Modern Healthcare back issues from October 2009:
Healthcare has that IT factor; Xerox latest company to seek entry into market with proposed ACS deal.(NEWS)(information technology)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joseph Conn In another example of a hardware manufacturer buying an information services provider, Xerox Corp. last week announced it would acquire Affiliated Computer Services with a cash and stock offer that the companies are valuing at $6.4 billion. The ...
Triple whammy; Amid losses, Boston Medical Center's rating drops.(NEWS)(Financial report)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Melanie Evans Boston Medical Center, the safety net hospital that sued Massachusetts in July over state-subsidized care, has seen its operating losses grow and cash reserves shrink, prompting one rating agency to lower the hospital's credit rating last week. ...
Hospitalists score; But program isn't exactly board certification.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Hospitalists, a branch of internal medicine that has become one of healthcare's fastest growing and most in-demand specialties, will at last be getting the recognition it deserves. Sort of. A five-year pilot program to test a plan for ...
Lunar eclipse; Lessons from how the U.S. shot down its shoot-for-the-moon strategy.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009 ... Byline: Neil McLaughlin Spring 1961President John F. Kennedy tells Congress the U.S. should set a goal of putting a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. Summer 1961The House Democratic leadership presents the Affordable But ...
Deadline nears for Spirit awards nominations.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009 ... This is the final week to send nominations for Modern Healthcare's 17th annual Spirit of Excellence awards. The awards, co-sponsored by Sodexo Health Care Services, honor organizations and individuals who go beyond what's expected in serving their patients and communities. ...
"Cadillac' feedback; Tax on most generous insurance plans draws ire.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Taxing more generous healthcare plans as a means to pay for costly healthcare legislation pending in Congress is generating widespread skepticism not just on Capitol Hill, but in the provider industry as well. A so-called "Cadillac tax on ...
Sinking fast; States worry about strain on the program as uninsured numbers rise and reimbursement rates see more cuts.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Providers nationwide are under strain as state Medicaid programs cut reimbursement rates and benefits during the worst economic recession in decades. In many states, Medicaid rolls are at their highest in history, and states are struggling to ...
Kyphoplasty cacophony; Six more hospitals settle False Claims allegations.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch Federal investigators have been contacting hospitals across the country in a False Claims Act investigation that so far has netted more than $10 million from seven settlements. That's likely just the beginning. Last week, the U.S. Justice ...
Late News.(NEWS)(statistics of healthcare workforce)(HCA Inc. seeks certification to build new facility)(Michael C. Burgess proposes medicare bill)
Oct 05, 2009 ... Healthcare workforce grows by 19,200 jobs in September The healthcare workforce continued to live in a world apart from the wider economy in September, adding an estimated 19,200 jobs while unemployment in the economy as a whole pushed to a 26-year high, at 9.8%. Healthcare as ...
Judge denies nurse class-action status; Chicago ruling latest in victory for hospitals facing antitrust lawsuits.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson In a legal victory for hospitals facing an antitrust lawsuit from 19,000 Chicago-area nurses, a federal judge has denied the workers class-action status. The judge said their arguments rested on a shoddy theory that the alleged anti-competitive activity by ...
ON THE MOVE.(NEWS)(brief)
Oct 05, 2009 ... ASSOCIATIONS Humayun Chaudhry was named president and CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards, the Dallas-based organization that represents the nation's 70 medical boards. Chaudhry, 43, will assume the post in mid-October and will replace Barbara Schneidman, who has been ...
On the eighth day ... Senate bill earns Dem praise; GOP support unlikely.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Matthew DoBias The Senate Finance Committee pushed into its eighth day of negotiationsone of the longest negotiations in its history according to its chairmanbefore lawmakers ultimately emerged with a health reform package that garnered praise by Democrats even while ...
Now we're talking; Speech-recognition software increasingly replacing transcription in more physician specialties.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joseph Conn For more than two decades, speech-recognition software has held bright promise for busy physicians looking for a better way to get what was in their heads onto a printed page or into a computerized health record. Those expectations, however, ...
