Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1372822
76 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Beth Israel Lahey's physician-poaching is hindering Massachusetts hospital's reopening, its president says By Alia Paavola A Massachusetts hospital temporarily closed by severe flood damage is ac- cusing Boston-based Beth Israel La- hey Health of poaching its affiliated physicians and undermining its recovery efforts, the Boston Business Journal reported March 18. Salvatore Perla, president of Norwood (Mass.) Hospital, claims that Beth Israel Lahey started a physician hiring campaign to target dozens of Norwood-affiliated physicians and practices. At the time of the report, two physicians under a contractu- al affiliation have been hired by Beth Israel, according to the report. Mr. Perla claims that the alleged poach- ing is hindering the community hospital's attempts to recover. "[Beth Israel Lahey's] actions are directly un- dermining the Norwood Hospital recovery process in order to grow their market share of commercially insured patients," Mr. Per- la told the Business Journal. "e BI-Lahey personnel involved in the poaching probably didn't think anyone would speak up — and while we understand the competitive nature of the healthcare marketplace, the actions of BI-Lahey in this instance show the danger of allowing high-cost mega-systems to run roughshod over community hospitals." Jennifer Kritz, a spokesperson for Beth Is- rael Lahey Health, declined to comment on whether it has been targeting Norwood- affiliated physicians, but told the Business Journal that it is "not uncommon for physi- cians to explore professional opportunities that allow them to practice and serve their patients to the best of their abilities, partic- ularly when an institution they are affiliated with is closed indefinitely." Norwood Hospital has been closed since June of 2020, aer water rose rapidly in the parking lot and reached as high as 4 feet in the hospital's basement, knocking out the electricity. Aer an inspection the hospital said it would need at least a year to repair damage from the flood. As of May 7, the time this article was pub- lished in print, the hospital is still closed. n Mission Health monitor to examine physician departures By Ayla Ellison A n independent monitoring team said it will exam- ine the issue of physicians leaving Asheville, N.C.- based Mission Health since the system was taken over by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, according to MedPage Today. Nashville, Tenn.-based Gibbins Advisors was appointed as independent monitor for Mission Health as part of HCA's acquisition of the system in 2019. HCA agreed to certain commitments as part of the deal, including keeping major Mission Health facilities open and continuing to provide certain services, and the independent monitor determines if HCA is adhering to those commitments. More than 200 people registered for an April 7 webinar to voice concerns to the independent monitor, including questions about physicians leaving Mission Health facil- ities. Though many of the physician departures don't fall within the areas the independent monitor reviews, Gibbins Advisors said it would examine raising the issue to HCA, according to the April 9 MedPage Today report. "To the extent those departures impact services at hospi- tals, that's certainly something we're going to look at and inquire about," Ronald Winters, a principal at Gibbins Ad- visors, said during the April 7 meeting. Mr. Winters said the questions about physicians leaving the health system would be divided into two groups: pri- mary care physician departures and surgeon departures. n COVID-19 risk low from surface contamination; CDC updates cleaning guidelines By Erica Carbajal S tudies have shown the risk of contracting COVID-19 from a contaminated surface is "generally less than 1 in 10,000," and in most cases, household cleaners rather than disinfectants are sufficient to ward off virus levels, the CDC said in updated guidance published April 5. The primary mode of infection is through exposure to respiratory droplets, the agency said. "Based on available epidemiological data and studies of environmental transmission factors, surface trans- mission is not the maine route by which SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and the risk is considered to be low," the CDC said. "The principal mode by which people are infected … is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus." In community settings, there is little evidence to support the routine use of disinfectants, the agency said, adding that in most cases, cleaning surfaces with soap or de- tergent once per day effectively reduces virus levels. If there's been a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case within the last 24 hours in an indoor setting, disinfection is still recommended. n