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Over 500 hospitals have closed their labor and delivery departments since 2010, according to a large new study, leaving most rural hospitals and more than a third of urban hospitals without obstetric care. Those closures, the study found, were slightly offset by the opening of new units in about 130 hospitals. Even so, the share of hospitals without maternity wards increased every year, according to the study, published on Wednesday in JAMA, a prominent medical journal. Maternal deaths remained persistently high over that period, spiking during the pandemic. (Kliff, 12/4)

Older Americans spend more on healthcare than peers in 10 other developed democracies, a new Commonwealth Fund report found. The new report highlights how Medicare, the public health insurance program for people older than 65 and people who are disabled, has significant cost-sharing requirements – including co-pays, deductibles and no ceiling on out-of-pocket costs. (Glenza, 12/4)

Retailers' efforts to grab primary care market share aren't proving as successful as expected but growth by other nontraditional care providers continues to pressure traditional players, according to a new report. The growing presence of payer-providers and advanced primary care providers that focus on more specialized lines of care like senior care means nontraditional providers are still expected to control a third of the market in 2030, according to consultant Bain & Company. (DeSilva, 12/4)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: 'An Arm And A Leg' Podcast: New Lessons In The Fight For Charity Care
Federal law requires that all nonprofit hospitals have financial assistance policies — also known as “charity care” — to reduce or expunge people’s medical bills. New research from Dollar For, an organization dedicated to helping people get access to charity care, suggests that fewer than one-third of people who qualify for charity care actually receive it. (Weissmann, 12/5)

More health industry developments —

CVS Health will close its three MinuteClinic locations in Utah by Saturday. A CVS spokesperson said Wednesday the company regularly evaluates its MinuteClinic footprint to align with patient demand, and the Utah closures will help support future growth plans. (Hudson, 12/4)

Aya Healthcare has entered a definitive agreement to acquire fellow staffing solutions company Cross Country Healthcare for an estimated $615 million. The all-cash transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2025, pending regulatory approval, according to a Wednesday news release. (DeSilva, 12/4)

Encompass Health and its spinoff Enhabit Home Health and Hospice will be entitled to more than 40% of the profits from home care company VitalCaring Group following a Delaware court order. VitalCaring Group must also pay the two companies $1.62 million in mitigation damages and attorneys' fees. (Eastabrook, 12/4)

Sutter Health has named Aparna Abburi as CEO of its Sutter Health Plus insurance subsidiary, the company announced Wednesday. Abburi, who will also be senior vice president of population health and health plan services for the Sacramento, California-based nonprofit health system, succeeds Phil Jackson, who retired in August after seven years as chief executive. Vice President of Operations Pete Bergamo was interim CEO. (Tepper, 12/4)

Each time someone is discharged from one of the eight St. Luke’s Health hospitals in the Houston area, a housekeeper has about 45 minutes to clean and disinfect the room so it can be ready for the next patient. It's a difficult job that doesn't get much fanfare. But turning over a room is a vital responsibility at a hospital. Housekeepers, also called environmental services technicians, play a critical role in helping St. Luke’s Health care for tens of thousands of patients admitted to its hospitals each year. (MacDonald, 12/4)