Forging stronger bonds; SEC seeking more transparency to aid investors.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009; ... Byline: Melanie Evans For healthcare borrowers that finance construction and expensive technology with municipal bonds, upheaval from the credit crisis threatened lasting changes to the market. But another disruptionless volatile, but perhaps more fundamentalwas simultaneously ...
Trustee competition opens.(NEWS)
Oct 05, 2009 ... Nominations are now being accepted for Modern Healthcare's 2010 Trustee of the Year competition. The awards, co-sponsored by executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, honor two outstanding trustees for their contributions to healthcare governance, one award for small healthcare ...
Capital gains; Stock offering could add to Ascension's coffers.(NEWS)(Ascension Health Ventures)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Melanie Evans An upcoming initial public offering by a Chicago healthcare technology company has, as of yet, no estimated price for its shares. But for one of its owners, Ascension Health, the return on its investment hinges on more than the stock's value. ...
Patient safety,IT center stage.(NEWS)(information technology)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Joseph Conn The American Health Information Management Association held its 81st annual convention in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas last week. The group saluted its outgoing CEO Linda Kloss, heard David Blumenthal give a status report on federal healthcare information ...
Slowly they turned ... Some big-name, non-Beltway Republicans join call for reform.(NEWS)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Neil McLaughlin Notes on the news: ? It's interesting that a few prominent Republicans are endorsing at least some version of healthcare reform despite the prevailing GOP sentiment inside the Washington Beltway against any such effort. Last week, California ...
H1N1 activityspikes: CDC.(NEWS)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(swine influenza)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond As 37 states reported widespread flu activity for the week of Oct. 5up from 27 the week beforean official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nearly all of those cases have been identified as the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, and a ...
Here a lawsuit, there a lawsuit; HCA sued in U.K., U.S. but denies wrongdoing.(NEWS)(Hospital Corporation of America)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Vince Galloro From London to Washington to Kansas City, Mo., HCA is facing legal actions that could have impacts measured in hundreds of millions of dollars. Last week, the Nashville-based company said that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is ...
Sibling rivalry; House seeks to match affordability of Senate's bill.(NEWS)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Under pressure to rival the Senate Finance Committee's success in crafting healthcare legislation with a price tag deemed affordable, House lawmakers last week scrambled for ways to whittle down costs and help pay for their own bill's pricey coverage ...
Still hard to share; PSOs making progress but still face tech hurdles.(NEWS)(Patient Safety Organizations)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Nearly a year ago, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality began implementing regulations for its patient-safety organization programtouted as a way for providers to share information and learn from problems. So far, however, the technology has ...
Making them pay; High-cost of healthcare reform is fueling more fraud enforcement, putting hospitals, physicians, other providers on notice.(NEWS)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch The Justice Department trumpeted a recent $2.3 billion criminal plea and civil settlement with Pfizer as its largest healthcare case ever. At its core was the receptiveness of thousands of physicians to the company's overtures of tropical getaways and bogus ...
Late News.(NEWS)(briefs)
Oct 12, 2009 ... Vt. tops performance list; Miss. finishes last: study A report by the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System ranked states on 35 performance indicators, and placed Vermont at the top of the list. Hawaii and Iowa tied for second place. Minnesota placed ...
A loss for hospitals? Senate package could negate deal with key groups.(NEWS)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Matthew DoBias A victory for the Senate Finance Committee and its hardworking chairman could spell defeat for hospitals under a healthcare reform package expected to clear a major hurdle this week. After months of closed-door negotiations, a legislative ...
A strong pulse in doc recruiting; Competition for physicians remains intense as younger physicians, seeking a lighter workload, exacerbate the shortage.(NEWS)(Survey)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks According to a story circulated at the Society of Hospital Medicine's sold-out annual conference this past May in Chicago, one healthcare executive attending was said to have voiced concern about all the recruiters and staffing agents working the booths ....
Wilensky joins BrainScope's board; A veteran of numerous boards, former Bush adviser says no conflicts present.(NEWS)(Gail Wilensky joins Brainscope Company, Inc.)
