Closer Look
How public funds subsidized hospitals' labor during the pandemic
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Under the strain of the pandemic, hospitals have been bemoaning rising employee expenses as they've paid workers more to prevent them from jumping to competitors, pursuing traveling gigs, or leaving the profession altogether. But some, like those in Texas, have been able to bring in traveling nurses and other temporary staff on the taxpayers' dime, STAT's Bob Herman reports.
Christus Health, a not-for-profit Catholic health system, collects more than $7 billion of annual revenue from its more than two dozen hospitals in Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. In its fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, Christus received $95.4 million for travel nurses and other medical staff "at no cost to Christus," the system recently said in its financial records. They came via "regional advisory councils," also found in Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, but the sheer size of Texas makes its councils and their funding stand out. Read how it works.
Cancer
Delays in breast cancer treatment after diagnosis linked to race and geography
As we noted above about lung cancer, delays in cancer diagnosis can be harmful. A new study out today in the journal Cancer looking at delays in treatment after diagnosis found that for breast cancer patients, race and geography mattered in how quickly they received surgery or chemotherapy. For their analysis, researchers combed through data from 2004 through 2015 on more than 32,000 patients with breast cancer in North Carolina.
Defining delay as a gap of more than 60 days, they found that 15% of Black patients, compared to 8% of other patients, experienced delays. In certain parts of the state, patients of any race were up to twice as likely to experience delays than people living in other regions, with the racial gap in delays ranging from 0 to 9.4%. The researchers blame the structure of local health systems for the disparities.
Pharma
FTC wants Martin Shkreli held in contempt for violating ban on working in pharma
The Federal Trade Commission appears to have run out of patience with Martin Shkreli. In a motion filed in federal court in New York, the FTC and seven state regulators have asked a federal judge to hold the "pharma bro" in contempt for failing to provide the agency with information it needs to determine whether he is violating an order that permanently banned him from working in the pharmaceutical industry. At issue is his new company, Druglike Inc., for which Shkreli has failed to provide documents and sit for an interview as part of the investigation.
The company's website claims it can use a software platform for "democratizing the access, costs, and rewards of early-stage drug discovery." In a press release issued in July, Druglike maintained it is a "blockchain/Web3 software company and not a pharmaceutical company. Druglike is not engaged in pharmaceutical research or drug development." STAT's Ed Silverman has the story.
by the numbers
No comments