Healthcare Roundup—Tenet strikes multiyear deals with Anthem, Humana

Tenet strikes multiyear deals with Anthem, Humana

Tenet Healthcare has reached multiyear agreements with Anthem and Humana to ensure members can receive in-network care at its facilities.

Tenet is contracted with Humana until 2023 and did not specify the length of its agreement with Anthem. Executives at the health system and both payers said the deals represent an ongoing to commitment to allowing patients access to high-quality care.

“We value the relationships we have with the providers in our network, which are important to helping us improve the lives of people in the communities we serve,” Brian Ternan, president of commercial business at Anthem, said. (Announcement)

Boston, Cambridge mayors make trip to Canada to visit supervised injection sites

Martin Walsh, Boston’s mayor, and Marc McGovern, Cambridge’s mayor, will both travel to Canada to get a firsthand look at operating supervised injection sites.

The two are traveling separately, but both mayors are part of a state commission that is considering opening such a facility in Massachusetts. In May 2017, the Massachusetts Medical Society voted to back a supervised injection pilot.

As the opioid crisis grows, some researchers have suggested that a supervised injection facility may be beneficial for patients with addiction that is resistant to other treatments. This is especially true as fentanyl proliferates, making injections far more likely to lead to overdose. (The Boston Globe)

Wisconsin-based Froedtert Health to pay $360K to settle waste disposal case

Froedtert Health will pay $360,000 to settle charges that its Froedtert Hospital improperly disposed of hazardous waste.

The Wisconsin Attorney General alleged that the hospital dumped the pharmaceutical waste as part of its solid waste disposal from at least 2013 to 2016. It also did not properly train staff to deal with hazardous waste or keep required records.

The provider said it took “prompt action” when the issue was brought to its attention. It does not admit liability in the settlement.

“A healthy environment matters to us and our community,” Froedtert Health said in a statement. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)