Sector sees layoffs, cuts. Robert Gavin, Boston Globe, August 29, 2010 Through good times, bad times, and everything in between, the one industry that Massachusetts could count on to keep adding jobs was health care. Not anymore. The stalwart of the state economy is struggling these days as expenses rise, patient visits decline, reimbursements shrink, and pressure to control health care costs intensifies. Over the past six months, according to state statistics, the health care sector has had no employment growth, a stunning development for an industry that has steadily added jobs through even the worst recessions. ... Health

System awaiting OK on its own sale. Robert Weisman, Boston Globe, August 28, 2010 Caritas Christi Health Care, the Boston hospital system that is awaiting state approval of its agreement to be purchased by a New York buyout firm, wants to move forward with an acquisition of its own - the first of what could be many deals under a new owner. Reaching across state lines, Caritas asked a Rhode Island judge yesterday to allow it to buy Landmark Medical Center, a 214-bed community hospital in Woonsocket, RI, for an undisclosed sum. Caritas, a chain of six Catholic hospitals in eastern Massachusetts, hopes to use the financial muscle of its proposed acquirer ... Caritas

Kyle Cheney, State House News Service, August 27, 2010

More than 23,000 Massachusetts residents - legal immigrants who have been in the country for less than five years - are scheduled to lose their health insurance by the end of this year, but Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday he hopes to continue their coverage using recently announced federal funds.

Immigrant and consumer advocates are urging lawmakers to fund a limited program for these immigrants using a portion of an estimated $450 million in federal aid recently sent to Massachusetts to help pay for Medicaid programs. But lawmakers and the governor have yet to introduce a spending plan for the funds, and lawmakers showed this summer that they want to spread the funds among many programs.

RT Neary, Chairman, Coalition to Save Catholic Health Care, Medfield, Boston Globe, August 27, 2010 If you leave out the headline - “Caritas deal sounds good, but more assurances are needed’’ - and the first paragraph, then your lead editorial of August 22 would be a commendable piece of investigative reporting. It mentions that Cerberus Capital Management has “no experience operating a hospital, let alone six,’’ and that there is “no detailed explanation of how it’s going to boost revenues.’’ The editorial also raises the following questions: Where will all the new patients come from? Will they satisfy Cerberus investors? ... You

Robert Weisman, Boston Globe, August 25, 2010 HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster confirmed it will eliminate about 50 jobs, blaming the cutback on declining patient volume and lower reimbursements from health insurance carriers. The move will affect nurses, housekeepers, administrators, and other employees, said Veronica Rosa, vice president of development for the 150-bed hospital. Rosa said the staff cuts would include layoffs, not filling open positions, and voluntary reduction in hours by employees at Health Alliance, which also operates a satellite campus in Fitchburg. HealthAlliance, which employs about 1,600 workers at both sites, is part of Worcester-based UMass ... HealthAlliance

Boston Globe Editorial, August 22, 2010 There are good reasons to support the proposed sale of Boston-based Caritas Christi Health Care to New York private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. In addition to protecting over 12,000 in-state jobs, Cerberus has promised to pay off the non-profit hospital chain’s debt, permanently secure employees’ pensions, earmark $100 million for hospital renovations and expansions, create up to 4,300 new jobs, and increase the system’s footprint by 117,000 square feet. With promises like that, it’s no wonder elected officials including Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown ... Caritas

Steven Syre, Boston Globe, August 20, 2010 I know two things about the fall season coming soon. The leaves will turn, and you won’t be able to escape the barrage of campaign pitches from candidates who want to be your governor. Among other things, Governor Deval Patrick will surely talk up all he has done to contain the cost of health care. Patrick stood up to insurance companies and blocked the biggest rate increases aimed at people with the least clout. He backed legislation enabling buyers groups to give small businesses more bargaining leverage for coverage. The governor started to flex the state’s muscle to stop unnecessary sprawl of expensive new medical facilities. ... An

Says insurer to lose money this year due to rate caps.
Jessica Van Sack, Boston Herald, August 19, 2010

The incoming CEO of the Bay State’s largest health insurer acknowledged yesterday that he is staring down the barrel of another year in the red, declaring “we will lose money” this year.

