Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1500722
20 HEALTHCARE NEWS 20 Kaiser Permanente acquiring Geisinger to launch Risant Health By Andrew Cass O akland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has agreed to acquire Geisinger Health in a deal that will make the Danville, Pa.- based health system the first to join Risant Health, a new nonprofit organization created by the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. Risant Health aims to expand and accelerate the adoption of value- based care in "diverse, multi-payer, multi-provider, community-based health system environments," according to an April 26 news release from Kaiser Permanente and Geisinger. e deal is subject to regulatory approval. e transaction is not structured as a traditional purchase, but Kaiser Permanente is expected to provide about $5 billion in funding for Risant Health, e Wall Street Journal reported April 26. Risant Health plans to acquire four or five more health systems and get to a total revenue of $30 billion to $35 billion over the next five years, officials told the Journal. Health systems that become a part of Risant Health will continue to operate as regional or community-based health systems while gaining support through Risant's value-based platform, according to the release. Geisinger will maintain its name and mission, according to the release. As the first system to become part of Risant Health, it will be involved in developing the organization's strategy and operational model. Geisinger President and CEO Jaewon Ryu, MD, will transition to the role of Risant Health CEO once the transaction closes, according to the release. n HHS to drop COVID-19 vaccine rule for hospitals By Molly Gamble T he Biden administration will end COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employees of CMS-certified healthcare facilities. A date for the reversal of the requirement for healthcare facilities was not specified in a May 1 news release from the White House, which noted that HHS "will start the process" to end the vaccine requirement with details made available in coming days. The administration will drop COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees and contractors and international air travelers May 11 — the same day the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. "While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary," the White House said in the release. HHS announced in November 2021 that healthcare facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding must ensure that staff are vaccinated against COVID–19, save for medical or religious exemptions. The mandate saw its fair share of controversy and challenge, with a number of states fighting the rule and a case brought by 10 states against it reaching the Supreme Court. More than a dozen states continued to petition against the rule even after the high court declined to consider the challenge. n St. Luke Hospital CEO resigns By Erica Carbajal T he CEO of St. Luke Hospital and Living Center in Marion, Kan., resigned during a May 2 board meeting, a hospital official confirmed to Becker's. Jeremy Ensey will remain in the role through late July, a hospital official said in a May 8 email. While announcing his plans to step down, Mr. Ensey said he had been thinking about doing so over the past six months. The hospital board made a motion to accept his resignation during the meeting, according to the Hillsboro Free Press. "It's been tiring. So [my wife] and I have talked about it, especially the last six months if I was going to do something else. I don't know what that something else is. All I know is healthcare. All I know, my adult life anyway, is healthcare. But I just felt God leading me a different direction," Mr. Ensey said, according to the news outlet. His resignation comes after a series of issues between the hospital's board and one of the local pharmacies the hospital works with as part of the 340B program, the Hillsboro Free Press reported. St. Luke is a 10-bed critical access hospital and 32-bed nursing home. n