Patients in Brockton, Massachusetts, anxiously await the fate of Steward Healthcare as it faces a financial crisis.
Gov. Maura Healey said Steward should transfer ownership of the hospital and leave the state completely.
She is asking Stewards to create an action plan detailing how they intend to address these financial challenges, and if they don't, the state will likely be forced to close any of the state's nine hospitals. It said it would freeze admissions, close beds and transfer patients to hospitals. other hospitals.
In a three-page letter to Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre, he said he would ensure safe staffing and supply levels and that the state Department of Public Health monitors all locations. They listed several demands, including that they be allowed to establish financial records immediately.
Steward, a Texas-based health system, reportedly owes $50 million in unpaid rent. Mr Healy asked for these financial statements to be submitted by the end of this Friday.
“By withholding audited financial statements from the public for years, you will ensure the same level of basic transparency provided by every other system in the state,” the governor said in the letter. I have refused,” he said.
The letter does not say what consequences health plans will face if they fail to comply, but Mr. Healy has been appointed acting U.S. attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.
U.S. Congressman Stephen Lynch will tour Good Samaritan on Wednesday. He is expected to be joined by steward officials.
