Mass. senator: State's Steward hospitals were left in very bad condition during ownership transfers
Photo I Courtesy of State House News Service
Sen. Barry Finegold discussed the future of Steward hospitals in an interview on WCVB's "On The Record" that aired Sunday.
Significant work lies ahead for Steward Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals as they transition to new owners, warned Sen. Barry Finegold, who earlier this summer feared one facility might close in his district.
Steward's exit from the Massachusetts market included closing Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.
"The work that's ahead of us is frankly harder than the work that's been behind us, and a lot of these hospitals were left in very bad condition," Finegold said during an interview on WCVB's "On The Record" that aired over the weekend.
"And we're going to have to help get these hospitals to where they need to be," said the Andover Democrat. "So a lot of work is still ahead of us, and I think we're all willing to roll up our sleeves and get it done."
Holy Family Hospital, which has campuses in Haverhill and Methuen, is poised to be sold to Lawrence General Hospital. Finegold in August sounded the alarm about the Haverhill facility's future, telling the News Service it may not have received a qualified bid during bankruptcy proceedings.
In his television interview, Finegold praised Lawrence General for stepping up.
Pressed about the work ahead for Steward's hospitals, Finegold talked about investing state dollars and assessing health care. The Healey administration has committed at least $417 million over three years to support Steward's Massachusetts hospitals under new operators.
"I think it's making sure we don't have duplicative services in each of these hospitals, making sure that we're running these hospitals as efficient as possible," Finegold said. "So there's a lot of work we still need to do to get these hospitals to where they need to be."
Finegold, asked to explain why the hospitals are in "bad" shape, added, "Steward left them in pretty deplorable conditions, not having the adequate supplies, not keeping up with regular maintenance."
The pending transactions call for Lifespan to buy St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton; for Lawrence General Hospital to acquire Holy Family Hospital with campuses in Methuen and Haverhill; and for Boston Medical Center to take over St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.
At the Haverhill facility, a patient care ombudsman for Steward reported in July that Holy Family leadership was engaged and actively working to resolve any problems with the hospital. The ombudsman's report said that she and her representative didn't witness "anything concerning" that would put a patient "in danger or immediate jeopardy."
State regulators, including at the Health Policy Commission, are reviewing the proposed hospitals sales, which are targeted to close next week. An HPC official last week said the agency expects to release findings and recommendations on the transactions "very soon."
The HPC Advisory Council will put its focus on Steward during a meeting Thursday, which will "feature discussion on the dissolution and bankruptcy of Steward Health Care and the implications for the Massachusetts health care system." Members will also weigh in on policy changes and reforms that are "needed to strengthen market oversight, rebuild public trust, and ensure greater stability in the health care market going forward," according to an updated meeting notice Monday.
Meanwhile, a hospital oversight bill that lawmakers crafted to thwart another health care crisis remains in limbo on Beacon Hill. Finegold, who is not on the six-member conference committee, said he thinks House and Senate negotiators will be able to strike a deal.
"I do think that we're going to continue to work on a health care bill that I think could avoid some of these problems that we've seen," Finegold said.
Asked why officials didn't intervene sooner in the Steward crisis, Finegold talked about the future.
"I think the big difference now is that we're going to have people that are on these boards that are local, that are going to be controlled by people that are in our communities, that are going to make decisions that are based on what's good for the patients, not what's best, good for profits," he said.
Finegold, the Senate's lead negotiator on the stalled economic development bill, said he expects an agreement in the "next few weeks." The legislation contains major policy priorities for Gov. Maura Healey, including reauthorizing the life sciences initiative and making a similar investment in the climate tech sector.
Finegold said lawmakers are having "great negotiations," and he called House lead negotiator Rep. Aaron Michlewitz a "great person."
"Understand that we are spending billions of dollars, and with the revenues we've seen the last couple months, you know, it's been dicey," Finegold said. "So we want to get this right, and we want a bill that's not only going to be good for the next year, but good for the next five to 10 years because the one thing we do need to be is fiscally responsible, prudent and making sure that we're thinking long-term and strategic."
The Legislature over the years has authorized far more borrowing than that state can afford, increasing the menu of capital projects that might get funded but also increasing competition for efforts that can be financed under the state's annual bond cap.
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