In a strongly worded release on Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said management “put profits before patients” and went to great lengths to hide critical information about its financial status from state authorities. , blamed Steward Healthcare for its beleaguered state.
“The stewards' explanation for the failure doesn't add up,” she said.
The Massachusetts Democrat added that he is “deeply concerned” about Steward's dire financial situation and is “appalled by the allegations of patient neglect at Steward's facilities.”
“My primary concern is for the thousands of patients whose care is at risk and the front-line health care workers whose jobs are at risk,” Warren said. “I will continue to investigate the decisions that created this potential public health crisis.”
Warren led the Massachusetts congressional delegation in a letter to Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre last week, saying that if a Steward hospital were to close in Massachusetts, it would pose a serious threat to patients. He asked them to remind them of the impact it would have on them.
U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch was one of the delegation members who signed the letter.
“We were told very little about this,” the Massachusetts Democrat told NBC10 Boston last week. “When we heard that, it was basically an emergency. Part of our investigation is to find out where the $100 million that we gave to different hospitals went. It's right in my congressional district. Even more money went to Steward Health' nursing homes outside the district. ”
“I can’t hazard a guess as to the possibility of a particular facility being closed,” he added, “but I know they’re already having open discussions about that very thing. ”
Stewards will be working with Kearney Hospital in Dorchester, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill and Methuen, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, New England Sinai Hospital, It operates Norwood Hospital (closed due to severe flooding and under construction). ), St. Ann's Hospital in Fall River, and St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Brighton. The company employs more than 16,000 nurses, doctors and other health care workers in Massachusetts, according to representatives.
In the letter, the delegation cited a Jan. 19 Boston Globe report that showed Steward was in “severe financial distress,” the company's plans to close New England Sinai Hospital, unpaid rent and Medical Property Trust's Jan. 4 report on loan payments charges Steward St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Steward Medical Group, and Steward Healthcare System with federal charges of violating the False Claims Act. The government filed a complaint.
Steward issued a statement in response to the letter, saying, “Steward Healthcare serves some of the most vulnerable patient populations in the commonwealth, and we are committed to continuing their care. . We can work productively with public officials to provide uninterrupted, high-quality care to the communities we serve.”
The state's largest hospital system has decided to withdraw its doctors as Steward Healthcare considers closing multiple hospitals amid a severe financial crisis.
Hospital systems across Massachusetts are strained by a combination of patient demand, staffing constraints and funding issues, and lawmakers across the state are weighing the impact and potential for intervention in their own districts. We are closely monitoring the situation with stewards.
Gov. Maura Healey said Thursday that she is monitoring “evolving circumstances” at Steward Healthcare with the goal of ensuring stability in the state's health care system.
Sen. Nick Collins said last week that state lawmakers are seeking more detailed financial information from Steward as they evaluate potential interventions to protect hospital access.
“I don't think anyone wants these hospitals to go under,” he says. “That's not an option.”
Mr Collins said this week he visited St Elizabeth Medical Center in Brighton and Kearney Hospital in Dorchester, both in the area. He said hospital employees are stressed by the company's financial problems but are committed to serving the community.
“What would happen if these two hospitals went bankrupt, it would be catastrophic,” he said. “If one of them wasn't there, it would be an absolute disaster. They deserve the support they need to succeed.”
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka is also pondering the issues posed by Steward's situation.
“This is a very complex issue that is evolving day by day,” she said Thursday. “So we are working closely with the administration to monitor and find out what is happening with different hospitals in this situation.”
Attorney General Andrea Campbell is also focused on the issue.
“Right now, our priority is our patients, protecting their access to health care and the jobs of those who enable us to provide that care,” Campbell said in a statement Thursday. “While we are currently in problem-solving mode and are willing to use every power available to us to protect these priorities, we will continue to seriously address how Steward got into this situation in the near future.” We are looking at the time when we will do so.”
State House News Service contributed to this report.
