Modern Healthcare back issues from September 2007:
NCHL, GE tag team execs; Management, training programs focus of the deal.(The Week in Healthcare)(GE Healthcare and The National Center for Healthcare Leadership joined a contract for developing Medical equipment services)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Melanie Evans The National Center for Healthcare Leadership and GE Healthcare have inked an unusual deal that its architects say will boost exposure for their respective management products and services and lead to the launch of new jointly developed training tools. ...
P4P programs quadruple; Physicians, regulators still question use of plans.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The number of physician pay-for-performance programs has almost quadrupled in the past five years, data released last week show, though some in the industry are questioning the value of pay-for-performance programs' rapid growth. Healthcare ...
LSU agrees to settle litigation with head of healthcare division.(Late News)(Louisiana State University Medical Center)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Louisiana State University agreed to pay $190,000 to Donald Smithburg, who served as head of LSU's Health Care Services Division from 2004 until earlier this summer, to avoid the cost of future litigation concerning Smithburg's employment. About 70% of the sum-which Smithburg said reflects ...
Sen. Kennedy ramps up probe of politicization of science policy.(Late News)(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) expanded his investigation into HHS officials pressuring the surgeon general's office to include questions involving similar behavior from political appointees toward scientists and researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease ...
Apollo Health purchases Zavata for $170 million.(Late News)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Apollo Health Street acquired Zavata, an Atlanta-based business-process outsourcing company in a $170 million deal completed Aug. 29. The move leaves the Bloomfield, N.J.-based healthcare outsourcing-solutions company with more than 2,500 employees across India and the U.S. The acquisition ...
Boston Scientific settles lawsuit over defibrillator.(Late News)(cases on medical malpractice)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Boston Scientific Corp., Natick, Mass., agreed to pay $16.75 million to settle a lawsuit filed by 35 states and the District of Columbia against the company's wholly owned subsidiary Guidant Corp., now known as Boston Scientific Cardiac Rhythm Management. The lawsuit, filed in September ...
CMS offers 10 quality measures, seeks comment on another 30.(Late News)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007 ... The CMS proposed 10 mostly process-oriented quality measures and is seeking comment on another 30 that hospital outpatient departments must report on beginning next year or face a financial penalty. In its proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System rule, the CMS said that it ...
Ex-CFO charged with wire fraud.(The Week in Healthcare)(George L. Mee employee of Memorial Hospital charged with wire fraud)(Richard Wheat charged misappropriating of funds)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch A former chief financial officer of George L. Mee Memorial Hospital in King City, Calif., paid his personal credit card account with hospital funds for at least a year before he was fired in 2004, according to federal prosecutors who charged him Aug. 27 with ...
Vladeck joins Ernst & Young; Former HCFA chief will work in health sciences unit.(The Week in Healthcare)(Bruce C Vladeck)(Brief article)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Melanie Evans Ernst & Young hired Bruce Vladeck, former interim president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, as an executive director in its health sciences advisory services division. Vladeck led the Health Care Financing ...
Get rid of the for-profits; Healthcare can no longer be a commodity for sale to those who can afford it.(Opinions Commentary)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Rep. Dennis Kucinich In a way and with an emphasis never before seen in political discourse and debate in the U.S., the issue of healthcare reform has taken center stage as one of the top priorities among Democratic presidential candidates. At every debate ...
Stark revisions arrive; Docs await CMS referral changes-whatever they are.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch Healthcare lawyers are bracing for changes in the way the CMS bars doctors from referring patients for government-paid services at facilities in which the doctors have a financial stake, either through ownership interest or any of a myriad compensation ...
MORE UNINSURED, FEWER EXCUSES; Policy analysts and politicians predict the fallout from recent Census Bureau figures showing a 4.9% increase in uninsured.
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Matthew DoBias The release of new Census Bureau data last week showing that the ranks of the uninsured had swelled by more than 2 million people in 2006 carries with it both short-term and long-term implications for federal and state politics. In the near ...
ASCs mull CMS rule changes; One executive calls infection control change excessive.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(ambulatory surgery center )
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Some executives in the ambulatory surgery center industry say they are skeptical that new proposed conditions for Medicare coverage announced last week will do much to improve patient care, though hospital industry executives support the CMS' changes. ...
