2017. Two now former employees of Florida Hospital accused of stealing and selling patient data, from 2012 to 2014. In Tampa, Youth and Family Alternatives laying off 17 people in May.
Georgia: The new director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a history of being accused of research misconduct. Since 2010, The Peach State experienced six rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether.
Idaho: Gov’na Butch Otter claims the official Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services statement, calling Idaho’s new non-ObamaCare-ACA compliant insurance plan illegal, is “not a rejection of our approach to providing more affordable health insurance options for the people of Idaho”.
Illinois: JenCare Senior Medical Center suffered a chemical spill which resulted in at least 15 employees being sent to other hospitals for treatment. Out of the 196-thousand registered nurses in the state only 32 are qualified to treat sexual assault victims! Tennessee based Quorum Health sold its Vista Medical Center West to New York based competitor US HealthVest. University of Illinois Hospital shutting down its physical therapy unit to make room for private medical-surgical beds. NBC Chicago: University of Illinois Health EHR contract will cost taxpayers $100-million in excess costs.
Iowa: At least five former nurses with Prairie View Residential Care Facility arrested for sexual exploitation of patients, all the victims were people who were sent by a court judge into the care facility. Genesis Medical Center paying a $1.88-million USD settlement for overcharging taxpayers with “unnecessary” Medicare billing.
Kentucky: Since 2010, The Bluegrass State experienced four rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether. Louisville based Humana paying $2.5-million USD in back due wages to 753 female employees who were paid far less than male co-workers doing the same jobs from 2011 to 2012!
Louisiana: Tennessee based LifePoint Health selling off three hospitals to competitor Allegiance Health Management.
Maryland: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services accuses University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown of violating several patient safety and patient rights regulations relating to ‘patient dumping’. State taxpayers are being forced to pay hospitals to keep out sick people. It’s a direct result of the implementation of ObamaCare-ACA. A report by Kaiser Health News says hospitals are being paid as much as $30-thousand USD for treatments that usually costs only hundreds of dollars. Four hospitals and a doctor have agreed to pay the federal government for filling false Medicare billing; they are Saint Agnes Healthcare, Horizon Vascular Specialists, Riverside Medical Associates, Maryland Specialty Group, and a physician in Hagerstown.
Massachusetts: British empire owned Boots Alliance Walgreens paying the state $5.5-million USD due to being caught overcharging state workers’ compensation insurance program, from 2008 to 2017. A Harvard University study revealed that hospitals that had a high rate of opioid prescriptions also got higher payments from the pharmaceutical industry. The Disability Law Center accuses psychiatric hospitals, owned by Arbour Health System, of over-medicating patients and even causing the deaths of at least two people.
Michigan: God powerless to stop ‘his’ Ascension Health from suddenly laying off 5-hundred people! It’s part of an effort to cut costs by $60-million USD, and local news media reported that more layoffs are expected this year. Texas owned Tenet Healthcare-Detroit Medical Center laid off 14 managers as part of plans to eliminated more than 3-hundred jobs! Detroit Medical Center suddenly shutdown its blood clot clinic at Harper University Hospital, due to crashing patient volume as a result of improved medications. Schizophrenic-lly the hospital is also advertising that its is hiring 377 people. Sparrow Health System settled a lawsuit brought by a nurse who was fired for revealing co-workers are failing to comply with infection control practices. The settlement came after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services threatened to halt federal taxpayer reimbursements. The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs shutdown Super Mart Pharmacy because of ‘suspicious’ opioid distribution. A hidden camera caught a burly female nurse, at Autumnwood of Livonia nursing home, beating the crap outta a skinny old man. The nursing home straight up lied and said the man was injured from falling down 11 times. University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation says only 14% of people over the age of 50 say more healthcare equals better healthcare, and they should know! Quest Diagnostics issued a shutdown WARN for its lab in Troy, 57 jobs gone by May. In Eden Prairie, Optum Health eliminating 30 jobs by mid-July. In Minneapolis, Shriners Hospital eliminating 32 jobs by mid-April.
Minnesota: A now former vice president of Minneapolis based Allina Health pled guilty to stealing $417-thousand from his former employer.
Mississippi: Who needs cyber security when your data breaches are caused by your own dumb employees? The state Department of Health mistakenly e-mailed an undisclosed amount of patient info to a CDC contractor. Since 2010, The Magnolia State experienced five rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether.
Missouri: BJC HealthCare revealed that more than 33-thousand patient data was ‘exposed’ on the internet over an eight months period. After 43 years Women’s Health and Family Planning Clinic shutting down in April due to lack of federal taxpayer funding.
Nebraska: Non-profit People’s City Mission Medical Clinic forced to layoff its only paid doctor, 100% of its staff is now non-paid volunteers, it’s blamed on skyrocketing costs of maintaining the clinic.
New Hampshire: Lakes Region General Hospital paying a $40-thousand USD fine for knowingly hiring a chief nursing officer (CNO) who did not have a nursing license.
New Jersey: Hillsdale Police arrested an emergency medical technician for stealing from patients while they were being transported to hospital. Personal-Touch Home Care issued a mass layoff WARN, 276 jobs in Bloomfield gone by mid-May! Israel based drugs pusher Teva eliminating 101 jobs in Elizabeth by mid-May!
