I’m working on Part 9 of “Project PgMP Certificate,” where I cover what readiness looks like for attempting the PgMP exam (and what it costs to fail). The draft is moving along nicely and will go out in the next publication cycle. In the meantime, let’s grab a cup of coffee and chat about the news. It’s been an interesting week.
I’m closely watching two major news stories evolve right now. Both local stories are in Massachusetts (USA), where two different for-profit healthcare organizations abused their power at the expense of patient care.
Steward Health Care: A once-lauded for-profit healthcare system that ran a network of hospitals and healthcare centers across Massachusetts, Steward Health Care fell apart several years ago because of financial abuse and greed. Stories of the harm caused - including actions that likely caused the deaths of patients - continue to appear even years later. This week, news broke that former Steward physicians formed a coalition to defend against financial exposure to lawsuits after the implosion of their malpractice insurer (also a Steward entity). They kept treating patients during Steward's downfall and were told their malpractice insurance was intact, even though those bank accounts were gutted too. Read more in The Boston Globe’s article “‘A massive betrayal’: Former Steward Health Care clinicians face financial ruin as insurer implodes (1).
RegalCare: What appears to be an unfortunately all-too-similar story that’s just getting started, an out-of-state buyer bought nursing homes across Massachusetts and then focused on converting their value to cash, at the cost of patient care. The Boston Globe released a Spotlight piece in late September detailing the abuses. This week, in “Mass. regulators move to seize licenses from RegalCare nursing home chain that was focus of Spotlight report” (2), news broke that government officials are moving to seize the licenses of these centers and working to get yet another abusive for-profit leader out of Massachusetts.
I care deeply for healthcare, education, arts, and social impact industries, all sectors dominated by non-profit organizations. But many for-profit organizations do this work too, and do it well: providing much-needed services to the community. Just look down almost any city block, and you will see a for-profit daycare provider.
But unfortunately, many stories show bad actors using the mechanisms of for-profit business structures to drain these systems of value, often harming the kind-hearted and vulnerable along the way.
Steward Healthcare and Regalcare are two stories worth tracking because they show in tremendous detail how the systems work, what abuse looks like, and the consequences. In considering your own work:
If you lead or aspire to lead a non-profit organization, what makes your setup different from a for-profit peer? What does financial abuse within a non-profit look like?
If you are a program management professional, is your organization a for-profit or non-profit? How is your work affected (or not) by this designation?
If you provide services to vulnerable people, what would signal financial mismanagement or abuse from your leadership? What would you do if you see a red flag?
While I’ve always been an avid consumer of the news, where once I simply saw knowledge of the outside world, I now see lessons and deeper understanding of the industries I’m trying to support (healthcare, education, arts, and social impact).
I highly encourage leaders in these sectors to watch these stories and read for the details. There’s much to learn in seeing how something unravels and why. If only to avoid similar pitfalls and recognize the warning signs. Tracking the news will make you a stronger leader.
Thank you for joining me for this coffee break. I’ll be back in two weeks with more on “Project PgMP Certification.” And as with all coffee breaks, chill music should be playing in the background as we chat. This article song pairing is “Big Black Car” by Gregory Alan Isakov.
References
Former steward clinicians despair as malpractice coverage unravels [Internet]. BostonGlobe.com. The Boston Globe; 2026 [cited 2026 Oct 15]. Available from: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/10/13/metro/steward-doctors-traco-malpractice-claims/
Mass. Moves to revoke 12 RegalCare nursing home licenses [Internet]. BostonGlobe.com. The Boston Globe; 2026 [cited 2026 Oct 15]. Available from: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/10/13/metro/regalcare-nursing-homes-license-revoke/