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ASCENSION PRACTICES UNDER GROWING NATIONAL SCRUTINY
The conditions Ascension nurses are reporting track with a broader pattern of Ascension’s greed, which has garnered the scrutiny of local and national news media and regulators, including:
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A February 2023 letter to Ascension CEO Joseph Impicciche by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, calling into question Ascension’s nonprofit status and mission-driven values.
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Two separate reports in January 2023 from Milwaukee, Wis., discussing “disruptions to patient care, long wait times in the emergency department, delayed surgeries and staff concerns about patient safety” at Ascension facilities.
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A lawsuit filed by Travis County, Texas in January 2023, alleging a breach of contract by Ascension-owned Dell Seton Medical Center, arguing Ascension had not complied with “its commitments to…the low-income Travis County residents who depend on Central Health for healthcare services.”
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A December 2022 Wall Street Journal investigation into Ascension’s deals, finding it has closed hospitals serving low-income neighborhoods and communities that have private insurance coverage below area median levels – instead choosing to open facilities in wealthier neighborhoods.
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A December 2022 New York Times investigation into Ascension’s staffing conditions, reporting that the hospital “spent years reducing its staffing levels in an effort to improve profitability, even though the chain is a nonprofit organization with nearly $18 billion of cash reserves.”
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A November 2021 STAT News investigation, describing Ascension as a hospital system “moonlighting as a private equity firm,” valued at $1 billion.
Ascension is the second-largest and wealthiest nonprofit and Catholic health system in the country. In fiscal year 2021, Ascension reported a net income of more than $5.7 billion, and the system’s CEO took home a compensation package worth more than $13 million. Additionally, according to a 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Ascension runs an investment company that manages more than $41 billion.
https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/ascension-has-cut-a-quarter-of-its-labor-and-delivery-departments-in-the-past-decade