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Kaiser Permanente CEO: ‘We’re at or near capacity everywhere’
Hospital executives in California are sounding alarms on their inpatient capacity as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in the state, according to ABC News.
As of Dec. 23, California is among the eight states where the virus is spreading quickest. On Dec. 22, the state saw one of its biggest jumps in one-day COVID-19 hospitalizations, with an additional 653 patients admitted to hospitals.
Officials from Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco-based Dignity Health and Sacramento-based Sutter Health said during a Dec. 22 news conference that they are facing capacity issues. In some cases, COVID-19 patients are being treated in hallways, gift shops and conference rooms.
Greg Adams, the chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, said during the conference, “We simply will not be able to keep up if the COVID surge continues to increase. We’re at or near capacity everywhere.”
Many hospital officials said Thanksgiving gatherings contributed to the surge. The executives urged Californians to not gather for Christmas and New Year’s.
COVID-19 patient killed by hospital roommate in California, police say
A patient accused of fatally beating his roomate at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, Calif., has been arrested and charged with murder, elder abuse and a hate crime enhancement, according to the Los Angeles County Sherrif’s Department.
The victim, an 82-year-old man, was being treated for COVID-19 and sharing a room with the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Jesse Martinez. The victim, whose name has not been released, began to pray in his hospital room on Dec 17. That act upset Mr. Martinez, who allegedly struck the victim with an oxygen tank. The man died of his injuries Dec. 18, police said.
Mr. Martinez is being held at the Twin Tower Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, and his bond is set at $1 million. He’s scheduled to appear in court Dec. 28.
Police said the investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the motive is not immediately clear.
Billionaire sells $109M of CHS stock
Chinese investor Tianqiao Chen and his group of companies have a 12.2 percent stake in Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems after selling nearly 13 million shares of the company in the past month, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Mr. Chen and his Shanda Group company affiliates sold 3.4 million shares of CHS on Dec. 14 for between $8.50 and $8.71 per share, bringing in a total of $28.5 million. The move comes after he sold 5 million shares of CHS from Nov. 10-12 and another 4.6 million shares Nov. 23. Those sales brought in a total of $81.2 million.
Mr. Chen, a pioneer in China’s online gaming industry, began buying up shares of CHS in 2016. The last public comment the investor made about CHS was in 2018, when Shanda Group said it had a “good relationship” with CHS and supported the company’s strategy and management team.
Hospital finances bleak as 2020 nears end
Hospital margins and revenues continued to fall in November, while expenses remained above 2019 levels, according to Kaufman Hall’s December Flash report, which examines metrics from the previous month.
The median hospital operating margin in November was 2.5 percent year to date with funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Without the funds, the median hospital operating margin narrowed to -1.1 percent.
Skyrocketing COVID-19 cases are already stretching hospitals’ capacity, and Kaufman Hall expects the situation to worsen in coming months as holiday gatherings and colder weather push case counts up even further.
Trump commutes 20-year sentence for Florida healthcare executive
President Donald Trump commuted a 20-year sentence for a Florida healthcare executive who was convicted for his role in a $1.3 billion Medicare fraud case. It was the largest healthcare fraud scheme ever charged by the U.S. Justice Department.
In April 2019, Philip Esformes, who operated a network of more than 30 skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Florida, was found guilty of 20 charges, including paying and receiving kickbacks, money laundering and bribery, according to the Department of Justice. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $44.2 million in forfeiture and restitution. The commutation doesn’t overturn the restitution order.
Mr. Esformes was among several people President Trump granted a full pardon or commutation of all or some of their sentences. In a Dec. 22 news release, the White House said Mr. Esformes is in declining health.
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HENRY KOTULA 