Oct 12, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson Gail Wilensky, who led the Medicare and Medicaid bureaucracies under President George H.W. Bush and presided over a federal board advising the secretary of defense on healthcare issues under President George W. Bush, is staying busy in the private sector ...
AHA layoffs continue; Four more employees cut in recession's wake.(News)(American Hospital Association)
Oct 19, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson The American Hospital Association continued cutting personnel expenses last week, eliminating the positions of four more employees, including two publicly visible executives who worked in policy and public outreach. The Chicago-based trade ...
Seismic mandate deadline near; Calif. hospitals lack money to meet building codes.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Joe Carlson California hospital owners are having trouble meeting the state-mandated deadlines for making their buildings more resistant to damage from earthquakes, saying that the ailing economy has left them unable to fund the improvements. Hospital ...
Match game; Calif. groups eye federal Medicaid dollars.(News)
Oct 19, 2009; ... Byline: Gregg Blesch The California Hospital Association is hopeful that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature on a bill last week means the state will move forward on a plan to attract a stimulus-sweetened match of federal Medicaid dollars by levying fees on hospitals. ...
Back into the pool; After a lending drought, healthcare borrowers are itching to dive into the credit market. As the market eases, even low-rated borrowers are finding the water's fine-for now.(News)(Melanie Evans)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Melanie Evans In roughly nine months, Community Medical Centers went from an outcast in credit markets to a sought-after investment with a surplus of eager investors. Headquartered in Fresno, Calif., with three hospitals and ambitions to expand, the system ...
Keeping you up to date; Our newest editorial offerings include weekend coverage, conference series.(News)(Editorial)
Oct 19, 2009; ... Byline: David Burda We're going to take a short break from our gavel-to-gavel coverage of the national healthcare reform debate to make a brief commercial announcement. What do you think of our expanded editorial coverage this year? Here's a recap: * In ...
Exempla feud resolved.(News)
Oct 19, 2009; ... Byline: Joe Carlson Executives at Exempla Healthcare in Denver put in place an agreement last week that could finally end the years of litigation between the management of the system and its two religiously mixed sponsors. The new agreement gives the Roman Catholic ...
Symptoms of Distress; H1N1 flu fight adds to burden of public health agencies already suffering from years of underfunding and the long-running recession.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond When the deadly H1N1 influenza virus emerged last spring, federal health officials reported a fact that surprised many Americans: About 36,000 people in the U.S. die from the seasonal flu each year. A disturbing statistic on its own, that ...
Dubin out atJackson in Miami.(News)(Brief article)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Joe Carlson Jackson Health System, Miami, removed its interim chief restructuring officer after news media pointed out to hospital administrators that the officer, Barry Dubin, was named as Individual A in an alleged criminal conspiracy in Chicago. Jackson ...
Kolodner joins Open Health Tools; Former ONC head stays consistent in new IT job.(News)(Office of the National Coordinator)(information tecnology)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Joseph Conn In a boost to the open-source electronic health-records movement, Robert Kolodner, former head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, joined Open Health Tools, as chief health information officer. "We're still ...
Late News.(News)(briefs)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Sensor exits Alegent in Omaha following no-confidence votes Alegent Health President and CEO Wayne Sensor tendered his immediate resignation from the Omaha, Neb., system, just weeks after the medical staff at two of Alegent's nine hospitals cast votes of no confidence in his ...
Reform (and a side of baseball); MGMA convention addresses "challenges' of care.(News)(Conference news)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks With baseball playoffs and a Senate Finance Committee vote on healthcare reform in the background, some 4,500 people met last week for the Medical Group Management Association's 83rd annual conference held in the group's Denver hometown. ...
Triple play; Twin Cities providers try their own reform plan.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Jean DerGurahian As policymakers continue to attempt to assemble a healthcare reform package, another group of providers is moving forward with its own plans to restructure payment policies and improve patient care. Two systems based in Minneapolis, ...