Leading the charge; At Arizona hospital, the uninsured never pay more than what Medicare pays.(Strictly Finance)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Cinda Becker Hospitals are plagued with sore subjects that have nothing to do with clinical care, and perhaps the sorest subject of all surrounds billing practices. The charge-based system that the hospital industry has been married to since anyone can ...
Outsourcing; deadline.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 03, 2007 ... The deadline for Modern Healthcare's 29th annual Outsourcing Survey is Wednesday, Sept. 5. Those looking to participate should visit modernhealthcare.com/surveys for a copy of the ...
Tenet turbulence; Stock analysts differ about company.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Vince Galloro The analyst who rocked Tenet Healthcare Corp. five years ago with reports on the company's reliance on Medicare outlier payments was making Tenet uncomfortable again last week. Another analyst, however, suggested that Tenet has hit rock bottom and could ...
Lipitor lip service? Study: Docs ignoring patients' side effect complaints.(Physician Affairs)(Pfizer Inc)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks With annual sales of about $9 billion a year, Lipitor is said to be the best-selling drug in history and Pfizer-its manufacturer-warns patients to tell their doctor if they experience any new pain or weakness. But according to a study by University of ...
Personal responsibility; HHS' OIG ready to punish execs, if necessary.(The Week in Healthcare)(Department of Health and Human Services)(Office of Inspector General)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch The inspector general's office of HHS wants healthcare executives to know it will go after them for the sins of their organizations and spend whatever time and resources are needed to investigate allegations and litigate the penalties imposed. ...
Management shuffle; Ascension promotes five in regional restructuring.(The Week in Healthcare)(not-for-profit health system)(Charles Barnett)(Leo Brideau)( Vince Caponi)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Melanie Evans Ascension Health named five of its executives to oversee regional operations in a half-dozen states as part of a reorganization of the 64-hospital system unveiled in December 2006. The handful of Ascension executives are the last of nine to be ...
Moving beyond the hospital; Our annual Group Purchasing Survey shows continued growth, but focus has turned toward post-acute markets, other channels.(Special Feature)(Survey)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Shawn Rhea At first glance, Modern Healthcare's 2007 Group Purchasing Survey might appear to reveal little in the way of market-trend surprises. But as any good statistician would tell you, dig a little deeper and you'll find that numbers always tell a story. This ...
HRSA awards $93 million; Miss. clinics will use funds to strengthen infrastructure.(The Week in Healthcare)(Health Resources and Services Administration)(Coastal Family Health Center)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond When it comes to federal grant funding, good news travels fast-so fast that sometimes the recipient is the last to know. That was the case last week for Joe Dawsey, executive director of the Coastal Family Health Center in Biloxi, Miss. Just ...
IRS seeks bond answers; Wants to know how bond proceeds are being used.(The Week in Healthcare)(Internal Revenue Service)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell The Internal Revenue Service is ramping up pressure on hospitals and other tax-exempt organizations to prove that they're not abusing their ability to borrow money in the tax-free bond market. The IRS in late August sent out more than 200 ...
Asides & insides.(Outliers)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Of course you're working, it just looks like you're wasting time Outliers wouldn't dare accuse anyone of wasting time on the Internet at work. But then, perhaps whoever used an HHS computer to tweak the Wikipedia entry on '80s rock bad girl Joan Jett thought the activity was ...
Working for reform; AFL-CIO isn't endorsing specific healthcare plan.
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Bolstered by the Census Bureau statistics released last week, organized labor last week joined the push for national healthcare reform, and warned the Bush administration that it is falling short of its job to provide insurance. "America isn't ...
La.'s new health czar; Townsend appointed by outgoing gov.(The Week in Healthcare)(Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals appointed Roxane Townsend)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Louisiana will soon have a new official to oversee its healthcare system. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco appointed Roxane Townsend as secretary of Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals, effective Sept. 15. Townsend, 50, serves ...
Insurers look to CMS' lead; Major players likely to follow rule on preventable errors.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely The CMS' decision to end Medicare payments for preventable errors, injuries and infections is likely only the first phase in an industrywide change in how these conditions are reimbursed. That's because many major insurers said they would likely follow ...
