Alison Kuznitz

All of Steward Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals received bids as the for-profit company looks to sell off its facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday.

All of Steward Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals received bids as the for-profit company looks to sell off its facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Gov.

Each Steward hospital in Mass. has a bidder, Healey says

by Alison Kuznitz // State House News Service and Colin A. Young // State House News Service, CommonWealth Beacon
July 23, 2024

ALL OF STEWARD Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals received bids as the for-profit company looks to sell off its facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday.

"We have qualified bids for all the hospitals," Healey told reporters Tuesday afternoon when asked whether any of Steward's hospitals had not received bids, which were due on Monday July 15.

The governor's disclosure, made as Healey was exiting a press scrum after a meeting with legislators, comes after Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein last Wednesday said state officials had no information on how the bidding process worked out.

"We've received qualified bids. We are evaluating those now, and it's currently with the parties right now in New York," Healey said. "So we're gonna wait to see what happens at the end of today. My focus remains on protecting jobs, protecting patients and protecting the stability of the health market here in Massachusetts. So something that's evolving -- we'll continue to keep you updated and apprised on developments."

A Steward spokesperson declined to comment on the bids Tuesday.A sales hearing is scheduled for the hospitals in US Bankruptcy Court on July 31.

Steward was taking bids on its seven hospitals operating in Massachusetts: Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Morton Hospital in Taunton, St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River, St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton, Carney Hospital in Dorchester, Holy Family Hospital with campuses in Methuen and Haverhill, and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer. Norwood Hospital, which is temporarily closed, was not included in the sale process.

The overseer monitoring the quality of care at Steward Health Care facilities in Massachusetts reported to the bankruptcy court on Tuesday that services could be improved in some areas, but she found no "material issues impacting patient care" that put patients at risk and need immediate attention.

The first report from Suzanne Koenig, a senior living facility owner and health care management consultant tapped in May to serve as patient care ombudsman for Steward's hospitals in Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Miami-Dade County in Florida, said the hospitals are run down and staff at all levels are stretched thin. But she also reported that doctors, nurses, and other staffers remain dedicated to providing the best care they can as Steward tries to line up buyers for each of the hospitals by the end of this month.

"Although staffing across various positions at certain hospitals has proved challenging, the ombudsman did not observe any issues that made her believe patients were in immediate danger or otherwise receiving unsafe care due to staffing issues," Koenig wrote in her filing, which was accompanied by an individual report for each hospital.

Koenig was chosen by the US Trustee Program after the bankruptcy judge ordered an ombudsman to be appointed.

She added, "The patient census at many of the hospitals has declined and appears to be partly related to negative press concerning the debtors' hospitals and these bankruptcy cases. The ombudsman observed staff committed to providing excellent care to the patients and urges all parties in interest and the communities to continue supporting these hospitals, many of which are critical to their localities."

Download PDF

Koenig's hospital-specific reports go into great detail on the patient experience as well as some behind-the-scenes operations, like hospital kitchens. Her report on her June 3 visit to St. Elizabeth's in Brighton begins with her impressions of the parking garage -- noting a security guard on duty, non-functioning elevators, and dirty entrance doors to the hospital -- and continues with detailed descriptions of numerous hospital departments. She noted that hospital leadership and the nursing staff alike were engaged and dedicated to making improvements throughout the hospital.

"Except for many non-functioning elevators, the ombudsman did not observe anything on the day of the visit to indicate that patients are receiving unsafe care or are in immediate jeopardy," Koenig wrote about St. Elizabeth's.

Across the 15 hospital facilities she visited and observed (eight of which are in Massachusetts), Koenig said that staffing has been "challenging," but levels "appear to be sufficient." And she said she found no sign of "concerns related to procurement of adequate supplies, such as food and medical supplies, among other necessary items."

But Koenig did note that each hospital is "in need of repairs and new or repaired equipment," especially kitchen equipment, elevators, endoscopy scopes, and hospital chillers. And the facilities showed signs of age, with Koenig specifically pointing out old and worn furniture, various areas where paint was chipped, countertops that had laminate peeling off, and flooring that needed to be replaced either because it is a tripping hazard or is soiled.

The state Department of Public Health has had monitors closely watching for staffing, capacity, or other issues at Steward's hospitals since the system's financial situation began to attract public attention earlier this year. Koenig notes in her report that DPH's involvement was helpful to her work, and she makes no similar references to her collaboration with the other three states where she is overseeing hospitals.