Midwest.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... WICHITA, Kan.Managed-care company Coventry Health Care, Bethesda, Md., said it signed a definitive agreement to purchase Preferred Health Systems, Wichita. The 120,000-member health plan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Via Christi Health System, Wichita. Financial terms of the sale were ...
Midwest.(News)(briefs)
Oct 19, 2009 ... EVERGREEN PARK, Ill.uThe board of directors of 294-bed Little Company of Mary Hospital voted to move forward with plans to build a new pavilion that will be the centerpiece of plan to modernize the campus just southwest of Chicago. The nine-story addition is designed to include 96 private ...
Northeast.(News)(briefs)
Oct 19, 2009 ... HARRISBURG, Pa.Pennsylvania's overdue budget included smaller cuts to hospital revenue than proposed, but redirected existing taxes and fees into the state's $27.8 billion general fund from healthcare funds and added a Medicaid managed-care tax. The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of ...
On the Move.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... GOVERNMENT Lynn O'Mara was named Nevada's health information technology project manager and assigned to "coordinate and manage activities to develop a statewide health information exchange, the state's Health and Human Services Department announced. According to a news ...
Outliers; Asides & Insides.(News)(briefs)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Cheesehead confidential: Danner sets MGMA straight Although he's only been in office a few days, Forrest "Dean Danner Jr., the new board chairman of the Medical Group Management Association and the vice president and chief operating officer of Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus ...
The next makeover; Reformers want revamped role for managed care.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Shawn Rhea Elliot Health System President and CEO Doug Dean doesn't tell a happy story about his hospital's foray into the world of managed care some 15 years ago. In 1994, the Manchester, N.H.-based facility merged with the only other area hospital, Catholic ...
Push, pull; Hospitals, lawmakers disagree on Medicare rates.(News)
Oct 19, 2009; ... Byline: Matthew DoBias Lawmakers in Washington ratcheted up pressure on hospitals to support a public plan option that pays them based on Medicare rates even while the sector has continued to nix such proposals. While the issue has played out primarily in the House, ...
Fighting back; Devicemakers, others battling taxes tied to reform.(News)
Oct 19, 2009 ... Byline: Shawn Rhea Several industry trade groups are pressing lawmakers to remove taxes written into the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare reform bill from the final full Senate legislation. The effort comes after medical-device makers and other industry ...
Fix is in-they hope; Groups make Medicare SGR reform priority.(News)
Oct 19, 2009; ... Byline: Jennifer Lubell In the race to get health reforms approved by the end of the year, doctors and other healthcare lobbying groups are hoping that Medicare's physician payment fix will be the first to cross the finish line. But as the Senate moves to consider a ...
South.(News)(briefs)
Oct 19, 2009 ... BELLE GLADE, Fla.The Health Care District of Palm Beach County, Fla., is admitting patients this month to a new 70-bed replacement facility in Belle Glade, located in a rural western section of the county whose hospital was hard-hit in a 2005 hurricane. Work on publicly owned Lakeside ...
South.(News)(briefs)
Oct 19, 2009 ... TALLAHASEE, Fla.Holly Benson, the secretary of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, tendered her resignation, effective Oct. 28, according to a copy of her resignation letter provided by the AHCA. Benson, 38, was appointed to the position in February 2008 by Florida Gov ....
In the Spotlight.(News)(briefs)(Brief article)
Oct 19, 2009 ... * Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, added the title of president to the duties of COO J. Bradley Wilson. Bob Greczyn, who plans to retire in 2010 at an unspecified date, ceded the insurance company's presidency but retains his title as CEO. Wilson, 56 ...
West.(News)(Downey Regional Medical Center)(brief)(Brief article)
Oct 19, 2009 ... DOWNEY, Calif.Downey Regional Medical Center debt was downgraded to C from CCC by Standard & Poor's and the ratings agency suspended the hospital's rating after the facility filed for bankruptcy last month and failed to release financial statements for the past three years. Management at ...