Nev. merger still faces roadblocks; State attorney general may file federal lawsuit.(The Week in Healthcare)(UnitedHealth Group)(Sierra Health Services Inc)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Although UnitedHealth Group got a green light from the Nevada Insurance Commissioner last week to acquire Sierra Health Services, the $2.6 billion deal could still be blocked by other regulatory officials or consumer groups. The Nevada attorney ...
MedAssets' next move; IPO may generate windfall for GPO's leaders.(The Week in Healthcare)(Group purchasing organization)(initial public offering)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Shawn Rhea A long-rumored move by MedAssets to become the first publicly traded company with roots in the group purchasing industry raises big questions for GPOs and their members. Industry executives are asking if shareholders' desire to earn money will ultimately ...
International ambitions; Group wants to assist patients seeking care overseas.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Shawn Rhea A newly founded group focused on medical tourism says it hopes to represent the interest of reputable healthcare providers and other businesses working in the burgeoning field while also providing interested patients with the information they need to make ...
Higher and higher ... From our fevered imagination, a health insurance nightmare.(Opinions Editorials)(Chronology)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Neil McLaughlin News story: The Census Bureau reports that the number of Americans lacking health insurance rose to a record total of 47 million in 2006. The increase of 2.2 million-a jump of 4.9%-is the largest one-year hike since 2002, the second year of the Bush ...
Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
Sep 03, 2007 ... "The alarming numbers of adults and children who lack health insurance ... have been climbing steadily. ... Regrettably, Congress shows no inclination to take on the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies that oppose any national health insurance program. And the presidential contenders ...
Tighten the controls; There is no excuse for hospital-acquired infections.
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Maybe I've simply been lucky because after having both hips and a knee replaced over a period of three years at a Chicago hospital, I came away impressed with the quality of the care I received. I didn't end up with any infections or other preventable ...
Baptist finds a partner; St. Mary's deal would yield Covenant-size system.(The Week in Healthcare)(mergers and accquisition of Baptist Health System and St. Mary's Health System )
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Vince Galloro After considering two for-profit hospital companies as a possible partner, Baptist Health System of East Tennessee plans to remain in the not-for-profit Knoxville family. Baptist and St. Mary's Health System announced last week that they have ...
Fla. hospital's uninsured woes; 26% of patients lack insurance at Homestead Hospital.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 03, 2007; ... Byline: Melanie Evans There's more than one way to measure the nation's slipping health insurance coverage. Homestead (Fla.) Hospital has seen the percentage of patients who pay for their own care inch upward year after year. In 2006, exactly one-quarter of the ...
Hospitalist industry cashing in; IPC may be in quiet period, but IPO speaks loudly.(The Week in Healthcare)(IPC-The Hospitalist Co)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks A decision by IPC-The Hospitalist Co. to pursue a $105 million initial public offering is a sign of the growth seen in the hospitalist industry. The move also could turn into a big payoff for its management, which owns more than 9% of the company. ...
On the move ...(NewsMakers)(HCA Nashville appoints Michael Joseph)(UniCARE Insurance Co promotes Dennis Casey)(Duke University School of Medicine employee Nancy Andrews resigns)
Sep 10, 2007 ... ASSOCIATIONS The Tennessee Hospital Association announced two new hires and a promotion. Mary Layne Van Cleave was promoted to executive vice president and COO of the association. Van Cleave, who joined the THA in 1996, was most recently senior vice president of information ...
N.Y. loses bid to extend SCHIP to families with higher incomes.(Late News)
Sep 10, 2007 ... HHS rejected a proposal from New York health officials that would have expanded its children's health insurance program to cover youngsters in families that earn up to four times the federal poverty level. In May, New York officials proposed to HHS that it effectively allow children in ...
MedPAC: Can't we all get along; Agency examines ways docs, hospitals compete.(The Week in Healthcare)(Medicare Payment Advisory Commission)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell With physician ownership of hospitals continuing as a divisive issue in the industry, the influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is looking at approaches to bring physicians and hospitals closer together. At one of its scheduled ...
Tenet names Powers to lead Fla. region, lays off 350 there.(Late News)(Tenet Healthcare Corp)(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007 ... Tenet Healthcare Corp., Dallas, announced a new head of its Florida region at the same time that its 11 hospitals in South Florida announced nearly 350 layoffs. Marsha Powers was named senior vice president of operations and will be based in South Florida, effective Sept. 28, Tenet said ....