New York: Five Manhattan doctors accused of taking bribes from Insys Therapeutics to prescribe millions of dollars worth of a fentanyl (opioid) spray. The state Health Care Bureau Helpline revealed that they resolved $2-million USD worth of ‘incorrect healthcare billings’ and ‘wrongful rejection of insurance claims’ in 2017, in other words the healthcare and health insurance industries are totally ripping off individuals. Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services issued a shutdown WARN for its Medicaid Services Coordination & HCBS Family Support Program in Jamaica, for July. Drug maker Pfizer shutdown its Rouses Point ops. Physical and Occupational Rehabilitation Therapy and Speech Pathology Services-Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center issued a shutdown WARN, 54 jobs gone by the end of May. Taxpayer funded NYC Health and Hospitals suddenly laid off 35 people as part of an effort to cut $4.5-million USD, yet administrators claim it will result in growth: “In order to achieve my top priorities for our health system — to invigorate and expand primary care, improve access to needed specialty care, and bring solvency to Health+Hospitals…”– Mitchell Katz, CEO
North Carolina: Since 2010, The Tar Heel State experienced five rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether. State representative Beverly Boswell was finally caught by the state Board of Nursing for lying about being a registered nurse (RN)! Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center threatened with losing Medicare payments due to high rates of cancer misdiagnosis. Dermatology clinic DermOne suddenly shutdown six locations without giving a reason!
Ohio: In Dayton, Premier Health shutting down its Good Samaritan Hospital in August. Salem Regional Medical Center halting maternity ward ops at the end of June, due to a 16% drop in women pushing out babies. Netherlands owned Philips Medical Systems accused by the U.S. FDA of improper investigation of complaints. The FDA says that since January 2016 more than 3-thousand high risk complaints (that could have resulted in injury or death) were labeled as low risk. Philips Healthcare laid off 65 people adding “that there will be further layoffs throughout 2018”, local news media reported that seven years ago Philips Healthcare got paid $2.5-million in state tax dollars to move from California to Ohio. A survey by Dublin based Cardinal Health says 40% of surgeries are being canceled due to lack of medical supplies. The former president and CEO of now bankrupt busted HCR ManorCare getting $116.7-million under a ‘prepackaged’ bankruptcy plan!
Oregon: Unity Center for Behavioral Health hit by state regulators with a fine for failing to protect employees from approximately 3-hundred attacks by patients.
Pennsylvania: Camp Hill based Rite Aid has sold-off all remaining pharmacies and distribution centers to British empire owned Boots Alliance Walgreens for $4.16-billion USD, in cash! It will result in store shutdowns and massive layoffs. The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh shutting down its rehab unit in April, blaming crashing patient volume and increased costs.
Rhode Island: Care New England-Women & Infants Hospital shutting down ops in Woonsocket by July, due to expired lease.
Tennessee: Taxpayer funded Nashville General Hospital is getting $46.6 million tax dollars in order to continue operating in fiscal year 2018. Community Health Systems selling three hospitals to competitor West Tennessee Healthcare. A Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management study says more than 2-thousand-100 patient deaths, each year, are caused by hospital data breaches! Since 2010, The Volunteer State experienced eight rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether. A 33 years old woman arrested after posing as an employee of two hospitals (Memorial Hospital and Memorial North Park Hospital), she gained access by telling employees she forgot her access pass-code, the dumb employees let her in and she stole employee credit cards and went on a Walmart shopping spree.
Texas: UT Health East Texas made a surprise announcement saying 4-hundred people will lose their jobs as part of an industry wide effort “to move the system towards financial stability”! Since 2010, The Lone Star State experienced 14 rural hospitals which halted inpatient care or shutdown altogether.
Utah: Intermountain Healthcare outsourcing 98 InfoTech jobs to a contractor in Virginia.
Virginia: Nursing home operator Avante issued layoff WARNs for several locations, nearly 350 jobs gone by June! In Arlington, federal taxpayer funded U.S. Healthcare Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center itself under investigation for fraud relating to contracts for two top executives. In Richmond, after 51 years A Grace Place Adult Care Center now chapter 11 bankrupt busted and shutting down in April due to the government: “Regrettably, with changes at both the state and federal level to programs that support seniors and those with disabilities, A Grace Place is no longer viable.”-bankruptcy statement
Washington: Grays Harbor Community Hospital-Harbor Medical Group suddenly laid off 23 people as part of an “an all hands-on deck approach to financial viability” which includes reducing labor costs by $5.5-million USD.
Washington DC: So much for ObamaCare reducing drug costs. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee estimates that 20 of the most common brand name drugs paid for by taxpayer funded Medicare increased in price by 12% over a five years period, and that the price of 12 drugs got jacked up by 50%: “Can you imagine if you went to an auto dealership and last year’s exact model was being sold at a 20 percent mark-up, and then you went back the next year and it had happened again? That’s exactly what’s happening in the prescription drug industry, where the cost of identical drugs skyrockets year after year.”-U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill
Wisconsin: A nurse with UnityPoint Health-Meriter lost her license in connection to unexplained injuries to newborns at the hospital. Syverson Lutheran Home shutdown, 80 jobs suddenly gone. Care and Rehab issued a shutdown WARN for its nursing home in Dallas, 49 jobs gone by May.
Wyoming: Bankrupt Powell Valley Healthcare finally agreed to pay at least $3-million to settle 20 malpractice lawsuits.
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
ObamaCare (ACA) death spiral February 2018: “WE ARE IN VERY CHALLENGING TIMES.”
