After Series Of Setbacks Over The Years, Catholic Health Initiatives And Dignity Health Seal Prolonged Courtship

Modern Healthcare: Catholic Health Initiatives And Dignity Health Complete Merger 
Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health sealed the deal Friday on their prolonged courtship that lasted more than two years, according to the new system’s website. The Chicago-based not-for-profit system—now known as CommonSpirit Health—has 142 hospitals, 150,000 employees, nearly $30 billion in revenue and more than 700 care sites across 21 states, including 30 hospitals in California. Among not-for-profits, it rivals Ascension in total hospitals, trailing by just nine facilities. (Kacik, 2/1)

Houston Chronicle: CHI-Dignity Merger Now Complete 
The long-awaited merger of two national health system powerhouses, which includes St. Luke’s Health System in Houston, is now complete, marking the latest in high-profile couplings that are transforming the industry. Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health announced Friday they have sealed the deal to become CommonSpirit Health. The Chicago-based, $29 billion nonprofit system will be one of the nation’s largest, with 142 hospitals across 21 states and more than 150,000 employees. (Deam and Hixenbaugh, 2/1)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Develops Package Prices To Lure Cash-Paying Patients
Nearly a decade ago, leaders at Pomerene Memorial Hospital in Millersburg, Ohio, realized they needed to do things differently to better serve the large Amish and Anabaptist community in their county. The Amish and other Anabaptists, including Mennonites, do not carry commercial health insurance; they prefer to pay for healthcare and other goods and services in cash, and they are famously thrifty shoppers. They wanted one all-inclusive price for tests, procedures and episodes of care, rather than a lengthy list of itemized charges that didn’t even include professional fees. (Meyer, 2/2)

Kaiser Health News: Transparent Hospital Pricing Exposes Wild Fluctuation, Even Within Miles
The federal government’s new rule requiring hospitals to post prices for their services is intended to allow patients to shop around and compare prices, a step toward price transparency that has generated praise and skepticism. Kaiser Health News examined the price lists — known in hospital lingo as “chargemasters” — of the largest acute care hospitals in several large cities. (Rowan, 2/4)

Tampa Bay Times: Federal Officials Threaten All Children’s Funding, Citing Problems
The federal government said a recent inspection of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital found serious problems and threatened to cut off the institution’s public funding unless the issues are addressed in a matter of weeks. The hospital was cited for not meeting federal rules on infection control, quality improvement, how it hires and manages doctors, and its leadership structure, according to a letter the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent the hospital Thursday. (McGrory and Bedi, 2/1)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Medicare Chief Tells Philly Conference: Patients Must Be Part Of Controlling Health Care Costs
Patients should work to rein in health-care costs by demanding accountability and transparency from hospitals and physicians, U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said Friday. …As people spend more out of pocket on their health care, they are increasingly seeking information to help them make smarter decisions. But finding out in advance how much a procedure will cost is difficult because the prices insurers negotiate with doctors and hospitals are considered proprietary. (Gantz, 2/1)

California Healthline: Patients Suffer When Health Care Behemoths Quarrel Over Contracts
David Lerman, a Berkeley, Calif., lawyer, changed health plans this year only to learn that his new insurer has no contract with the dominant medical provider in his community. Anthem Blue Cross of California, one of the state’s largest health insurers, is battling with Sutter Health over how much it should pay to care for tens of thousands of its enrollees in Northern California. Sutter operates 24 hospitals in the region and lists about 5,000 doctors in its network. (Ostrov, 1/31)