The American Hospital Association in a letter sent Monday asked CMS to withdraw the so-called "most-favored nation" drug-pricing rule issued by former President Donald Trump's administration, saying the rule places "the entire onus of reducing drug prices on hospitals, rather than on drug companies or on Medicare," in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Florida, Illinois, and Maryland.
- Florida: Baptist Health South Florida has named Drew Grossman as CEO of Mariners Hospital and Fishermen's Community Hospital, effective Feb. 25. Grossman will succeed Rick Freeburg, who's retiring from the role. Grossman currently serves as CEO of St. Mary's Medical Center in Missouri and previously served as head of Broward Health Coral Springs and Salah Foundation Children's Hospital at Broward Health (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 1/26).
- Illinois: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital and Rush University System for Health have announced they will enter a clinical affiliation with an aim to improve pediatric care access, effective Feb. 1. The two organizations said they will work together to optimize facilities at both hospitals and collaborate on research, encourage clinical integration, and improve patient experience (Paavola, Becker's Hospital Review, 1/26).
- Maryland: The American Hospital Association (AHA) in a letter sent to acting CMS Administrator Elizabeth Richter on Monday asked CMS to withdraw the so-called "most-favored nation" drug-pricing rule that was issued by former President Donald Trump's administration. The rule seeks to align certain Medicare Part B drug prices with lower prices paid in other countries. AHA wrote that the rule places "the entire onus of reducing drug prices on hospitals, rather than on drug companies or on Medicare," and it "puts hospitals in the untenable position of having to divert resources from other patient care simply to buy the drug therapies they need for their patients" (Anderson, Becker's Hospital Review, 1/27; Brady, Modern Healthcare, 1/27; Hackett, Healthcare Finance News, 1/27).