The 'targeted' killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO
Welcome. This is the second edition of CHE 360, a LinkedIn newsletter from Chief Healthcare Executive . I’m Ron Southwick, senior editor of Chief Healthcare Executive?. We’ve had a very encouraging response to the launch of this newsletter, and we hope this is a useful resource for insights around the world of healthcare.?
The killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City has stunned the healthcare industry. He was shot outside a Manhattan hotel Wednesday morning, just before the planned UnitedHealth Group annual investor conference, which was postponed due to the tragedy.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Wednesday that Thompson appears to have been killed in “a brazen, targeted attack. This does not appear to be a random act of violence.” The suspect shot Thompson in the back, and was apparently waiting for him outside the hotel, authorities said.
While Thompson’s killing appears to be premeditated, New York City police said they still are unsure of the motive.?Police continued a massive manhunt Thursday.
Thompson, who had served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare since 2021, was remembered as a “visionary leader.”
While much is unknown about Thompson’s death, some experts have urged healthcare organizations to take a closer look at the security of their organizations, including their top executives. In May 2023, Eric Sean Clay, MBA, MSc, CHPA, CPP , president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety, and Paul Sarnese, CHPA, MSE,MAS,CAPM , a healthcare security consultant, co-wrote a story on the need to think about all kinds of potential threats to leaders. It’s worth a look.?
Looking at the CDC nominee
With President-elect Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office next month, he’s named many of his choices for key healthcare roles, and those choices have raised some eyebrows.
Trump announced Dave Weldon as his nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and health leaders have some concerns.?
Weldon, 71, is a former congressman from Florida, and he’s a physician, unlike Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.?
But Weldon has made critical comments about vaccines, and public health leaders worry that he will reflect Kennedy’s long-standing criticism and misinformation about vaccines.?
While Weldon is a doctor, he’s never led a large health organization. And he’s not an expert on infectious diseases, critics say.
“The CDC director is meant to lead public health responses to communicable diseases and health security threats that arise,” says Amesh Adalja , MD, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “And I think you want someone that's been in the field, that has experience.”
Naming an NIH nominee
The president-elect has also named Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as his choice to lead the National Institutes of Health, the federal government’s prime source of funds for medical research. And again, Trump has chosen a nominee who has been a critic of federal health policy.?
Bhattacharya criticized some of the federal government’s COVID-19 measures, most notably the lockdowns.?
A professor of health policy at Stanford University, Bhattacharya similarly has no experience leading a large health or research organization. Trump said he will work in step with Kennedy’s goals, which hasn’t exactly comforted some healthcare leaders. Kennedy has said that he wants to focus on chronic diseases and also suggested focusing less on infectious diseases.?
Georges Benjamin , MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association , calls Bhattacharya a “good scientist”, but he also has some concerns. He suggests Bhattacharya, if confirmed, should get to know the NIH before making sweeping changes.
“You always find out more about the organization once you get behind the doors than before when you're looking in,” Benjamin says.
The IV fluid shortage
Hospitals and health systems are continuing to deal with a shortage of IV fluids.?
The shortage is tied to Hurricane Helene, which flooded a Baxter International plant in North Carolina. The plant supplies more than half of the IV solutions used nationwide, and health systems have employed a host of conservation measures to deal with the shortage. Some hospitals have delayed non-emergency surgeries to preserve supplies.
While some larger hospital systems have been able to deal with the shortage and find alternate suppliers, some smaller hospitals and systems have had a harder time, says Tom Cotter, MPH , executive director of Healthcare Ready .
“The folks in rural areas, rural hospitals, critical access care points, they're still really struggling,” Cotter says. “Many of them have not resumed elective procedures, which really hurts their bottom line and their sustainability as a healthcare facility.”
Read more: Hospitals continue to struggle with IV fluid shortage, with some still delaying surgeries
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