This might hurt a little; Instead of going to court, healthcare workers should head to a flu-shot clinic.(NEWS)
Oct 26, 2009; ... Byline: David May Some people will do anything to avoid getting their shots. We're not talking about panic-stricken youngsters filled with dread at the thought of that needle being jabbed into their armsor elsewhere. This time it's a healthcare union in New York that has used ...
More Alegent resignations; In wake of Sensor's leaving, four other execs exit.(NEWS)(Alegent Health)(Brief article)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Byline: Joe Carlson Less than a week after abruptly losing its CEO, not-for-profit Alegent Health in Omaha, Neb., has accepted the resignations of its executive vice president, its chief medical officer and two other executives. On Oct. 19, Alegent announced the ...
Dems target insurer antitrust ... ... as industry, experts give ho-hum response.(NEWS)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Insurers, analysts and legal experts reacted with little more than a shoulder shrug at the news that congressional Democratic leaders would seek to repeal a law exempting health insurers from federal antitrust rules. "Ultimately, just using the ...
Top of the line; Participation jumps 33% in program's second year.(SUPP)(Editorial)
Oct 26, 2009; ... Byline: David Burda Welcome to Modern Healthcare's second annual Best Places to Work in Healthcare supplement. In this issue, readers will learn the rank order of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare. Our awards and honors program, which we announced in March, ...
Let's make a debt deal; CHI, CHW look to rebounding credit markets.(NEWS)(Catholic Health Initiatives)(Catholic Healthcare West)
Oct 26, 2009; ... Byline: Melanie Evans Huge debt deals being undertaken by two Catholic health systems have underscored how far credit markets have rebounded after seizing last year. Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the largest U.S. not-for-profit health systems with 59 hospitals ...
Designing in 3-D; BIM software can help avoid costly mistakes.(NEWS)(Building Information Modeling )
Oct 26, 2009; ... Byline: Andis Robeznieks So-called "clash detection will not help healthcare executives pick the right tie for their jacket, but it may save them time and money on their organization's next construction project. Clash detection is one of the functions provided by ...
No dillydallying: Barton; Proposed legislation in response to GAO report on FDA's slow debarment.(NEWS)(Government Accountability Office )(Food and Drug Administration)
Oct 26, 2009; ... Byline: Shawn Rhea Recent action by the Food and Drug Administration to step up efforts to ban noncompliant medical researchers from participating in future clinical trials may not have provided enough assurance to lawmakers. Late last week, following the release of ...
Genetic flaws; Groups have wellness program concerns over GINA.(NEWS)(Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act)
Oct 26, 2009; ... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Could a landmark new law aimed to prevent genetic discrimination have a chilling effect on workplace wellness programs? That's what employers and population health groups say will happen under interim final rules on the discrimination law ...
Shot in the arm; H1N1 vaccine is headed to state health departments to ward off pandemic, but critics worry efforts may fall short.(NEWS)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Byline: Jessica Zigmond The federal government last week drew praise for its efforts so far to combat the H1N1 flu outbreak even as officials worried about the nation's ability to cope with the disease. A delay in vaccine production against the deadly H1N1 flu virus ...
In Memoriam.(NEWS)(of Thomas Kennedy)(In memoriam)(Brief article)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Thomas Kennedy, former administrator at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater, Texas, died Oct. 16. Kennedy, 68, had served in the position from 1989 until he retired in May of this year. "The hospital considered it a privilege to take care of him during his illness, said Donna ...
Electric short? Labs press for federal preemption on state data laws.(NEWS)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Byline: Joseph Conn Commercial healthcare laboratories are seeking parity with other healthcare providers under privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. They are asking for federal preemption of those portions of state ...
Late News.(NEWS)(brief)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Brigham and Women's taps Nabel as next president Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, named federal research administrator Elizabeth Nabel to become its next president effective Jan. 1, 2010, following the promotion of the hospital's current top executive. Nabel, 57, currently ...
Medical liability claims rise; Report finds that trend expected to continue.(NEWS)
Oct 26, 2009 ... Byline: Gregg Blesch Medical liability claims against hospitals increased in 2009 for the first time in a decade and are expected to continue rising, according to a study conducted by insurance company Aon Corp. with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. ...