FTC's consent order settles Fresenius antitrust case.(Late News)
Sep 10, 2007 ... The Federal Trade Commission announced a consent order settling what it called "a naked agreement to eliminate competition'' involving American Renal Associates and Fresenius Medical Care in Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. The FTC's complaint stemmed from a 2005 purchase ...
Maine moves DirigoChoice to not-for-profit Harvard Pilgrim.(Late News)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007 ... Maine officials selected a new administrator for its DirigoChoice health plan, a state-subsidized insurance program offered to uninsured residents who are ineligible for Medicare or Medicaid coverage. Beginning Jan. 1, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care-a not-for-profit company based in ...
UnitedHealth, Sierra deal wins final state approval in California.(Late News)(UnitedHealth Group merges with Sierra Health Services )(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007 ... UnitedHealth Group and Sierra Health Services received approval from California's insurance commissioner to move ahead with their $2.6 billion merger. California was the last of three states to grant approval. The Nevada Division of Insurance granted approval ...
Putting healthcare in focus; Guide to 2008 election will offer insights into candidates' positions.(Opinions Editorials)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: David Burda Reforming the nation's healthcare system has emerged as the top domestic issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. Driving that issue out of the brush are the usual three sharp sticks: access, cost and quality. The system is suffering because of the growing ...
Antitrust solution? Ore. ruling's guidelines could clarify what's allowed.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch On the way to erasing an Oregon hospital's $16.2 million verdict, a federal appeals court last week floated guidelines that could steady the surprisingly shaky antitrust territory of discounts akin to McDonald's selling meals for less than the burger, fries ...
No decision on antitrust appeal in Evanston Northwestern case.(Late News)(Federal Trade Commission)(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007 ... At deadline, Evanston (Ill.) Northwestern Healthcare had yet to tell the Federal Trade Commission how it would comply with an order to erect a firewall in its managed-care negotiations, intended to fix the harm caused by a merger the agency deemed anti-competitive. Tilden Katz, a public ...
Another twist from Katrina; Lawsuits won't be subject to malpractice limits.(The Week in Healthcare)(Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond In a blow to Louisiana healthcare providers, the Louisiana Supreme Court said a failure to have adequate evacuation plans after Hurricane Katrina does not qualify as medical malpractice, which could result in providers paying more for wrongful death ...
AHA seeks deadline extension; CMS program raises issues, association contends.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(American Hospital Association)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Matthew DoBias A proposed Medicare rule that would tie hospital outpatient payments to a new quality reporting initiative is being called too much, too soon, by the nation's largest hospital association. Nancy Foster, vice president of quality and patient ...
On life support? It's a story of two troubled RHIOs, but hope isn't lost.(Information Edge)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Joseph Conn The recent faltering of a regional health information organization in Portland, Ore., and the outright folding of a RHIO in northeastern Pennsylvania could be indicative of a scaling back of some of the more ambitious goals of the RHIO movement, several ...
The N.Y. nix; Hospitals slated for shutter sue, offer new solutions.(The Week in Healthcare)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Cinda Becker Nine months after nine New York hospitals were ordered to "close in an orderly fashion'' by a state commission charged with overhauling the state's crumbling healthcare system, there has been some progress, albeit messy and gut-wrenching. New ...
St. Vincent leaves bankruptcy; System projects $10 million operating gain in '07.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Cinda Becker St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in New York emerged from bankruptcy on Aug. 31. The reorganization plan was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York on July 27. "We have emerged as a stronger healthcare system, with a revitalized ...
Making tough calls; Lee Iacocca knows real leadership is challenging.(Charles S. Lauer)(Biography)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Lee Iacocca is one of the great legends of the automotive industry for his tough-minded leadership at both Ford and, later, Chrysler in the '70s and '80s. He was born to Italian immigrant parents on Oct. 25, 1924, and later he would capture ...
Fees may free AHIC; Visa template could shape new group.(Technology)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Joseph Conn With Arizona making strides in its effort to electronically connect the state's healthcare providers, the federal government last week floated a possible method for funding its own national effort: charging a fee for each transaction taking place on its ...
