Healthcare Strategic Management articles from December 2003

Healthcare Strategic Management archives from December 2003

Bariatric surgery may become a self-pay service.(Market Memo)
December 1, 2003... Numerous hospitals are being pummeled by competition and a squeeze on profits after investing tens of thousands of dollars in their bariatric surgery programs. Hundreds of hospitals hoped, of course, that they would have a lucrative cash cow...

Consolidation of MCOs will force IDN mergers.(managed care organizations, integrated delivery network, Anthem is acquiring Wellpoint, UnitedHealth Group is acquiring Med-Atlantic)
December 1, 2003... Wellpoint joins UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser and Humana as the controlling oligopoly in the health insurance business, presenting new strategic challenges to metropolitan and regional integrated health care providers, health care...

Select Medical Corp. manages growing stable of hospitals dedicated to long-term acute care.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Select Medical Corp., Mechanicsburg, Pa., has a dual strategy for growth: open a steady stream of specialty hospitals attached to larger acute-care facilities, and buy up competitors. In 2003, Select demonstrated the success of those...

Health Management Associates demonstrates that running rural hospitals can be profitable.(Strategic Notes)
December 1, 2003... Health Management Associates (HMA), Naples, Fla., is demonstrating that small, rural hospitals can be profitable if managed properly. The Naples, Fla.-based system in late October declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.02 per share on its...

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center streamlines pharmacy operations with Omnicell system.(Strategic Notes: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Omnicell PharmacyCentral system )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 518 beds, purchased the Omnicell PharmacyCentral system to automate pharmacy operations that support 60,000 patients annually. Installation was completed in November. The system...

Strong competition ahead for drug-eluting stents, despite their growing availability.(Strategic Notes)
December 1, 2003... In a recent study entitled "Drug-Eluting Stents: Physician Perspectives and Opportunity Analysis of a High Growth Market," analysts from Front Line Strategic Consulting, San Mateo, Calif., found there will be strong competition among hospitals...

Universal health services locates hospitals where population is increasing.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Spring Valley Hospital, Las Vegas, 176 beds, opened in October with a full complement of surgery, emergency and outpatient services. The $70 million, four-story, 60,000-square-foot hospital is located on 35.5 acres on South Rainbow Blvd. It is...

Hospital supplier steps up to provide financing as New York IDN embarks on expansion effort.(Strategic Notes: Kaleida Health to expand hospital)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Kaleida Health, Buffalo, N.Y., will renovate and expand one of its hospitals with the aid of financing from a major vendor. In October, Kaleida concluded a seven-year strategic alliance that will provide $67 million in financing and...

Consultant advice leads to merger of hospitals; five-year savings estimated at $25 million.(Strategic Notes: Unity Health System and ViaHealth agree to merge)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Unity Health System and ViaHealth, both in Rochester, N.Y., agreed to merge, creating a three-hospital integrated delivery network. The deal will be finalized in mid-2004. The agreement is based on a recommendation from Deloitte Consulting...

New cardiology hospital expects savings from technology that eliminates paper records.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Saint Francis Heart Hospital, Tulsa, Okla., will open in early 2004 with an automated medical records system. Officials at owner Saint Francis Health System selected SoftMed Systems, Washington, to develop software that will be integrated with...

Michigan hospitals find cooperative effort leads to better care for patients in angioplasty.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A group of 18 Michigan hospitals has teamed with the state's Blue Cross Blue Shield organization in an effort to find ways of reducing costly complications in angioplasty procedures. A follow-up study, released in November, shows they are...

Race, gender differences abound in level of care for patients with heart conditions, study shows.(Statistical Notes)
December 1, 2003... Any American with a heart condition that could lead to the need for a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) should arrange to be a white male. The study was conducted by Solucient, Evanston, Ill. It showed that U.S. surgeons are less likely...

Premature births costly for all concerned; charity responds with grants to 10 hospitals.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Hospital charges for babies born too soon totaled $13.6 billion in 2001, according to a March of Dimes analysis released in mid-November. Premature birth is responsible for about half of all infant hospitalization charges, according to...

Report indicates more and more hospitals striking out in effort to obtain needed capital.(Statistical Notes)
December 1, 2003... Hospitals and health systems nationwide are having growing difficulty using traditional means to access capital to support the facilities and services needed to meet the growing health care needs of their patients. According to a new...

Flu cases expected to exceed average this year as current strain often leads to complications.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... This year's flu season could be the most severe in recent years, exceeding the 36,000 U.S. influenza-related fatalities reported in average years. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson urged Americans, particularly those at...

Plan on increased investments in imaging devices as demand, applications expand.(Database Notes)
December 1, 2003... Hospitals and health systems must start planning now for the huge capital investments they will have to make in imaging equipment. Because of emerging technology and expanded use of imaging in more specialties, any hospital that does not...

Hospital web sites are sources of health information; but only if content is accurate.(Database Notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Hospitals seeking to connect with patients via a hospital-sponsored web site need to be sure the content they are displaying is accurate and clear. Often they choose to contract with firms specializing in scientific and medical information. ...

Turn surplus equipment into revenue and bring hospital supply chains into disaster planning.(Worth Reading)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Thursday, Aug. 7, was a big day at Cottage Health System, Santa Barbara, Calif. Equipment owned by a newly purchased hospital was up for auction. All day, prospective buyers toured departments and placed bids on OR tables, anesthesia units, MRI...

Hospital promotes emergency services using advertising of program providing urgent care.(Worth Reading)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... St. Mary's Medical Center, San Francisco, reached out to 20-and 30-somethings with a lighthearted approach in a campaign about the urgent care services of its emergency room. The campaign was the first real advertising done by the hospital...

Finally, an effective strep vaccine for all ages? New conjugate vaccine shows great promise.(Worth Reading)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Despite the fact that a licensed pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine has been available for more than 30 years, Streptococcus pneumoniae continues to sicken and kill children and adults throughout the world each day. The...

Hospitals given incentives to improve access to costly care.(Planning)
December 1, 2003... Hospitals, physicians and insurers will have better incentives to provide access to their services under the Medicare Prescriptions Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which was passed by Congress just before Thanksgiving....