Modern Healthcare back issues from January 2009:
Starting anew; 2008 was an exceptionally productive year for us, but 2009 promises even more.(Opinions)(Editorial)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: David Burda, Editor On behalf of Modern Healthcare's editorial staff, I'd like to say happy New Year and thank you to all our readers. With your support, 2008 was a great year for us here, and we expect an even better editorial year in 2009. After we close ...
Thinking small(er); Cigna looks to on-site to cut costs.(The Week In Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely While corporate America may be pulling back from the creation of on-site health clinics, Cigna Corp. plans to jump deeper into that arena. The health insurer is turning to the on-site health clinic business in a bid to curtail its own ...
Last call for the Hall.(The Week In Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Modern Healthcare has extended the submission deadline for nominations for the 2009 Health Care Hall of Fame induction to Jan. 12. The program recognizes luminaries who have made outstanding contributions to healthcare nationally and internationally. A panel of distinguished ...
Take a deep breath; Relaxation techniques key to fend off stress.(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson During times of intense stress, experts say one of the best ways to regain clarity and decisionmaking abilities is to temporarily bring mental focus away from stressors and toward the natural functions of the body. Primarily, that means ...
Outlook 2009: Change is coming.(Special Report)(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009 ... 2008 is history, but events of the past 12 months are expected to dominate healthcare business and policy in the year ahead. January's arrival brought to an end one of the most dramatic years in recent U.S. financial history. The year began with a recession that went unconfirmed ...
Finance: Cash is king.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Melanie Evans Hospitals weakened by last year's turmoil will closely and frequently scour the books in 2009 for ways to protect balance sheets, say finance and investment experts. Cash eroded last year as stock markets sank and consumers began to delay care when ...
Construction: End of the boom.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Capital constraints and a weaker operating environment forced many hospitals and health systems to put building projects on hold in late 2008. Look for more projects to hit the brakes in the months ahead. "In my mind, there is only one trend ...
Not-for-profits in their sights? Moody's: Chains could make plays; others disagree.(The Week In Healthcare)(Moody's Investors Service Inc.)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Vince Galloro Moody's Investors Service believes that investor-owned chains could make a meal of cash-strapped not-for-profits this year, but two transactions advisers cautioned that the chains seem more likely to hoard their finances. In a recent report, ...
Special Report Extra.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Special Report Extra is a series of podcasts that amplifies a related Special Report that appeared in the weekly print edition of Modern Healthcare. The interviews, conducted by Modern Healthcare's seasoned group of 28 reporters and editors, allow listeners to hear directly from ...
FTC's not done yet; Calif., Colo. doc partnerships latest to be scrutinized.(The Week In Healthcare)(Federal Trade Commission)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Gregg Blesch The American Medical Association recently complained to a House committee that the government "casts an overly suspicious eye on physician collaboration through network arrangements.'' The Federal Trade Commission late last month signaled yet again that ...
On the Move.(NewsMakers)
Jan 05, 2009 ... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS James Davis was named executive vice president and COO of University Health Care System in Augusta, Ga. Davis had been COO at St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown, Ohio, which is owned by Catholic Healthcare Partners, Cincinnati. Davis replaces Jason Moore, ...
The deals are out there; Experts: Good time to take advantage of economy.(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson Though stress in the C-suite is ratcheting up as finances become tighter each day, industry observers say not all executives should become glum. Tough times are a good and real excuse for hospital executives to exert pressure on vendors and ...
Exec. search survey open.(The Week In Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Modern Healthcare's fourth annual survey of healthcare executive search firms is now open for participation. Please visit the Ongoing Surveys section of Modern Healthcare Online, ...
Forum to address 'never events'.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Coping with "never event'' reimbursement policies will be the subject of one of the many education tracks at Modern Healthcare's Leadership Forum: Transforming Healthcare through Clinical Informatics. The Leadership Forum, which offers an opportunity for senior-level healthcare executives ...
Stress up the ladder; wellness management is key for C-suite execs, whose stress can affect entire organizations.
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson When hospital executive Jim Casanova gets stressed, he likes to think about a little refrigerator magnet he received as a gift a few years ago. The top of the tchotchke is imprinted with the phrase, "Control what you can,'' while the rest of the ...
On the clock; nurse unions seek ban on forced OT in 2009.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson As more states pass laws to prevent hospital administrators from forcing nurses to work overtime hours, officials at the major national healthcare unions say they plan to press for a federal ban this year. In December 2008, a signature from Gov. Ed ...