The doctor is in (maybe); Legislation targets physician-owned hospitals, casting a shadow on interest by doc-investors and leading to greater deal scrutiny.(Special Report)(Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Physician-owned specialty hospitals are like sick patients struggling to get well, with commercial banks, financing firms and management companies the concerned family members doing what they can to support their recovery. Meanwhile, federal legislators ...
Work-hour debate still unsettled; Separate studies fail to deliver definitive answers.(The Week in Healthcare)(American Medical Association)
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Two recent reports on the impact of hospital resident work-hour limits did little to settle the debate on their worth. In two reports published in the Sept. 5 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers didn't have ...
Asides & insides.(Outliers)
Sep 10, 2007 ... Bellevue Hospital adopting literary bent for latest venture New York City's famed Bellevue hospital has long been the subject of stories of literary proportions. Its famous psychiatric patients have included the late Beat poet Gregory Corso and John Lennon assassin Mark David ...
Bringing EHRs to the desert; Grand Canyon State refuses to let IT fall through the cracks with its new private-public electronic health-record partnership.
Sep 10, 2007; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely In a small office tucked away in the Arizona Medical Association's Phoenix headquarters, Brad Tritle is in startup mode. Just last week, Tritle assumed his new job as the first executive director of Arizona Health-e Connection, the state's ambitious ...
South.(Regional News)(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007 ... MCKINNEY, Texas-Methodist Health System, Dallas, has purchased about 24 acres of land north of Dallas in McKinney for the site of a 60,000-square-foot specialty hospital and physician office building. Construction on the $30 million facility is scheduled to begin in the fall, and the ...
West.(Regional News)
Sep 10, 2007 ... AURORA, Colo.-The new $560 million Children's Hospital is scheduled to open Sept. 29 on the 227-acre Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colo. It is 73% larger than the 250-bed facility in Denver that it is replacing. The University of Colorado Hospital completed its move onto the new ...
Midwest.(Regional News)
Sep 10, 2007 ... CHICAGO-Philanthropist and former pediatric nurse Ann Lurie has pledged $100 million to Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, most of it toward construction of a replacement hospital downtown. "To capture some of the value of new innovations and technology, Children's Memorial requires ...
Northeast.(RehabCare Group Inc. to take over Landmark Health System's Rehabilitation Hospital )
Sep 10, 2007 ... BOSTON-Proposed regulations for retail-based clinics from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health drew fire from physician groups during a recent hearing to vet public response to the suggested standards. The standards, released last month, were revised in response to a June letter ...
Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)(Brief article)
Sep 10, 2007 ... "One of the more perplexing issues that Congress will face when it ponders the future of the State Children's Health Insurance Program this month is just how much income families can earn and still have their children eligible for coverage. Critics of government insurance programs are ...
Insurance report fuels fire; 6.1% rise in premiums spurs reform advocates.(The Week in Healthcare)(Survey)
Sep 17, 2007; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely A survey released last week indicating that premiums for employer-sponsored health plans increased an average of 6.1% in 2007 gave more ammunition to employers, providers and lawmakers fighting for a faster healthcare overhaul. The ninth-annual ...
Alex Mendez.(Special Feature)(Mount Sinai Medical Center)(Biography)
Sep 17, 2007; ... Byline: Jay Greene At an early age, Alex Mendez learned from his Cuban-born parents the meaning of hard work, loyalty and family. "We were fortunate because my father had a job with Nestle when he came over. A lot of Cuban professionals couldn't find work. We were ...
Vatican clarifies position; Most patients in vegetative state should still be fed.(Late News)(The Vatican )(Brief article)
Sep 17, 2007; ... Byline: Melanie Evans The Vatican said that patients in a vegetative state, with few exceptions, have a moral right to artificial food and hydration. U.S. Roman Catholic bishops had asked the Vatican in July 2005 to clarify the church's position on food and hydration ...
Choosing this year's class.(Special Feature)
Sep 17, 2007; ... Byline: David Burda As part of the selection process for Modern Healthcare's 21st annual Up & Comers award program, we issued a call for nominations in our May 7 issue and ran a series of advertisements soliciting nominations through July 6. We extended the deadline to July 13 ...