1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
These are a selection of stories on the acquisition of Caritas Christi Health Care, a Boston area chain of Catholic hospitals, by a private equity firm. The story of the sale was broken in The Boston Globe in March, and the Globe continued to follow the story throughout the year. Health care business writer Robert Weisman led the coverage. Co-writers on the profile of the Caritas chief were Liz Kowalczyk and Casey Ross. Editing the stories were Deputy Business Editor Mark Pothier and Health and Science Editor Gideon Gil.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
"Equity firm set to buy Caritas," March 25, 2010.
"At Caritas helm, a doctor turned dealmaker," March 28, 2010
"Accord near on sale of Caritas would protect hospitals, pensions," October 5, 2010
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Last March, The Boston Globe broke the story of the most significant change in the region's health care landscape in years: the sale of Caritas Christi Health Care, a Boston area chain of six Catholic community hospitals, to a New York buyout firm. The paper reported throughout the year on the man behind the deal, ambitious Caritas chief executive Ralph de la Torre, and the wide-ranging impact of the deal on the people and communities in the region. Among other things, the deal created an opening for the expansion of for-profit health care in a state long dominated by non-profit hospitals.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The stories relied on interviews with hospital leaders, regulators, competitors, community people and other parties, as well as documents filed with the state attorney general and public health department.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
The Globe learned about the story from health care industry insiders and ultimately confirmed it with Caritas executives. During the long-running coverage, we talked to officials of Caritas hospitals and their competitors, regulators, union leaders, business consultants, Catholic church officials and private equity professionals.
6. Results (if any).
The sale was approved by state regulators and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts after a series of public hearings that drew critics from competing hospitals, community health centers and the ranks of lay Catholics. It was approved with conditions and agreements to keep open hospitals, protect employee pensions and maintain the religious identity of the hospitals.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
We continue to follow the progress of the Caritas chain, which is now run under the Steward Health Care holding company and has begun a push to expand nationally.
Has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
There have been no corrections or clarifications on our stories.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Amass as much information about a pending deal as possible before confronting the parties involved. Read through all of the required document filings, learn which regulatory parties will need to approve the deal and what their criteria are. Talk to people on all sides of the issue.