Slowdown hits on-site clinics; employers reassess plans for workplace healthcare.(The Week In Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Employment-based health clinics are the latest casualty of the ongoing recession, as corporations push off plans to open on-site and near-site clinics and some existing clinics are being considered for the chopping block, industry experts said. ...
Credit still available; HUD program among options for post-acute providers looking to expand.(Strictly Finance)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond As the credit markets remain shaky after taking a beating in 2008, access to capital will likely put a strain on post-acute providers looking to invest in facilities and major equipment, experts say. This comes at a time when demand for ...
For-profits: becoming a losing proposition?(Special Report)(Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Vince Galloro The year ahead is not only going to be a rough year for investor-owned hospital chains, but also it just might be the beginning of the end of their profitability in the long run, predicts Jeff Villwock, a managing partner at Atlanta-based Genesis Capital ...
Insurers: consumers to bear bigger share.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely The economic crisis presents a mixed bag for health insurers in 2009. On the one hand, their fortunes could rise because of declining medical cost trends as more people put off or forgo care. At the same time, insurers will be under increased pressure to ...
Devices, drugs: more consumer protections.(Special Report)(Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Shawn Rhea 2009 is likely to be the year when long-debated policies to rein in spending on medical devices and drugs finally gain traction thanks to a raging recession, industry analysts say. "The convergence of market and political forces will drive the ...
Physician entrepreneurs: threat to ownership.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond If physician-owners were worried that their business model might be threatened in 2008, they no longer need to fret over uncertainty. Instead, they can be sure the threat is real in 2009, as experts predict legislative action-even early in the year-from ...
Physicians: primary-care push.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The means to resolve the issue of healthcare reform all revolve around primary care,'' says Jeff Harris, president of the American College of Physicians, noting how other industrialized countries that have more efficient healthcare systems and record ...
Legal affairs: Obama's agenda.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch The legal terrain in healthcare this year will be mapped not just by the points plotted in the past months by courts and federal agencies, but also will begin to be redrawn by the new occupant of the White House. The Obama administration will ...
Labor: an end to the secret union ballot?(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson Ask labor leaders, healthcare executives or consultants studying the issue of union activity and all seem unanimous in predicting that it's likely to continue rising in 2009. "Healthcare is ripe for unionization. It has been for a number of ...
Quality: focus on outcomes.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Expect a number of quality initiatives to become more targeted and specific to improving outcomes in 2009, experts say. Where providers last year were asked to measure and report on a wide range of practice standards, this year quality ...
Healthcare IT: here comes the money.(Special Report)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joseph Conn Most healthcare information technology prognosticators say that big money is finally coming to add muscle to a federal IT booster program that began in 2004. President Bush set up the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology that ...
Late News.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Tenn., Ala. hospitals struggling to deal with economy: surveys Hospitals in Tennessee and Alabama are struggling to deal with the effects of the financial crisis and recession, according to surveys in those states. Most hospitals responding to a Tennessee Hospital Association ...
Still going shopping; St. Jude Medical adds two tech companies.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson and Jean DerGurahian The financial crisis may have upended the initial public offerings of some devicemakers but it didn't stop St. Jude Medical from going on a year-end $533 million buying spree. St. Jude Medical, which develops medical technology ...
AHRQ underfunded: advocates; current funding won't help safety, quality, they say.(The Week In Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Current funding for HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is not enough to ensure improvements to the nation's health-delivery system, quality and safety advocates say. AHRQ recently awarded more than $12 million to applied research ...
Other Voices.(Opinions)
Jan 05, 2009 ... "I've got a new year's resolution and a new slogan for the country. ... Americans must resolve to be smarter going forward than we have been for the past several years. ... The slogan? "Invest in the U.S.'' ... (W)e should stop squandering the nation's wealth on unnecessary warfare ...
New DRGs boost pay; but some say system isn't only reason.(The Week In Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals as a whole experienced an estimated increase of 3% in reimbursement, or nearly $2.3 billion, under the CMS' new inpatient prospective payment system using severity-adjusted DRGs during the first three quarters of fiscal 2008, according to a new ...
IPOs put on hold; medical-tech companies struggle to find investors.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Shawn Rhea At least five medical-technology companies have canceled plans for initial public offerings of their stock within the past few weeks as a result of the deteriorating investment market, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ...
Medical associations find their kind of town in Chicago; asides & insides.(Outliers)
Jan 05, 2009 ... If Boston and Durham, N.C., are the hubs of medical research, then Chicago may well be the center of organized medicine. The city's downtown is home to the American College of Surgeons, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association ...
