Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1233009
46 HEALTHCARE NEWS Hospitals in Missouri, Kansas file for bankruptcy By Ayla Ellison O verland Park, Kan.-based Pinnacle Healthcare System and its hospitals in Missouri and Kansas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 12. Pinnacle Regional Hospital in Overland Park, formerly known as Blue Valley Hospital, entered bankruptcy with assets total- ing between $10 million and $50 million and liabilities within the same range, according to bankruptcy court documents. e hospital, which was acquired by Douglas Palzer in 2018, lost its Medicare contract two years ago. CMS terminated the contract aer determining the hospital did not "primarily en- gage" in providing inpatient care, a requirement for Medicare participation. Pinnacle Regional Hospital in Booneville, Mo., formerly known as Cooper County Memorial Hospital, also entered bankruptcy Feb. 12. e bankruptcy filing comes aer the hospital abruptly shut down in January. e hospital closed about a month aer the Missouri Depart- ment of Health and Senior Services inspected the facility and cited it for sterile processing procedures. e health depart- ment ordered the hospital to stop performing surgery until the sterile processing unit was upgraded, according to KCUR. Hospital officials initially said they were working with the state to rectify the situation, but they ultimately decided to close the facility instead of making the repairs. In January, Mr. Palzer warned employees at both hospitals that Pinnacle may be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to KSMU. He said the bankruptcy process would allow the health system to continue operating and shutter unprofitable units. Over the past six months, Mr. Palzer per- sonally invested roughly $4 million into Pinnacle to keep the company viable and make payroll. n Yale New Haven Hospital sued over exam policy for employees 70+ years By Alia Paavola T he U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital, alleging its policy mandating eye and neuropsychological exams for employees age 70 or older who seek medical privileges violates two federal antidiscrimination laws. Yale New Haven implemented its late career practitioner policy about four years ago. The policy requires employees 70 and old- er who apply for or seek to renew staff privileges to take both medical exams. Employees under the age of 70 are not required to take the exam. In the lawsuit, filed Feb. 11, EEOC claims that the individuals re- quired to be tested are singled out solely because of their age, instead of a suspicion that their cognitive abilities may have de- clined. As a result, Yale New Haven's policy violates the Age Discrimina- tion in Employment Act, the lawsuit says. "While Yale New Haven Hospital may claim its policy is well-inten- tioned, it violates antidiscrimination laws," said Jeffrey Burstein, a regional attorney for the EEOC's New York District office. "There are many other nondiscriminatory methods already in place to ensure the competence of all of its physicians and other health- care providers, regardless of age." In addition, the EEOC charges that the policy also violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because it subjects employees to medical examinations that are not job-related. "Yale New Haven Hospital's late career practitioner policy is de- signed to protect our patients from potential harm while includ- ing safeguards to ensure that our physicians are treated fairly," a Yale New Haven spokesperson told Becker's. "The policy is mod- eled on similar standards in other industries and we are con- fident that no discrimination has occurred and will vigorously defend ourselves in this matter." n ADVERTISINGINDEX Note: Ad page number(s) given in parentheses ADVERTISER Augmedics. info@augmedics.com / augmedics.com (pg. 25) ChoiceSpine. info@choicespine.com / choicespine.com/tiger-shark-l (pg. 47) FH Orthopedics. contact@esp-disc.com / esp-discs.com / +49 (0) 1805000814 (pg. 35) Haag-Streit. hsmicroscopes.com/spine / (855) 854-5810 (pg. 48) Kuros Biosciences. cs@kurosbio.com / magnetosbonegraft.com (pgs. 18-21) Life Instruments. lifeinstruments.com / (781) 849-0109 (pg. 5) Mizuho OSI. mizuhosi.com / (800) 777-4674 (pg. 39) National Medical Billing Services. nationalascbilling.com / (866) 948-7673 (pg. 23) Pacira BioSciences. exparel.com / (855) 793-9727 (pgs. 2-3) Stryker. strykerspine.com / (866) 526-4171 (pg. 7) Terumo BCT. terumobct.com/biologics (pg. 9)