Steward Health Care hospital update: MA Gov. Healey’s new letter

Escalating her administration's response to a potential health care crisis, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday suggested Steward Health Care transfer its Massachusetts hospitals to new operators "as soon as possible" and demanded long-sought financial information about the for-profit system by the end of the week.

Healey penned a three-page letter to Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre, which her office publicized, alleging that his team has "not been forthcoming, truthful or responsive" about the apparent financial distress the hospitals are facing.

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The governor demanded Steward provide the state with information about its finances -- which all hospitals by law are required to submit to regulators -- by the close of business on Friday. She also called on the system to properly staff and supply all of its Massachusetts facilities, comply with increased on-site state monitoring, and allow someone else to take over its seven hospitals in the Bay State.

"The time has come to move past our many months of discussions and begin executing a safe, orderly transition of your seven licensed facilities in Massachusetts to new operators as soon as possible," Healey wrote. "This begins with your commitment to fully disclose the financial information we have requested by close of business on February 23, 2024. Your continued refusal to do so, particularly at this moment, is irresponsible and an affront to the patients, workers, and communities that the Steward hospitals serve. It also leads to a further breakdown in trust and creates a major roadblock to our ability to work together to resolve this effectively."

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Health officials say they are preparing for hospital closures if the beleaguered Steward Health Care system continues to run into trouble.

While the letter didn't say what consequences the health care system would face if it didn't comply, Healey Cced the acting U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, Joshua Levy, and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.

And the letter put "freezing admissions, closing beds, canceling procedures, and transferring patients to other hospitals" on the table as possible responses if the hospitals don't get adequate staff and supply levels.

Read the letter here:

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren blasted embattled Steward Health Care, saying its executives "put profits over patients" and went to great lengths to hide critical information about its financial status from state officials.

NBC10 Boston's Asher Klein contributed to this report.