Corrections & Clarifications.(Corrections)(Correction notice)
Jan 12, 2009 ... In the "By the Numbers" supplement, Dec. 22, 2008, p. 42, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Healthcare should not have been included in the ranking of largest for-profit hospital chains. The organization is a not-for-profit ...
Healthcare decisionmakers.(Special Report)
Jan 12, 2009 ... President-elect Barack Obama The former Illinois senator campaigned vigorously on a platform that put healthcare reform on par with economic stimulus. He has pushed for the use of healthcare IT and has called for an expansion of government coverage options. His plan would ...
Construction survey open.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009 ... Modern Healthcare's 30th annual Construction & Design Survey is open for participation. This survey is intended for U.S. construction companies that service the healthcare market and that had a minimum of 100,000 square feet of healthcare projects in ...
View from Washington: this time, they mean it.(Special Report)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Matthew Dobias A decades-long push to fundamentally change how the healthcare sector looks, feels and operates will come to a head this year. But after countless tussles, numerous false starts and lingering bad feelings from the last tango with reform, an industry ...
HHS unveils six to eighty-six; meantime, Joint Commission revises its standards.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Providers got a glimpse last week of the latest federal quality standards they will be expected to follow to reduce infections and also to comply with Joint Commission accrediting standards. HHS released its infection-control action plan ...
Daschle's warm reception; industry leaders like what HHS nominee has to say.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Matthew DoBias Industry leaders last week gave a thumbs up to the first in a series of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill that will likely lead to the appointment of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to the nation's top healthcare post. But they warn that, to ...
Belt-tightening time; recession-proof? Doc investors fear not.(Physician Affairs)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Barbara Kirchheimer Physician investors are finding little comfort in the familiar adage that healthcare is recession-proof. It seems 2009 might be the year that proves that theory false. As with other industries feeling the pinch of an economy in a downward ...
HCA nixes Pensacola deal; Baptist couldn't secure financing by deadline.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Vince Galloro Amid speculation that the credit crunch could spur more hospital deals, tight credit markets scuttled a hospital sale last week-for now, at least. HCA exercised its option to terminate its deal to sell 339-bed West Florida Hospital, Pensacola, ...
Swiping savings; MGMA renews push for machine-readable ID cards.(Information Edge)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks As the old saying goes-popularly attributed to the late Sen. Everett Dirksen-"A billion dollars here, a billion dollars there, pretty soon you're talking real money.'' If its campaign to get the healthcare industry to use the same swipe card ...
On the Move.(NewsMakers)
Jan 12, 2009 ... CONSULTING Dennis Stockwell was named to the new position of general counsel of Jackson Healthcare, Alpharetta, Ga. Stockwell, 54, will be responsible for all legal affairs in his newly created position. Previously, Stockwell was general counsel of TurboChef Technologies and ...
West.(Regional News)
Jan 12, 2009 ... SAN DIEGO-Sharp Memorial Hospital plans to open a $194 million expansion facility on Jan. 14. The new 334-bed, 315,000-square-foot, seven-story structure, called the Stephen Birch Healthcare Center, includes 46 emergency/trauma beds; 10 surgery suites; 48 intensive-care unit beds; private ...
South.(Regional News)
Jan 12, 2009 ... ATLANTA-The Georgia Community Health Department launched a new Web site to help residents make informed healthcare decisions. The site, georgiahealthinfo.gov, provides information about quality and cost of care and health education. Users can access cost and quality comparison data for ...
Objection? Sustained; with costs continuing to rise, it's time re-evaluate business as usual.(Opinions)(Viewpoint essay)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Neil McLaughlin Over the past year, or at least when gas prices were soaring to $4 a gallon, there was a lot of talk about resources and sustainability. A similar concern over the sustainability of the nation's healthcare system ought to be a major issue for our ...
Pelletier joins commission.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Jean DerGurahian The Joint Commission continues to shore up its leadership staff with providers that have hospital experience in the appointment of Mark Pelletier. Pelletier, 50, will serve as executive director for the hospital and critical-access hospital ...
As Obama seeks stimulus ... some wonder where the funds will be going.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Healthcare was among the four targeted areas of President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus package announced last week, but interest groups were left wondering how much-and where-federal funding will be allocated to help the nation's health system. ...
With the new calendar year, the CMS unleashed a flurry of news, proposals and regulations.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
Jan 12, 2009 ... Of the 3,339 participating hospitals, 3,313, or more than 99%, will get the full 2009 payment update in the CMS' Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program, according to a CMS news release. The remaining 26 will receive an update that has been reduced by 2 percentage points because ...