"As this Court is aware, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is carefully monitoring these cases and has representatives on site at the Massachusetts hospitals on a daily basis. Therefore, the ombudsman, who may only visit the hospitals once during each report period, appreciates the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's willingness to share reports and other information regarding the Massachusetts hospitals," she wrote.

Koenig filed an individual report on her visits to each of the eight Steward campuses in Massachusetts. Her reports offered the following observations about the facilities:

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton: "Except for many non-functioning elevators, the ombudsman did not observe anything on the day of the visit to indicate that patients are receiving unsafe care or are in immediate jeopardy."

Carney Hospital in Dorchester: "There is a concern that a patient in the ED, while under 1:1 supervision, was allowed to go to the bathroom unattended and attempted suicide. The ombudsman's representative was told that hospital leadership will thoroughly evaluate that incident and input measures going forward to mitigate another occurrence. The ombudsman will continue to monitor this issue. Outside of that incident, the ombudsman's representative did not observe other issues that would put patients and their care in immediate danger."

Morton Hospital in Taunton: "The hospital has an engaged leadership team that works together to provide the best experience possible for the patients. There is an active patient advocate that performs rounds on patients and follows up on any patient complaints. ... The nursing staff told the ombudsman that they love the hospital and are very concerned with all the 'negative publicity.' Throughout the tour, the ombudsman did not note or observe anything that caused concern regarding patient care and safety. The ombudsman plans to return for an unannounced visit."

Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton: "There is a concern regarding Brockton [Hospital] calling back staffing assets out of Good Samaritan to work from home for four weeks while the staff prepare to return to their original employer, Brockton Hospital. The concern is that a sudden loss of approximately 25 RN FTEs would cause possible nursing gaps that wouldn't allow Good Samaritan to staff appropriately to care for the increased patient load at Good Samaritan due to Brockton Hospital's ongoing closure through end of August, 2024. ... While on site, the ombudsman held a joint call with the president, north region and system CMO for Steward Healthcare System LLC and the Commissioner of the Massachusetts' Department of Public Health. In conjunction with Brockton Hospital, the group is creating a plan to continue to provide safe and appropriate care to all patients at the Hospital while Brockton Hospital prepares its staff to return to work on their campus."

St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River: "Other than the plant and equipment issues noted above at the hospital, the ombudsman did not note any areas of concern during her visit. The ombudsman did not observe any concerns with respect to patient care and safety at this hospital during her visit."

Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer: "The Ombudsman interviewed a patient in the ICU without the presence of hospital staff. The room environment was clean. The patient was seated upright in a chair with oxygen being administered through an oxygen conserving device and pendant. The patients bed linens and pads were clean and orderly. The patient was a mid-60-year-old who had never been sick before. The patient arrived at the hospital with severe pneumonia upon admission. The patient had a limited ability to carry on a conversation due to the respiratory status. The patient told the ombudsman that the patient had been in the hjspital for more than one month and had received phenomenal care from all of the staff. ... The patient was smiling and told the ombudsman that 'they saved my life.'"

Holy Family Hospital - Methuen campus: "The ombudsman and her representative did not observe anything that would make the care that the patients are receiving unsafe or in immediate jeopardy. Infection control rates are excellent and appropriate. Successful sepsis care in the emergency department is at a 75 percent success rate -- much higher than the Massachusetts average of 58 percent."

Holy Family Hospital - Haverhill campus: "Hospital leadership is engaged and actively trying to solve any Hospital issues. The staff is engaged with the leadership. The ombudsman and her representative did not witness anything concerning that would put a patient is in danger or immediate jeopardy."

This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Norwood Hospital, which is temporarily closed, was not included in the sale process.

"We've received qualified bids. We are evaluating those now, and it's currently with the parties right now in New York," Gov. Maura Healey told reporters Tuesday. "... My focus remains on protecting jobs, protecting patients and protecting the stability of the health market here in Massachusetts."

Image | Courtesy of Google Maps A Steward Health Care facility located in Brockton.

BOSTON — All of Steward Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals received bids as the for-profit company looks to sell off its facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday.

BOSTON — All of Steward Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals received bids as the for-profit company looks to sell off its facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday.

Boston property owners, landlords and businesses that violate the city’s sanitary code could face significantly higher fees under a home rule petition that gained House approval this week and may be on the move in the Senate. City Councilor Liz Breadon, who co-filed the initial proposal that made its way to Beacon Hill in March, said the measure aims to crack down…

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care settings would be subject to a suite of new reforms, including more rigorous licensing and inspection regulations meant to protect vulnerable