“We’ve had a challenging last few years,” said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Executive Vice President Andrew Dreyfus, slated to become the insurer’s head honcho September 7.

“We lost money last year, and as part of the consequences of the rate caps imposed by the government, we will lose money this year,” he added.

Affordability is key, says Andrew Dreyfus, a Bay State insider. Robert Weisman, Boston Globe, August 19, 2010 The newly appointed head of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts yesterday promised to focus on reining in the galloping pace of health care cost increases for the insurer’s customers. “Slowing the unacceptable rate of increases will be the top priority of the organization,’’ said Andrew Dreyfus, who takes over on September 7 as president and chief executive of the largest health insurer in the state, with 2.5 million members. “Massachusetts has made progress in making health care accessible. But we have a lot of work to do on affordability.’’ ... New

Martha Bebinger, WBUR, August 18, 2010 Boston - The state’s largest health insurer will soon have a new CEO. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has tapped Andrew Dreyfus as its new president and chief executive. Dreyfus has worked on health care in state government, through the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and most recently via several positions at Blue Cross. He commissioned a report that became the basis for the state’s health care law and currently heads Blue Cross’ effort to pay providers based on the value - not volume - of care. As CEO, Dreyfus will try to accelerate the shift to this new payment model. ... Blue

Andrew Dreyfus will succeed Bill Van Faasen as the health insurer's president and CEO. Insurance Networking News, August 18, 2010 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) announced that its board of directors has chosen EVP Andrew Dreyfus as the company’s new president and CEO. Dreyfus will succeed Bill Van Faasen, who has served in an unpaid interim role of president and CEO since March 16, 2010. The change becomes effective on September 7, 2010. The Board also announced that Van Faasen would remain involved with the company in a role still to be determined. ... BCBSMA

Robert Weisman, Boston Globe, August 18, 2010 Andrew Dreyfus, a veteran insurance executive who has served as executive vice president for health care services at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for the past five years, this morning was named the health insurer's new president and chief executive. Dreyfus will take the reins September 7 at Boston-based Blue Cross Blue Shield, the state's largest health insurance carrier, at a time when rising health care costs have become a burden for businesses and consumers and an issue for insurers and health care providers. ... Dreyfus

Boston Herald, August 18, 2010

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has picked Executive Vice President Andrew Dreyfus as the company’s new president and chief executive officer.

Dreyfus will succeed Bill Van Faasen who has served in an unpaid interim role of president and CEO since March 16. The change will be effective September 7, 2010, but Van Faasen will remain involved with the company in a role still to be determined.

Over the past five years, Dreyfus has served as Blue Cross’ executive vice president for health care services. He has been a part of the executive leadership team since 2001, when he was selected as the first president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.

Felice J. Freyer, Providence Journal, August 11, 2010 A Superior Court judge on Tuesday set a new endpoint for the protracted negotiations to sell Landmark Medical Center, imposing an August 27 deadline to reach a purchase-and-sale agreement. Jonathan N. Savage, the court-appointed special master in charge of the troubled Woonsocket hospital, called that a “very doable timeline” for finalizing an agreement with Caritas Christi Health Care, the Massachusetts hospital chain. “I believe we will have it,” he said. An earlier court order had set a July 27 deadline for the sales agreement, but on July 21 Savage asked for an extension. ... New

Glenn Drohan, North Adams Transcript, August 18, 2010

North Adams - Northern Berkshire Healthcare managed to relieve some of its extensive debt with the sale of its Sweetwood and Sweet Brook properties on Monday, but it is nowhere near being out of the woods, its president and CEO, Richard Palmisano, said Tuesday.

The not-for-profit corporation, parent company of North Adams Regional Hospital, still owes more than $46 million in long-term debt - largely stemming from the hospital's major renovation project that started in 2004 - and expects a "substantial" operating deficit at the end of its fiscal year in September, Palmisano said.