Midwest.(Regional News)
Jan 12, 2009 ... CHICAGO-St. Anthony Hospital opened a new and bigger emergency department to serve the growing population in the surrounding neighborhoods, which brings a larger-than-average percentage of pediatric patients through the 151-bed hospital's doors. The department, at 6,600 square feet, has ...
Nowhere to run... ..and nowhere to hide from bigger financial problems facing the industry, critics say, despite decrease in spending growth.
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell At first glance, the news seemed promising. In its annual spending report issued last week, the CMS announced that healthcare spending grew only 6.1% in 2007, a slight decrease from 6.7% in 2006 and the slowest rate of growth in nearly a ...
Other Voices.(Opinions)
Jan 12, 2009 ... "The really tricky part of health reform is illuminated in a new report that breaks down U.S. healthcare spending, which reached a staggering $2.2 trillion in 2007. ... The situation isn't hopeless. Health reform won't reduce what we spend on healthcare, but in the long run, it could help ...
Late News.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Healthcare workforce growing as overall unemployment rises While the rest of the economy posted rates of joblessness not seen since 1993, healthcare continued to expand its workforce in December 2008, adding 31,600 positions in a month in which the overall American workforce ...
Northeast.(Regional News)
Jan 12, 2009 ... MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.-Orange Regional Medical Center completed the steel construction on a seven-story hospital scheduled to open in spring 2011. Once complete, Orange Regional will consolidate its two-campus 343-bed hospital into the newly built $317 million facility in Wallkill, N.Y. In ...
Midwest.(Regional News)
Jan 12, 2009 ... CHAMPAIGN, Ill.-A judge last month approved a settlement agreement between a large Illinois physicians group and the state's attorney general, who claimed in a 2007 lawsuit that two dominant practices conspired to shut out new Medicaid patients in violation of Illinois antitrust law. Carle ...
CMS: Support lacking; others disagree on disease management findings.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Disease management advocates remain optimistic that nurse-based health coaching and other health support programs can improve outcomes and lower costs despite a damaging new report on a CMS pilot project. The CMS report to Congress evaluated the ...
Quality push continues.(Special Report)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals can expect another year of increased pressure to improve accountability and quality despite the many question marks that surround the new administration's approach to regulatory policy. The industry for the most part has high hopes ...
New year's stress; ACHE survey shows finances lead execs' concerns.(The Week in Healthcare)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson As the effects of the unflagging recession begin to hit even the healthcare industry, hospital executives are more concerned than ever about the financial challenges facing their institutions, particularly in Medicaid reimbursement and bad debt, according to ...
Forum targets EHRs, privacy.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
Jan 12, 2009 ... Generating financial and marketing data from electronic health records-while respecting patient privacy-will be the subject of one of the many education tracks at Modern Healthcare's Leadership Forum: Transforming Healthcare through Clinical Informatics. The Leadership Forum, ...
Chronic diseases up in U.S. Study shows rise in incidence and cost over 10 years.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Melanie Evans The CMS' national health expenditures report released last week may have overshadowed another report published in Health Affairs that offers some distressing results. Americans were more likely to be living with chronic diseases-and more than ...
M&A: An upside to a down market.(Special Report)(credit market)
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson and Vince Galloro Leo Brideau and William Petasnick have all too much company these days. Like bankers and mortgage holders and factory workers around the country, they've seen their best-laid plans laid to waste by perhaps the worst U.S. economic crisis ...
Different visions of reform; Five executives offer their views on what will work.(Opinion)
Jan 19, 2009 ... With Barack Obama taking office this week promising to make another effort at reforming healthcare in the U.S., Modern Healthcare invited five healthcare executives and analysts to give their thoughts on healthcare reform. Their efforts are summarized below. You can find the full versions ...
More breathing room; HHS proposed rule pushes back ICD-10 to 2013.(The Week in Healthcare)(United States Department of Health and Human Services)
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Conn HHS' final rule for transitioning to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, included pushing back the compliance deadline-a boon to many industry representatives who had argued the implementation time frame initially proposed was too fast. ...
Settling up; Christ Hospital, Health Alliance OK separation terms.(The Week in Healthcare)(Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati)
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch Christ Hospital's decade-plus as a member of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati was legally over April 10, 2006, notwithstanding the bitter legal battle over the withdrawal that raged on until last week. Meanwhile, the 511-bed Cincinnati hospital has ...