Healthcare Strategic Management articles from February 2002

Healthcare Strategic Management archives from February 2002

Market Memo: ambulatory care: what's profitable, what's not.(Health care industry reports high rate of ambulatory care services)
February 1, 2002... More patient encounters take place in ambulatory care settings than in any other sector of the health care industry. Ambulatory care covers a wide range of services, ranging from emergency and surgery care at the high end of the intensity...

Leapfrog's report is incomplete, misleading.(Survey of hospitals shows need for more capital outlays)
February 1, 2002... The Leapfrog Group was created by the Business Round-table in 2000 to find ways to increase the quality of care delivered by hospitals, but its efforts to date lack the attention to detail or the quality that it is demanding of hospitals. ...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine opens first department of critical care medicine. (Strategic Notes).(University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is critical care medicine industry leader)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said it has established the nation's first department of critical care medicine (CCM) at a medical school. The department will focus on training intensivists, physicians who specialize in the...

West Penn Allegheny Health System and three health systems form regional cancer network. (Strategic Notes).(West Penn Allegheny Cancer Institute, new cancer network)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Three regional health systems and the West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS) have formed a new cancer network serving the region. "Cancer Care Partnership" unites four cancer care programs serving 13 hospitals and numerous ambulatory care...

Detroit Medical Center receives ISO 14001 certification for its hospitals. (Strategic Notes).(Detroit Medical Center is first U.S. health care system to obtain International Organization for Standardization certification)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) said that it and its eight hospitals each have received ISO 14001 compliance, becoming the first health care system in the U.S. to achieve this certification. Established by the International Organization...

Cigna cuts 2,000 positions; takes $65 million charge and will save up to $55 million annually. (Strategic Notes).(CIGNA Corp. expects annual operating expense savings of $45 mn to $55 mn in 2003)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... CIGNA Corp. said that it will realign service operations and eliminate about 2,000 positions in its Employee Health Care, Life and Disability Benefits segment and record a fourth quarter 2001 after-tax charge of approximately $65 million ($100...

Plastic Surgery refinances and aims for national expansion of chain of cosmetic surgery centers. (Strategic Notes).(Cosmetic surgery and cosmetic laser chain secures new loan agreement)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The Plastic Surgery Co., which owns and/or operates the only national chain of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic laser centers, said it has completed a significant refinancing resulting in an increase in shareholders equity of approximately...

MedCath plans 12th heart hospital for Milwaukee; 32 beds will generate $36 million in revenues. (Strategic Notes).
February 1, 2002... MedCath Corp., a national provider of cardiovascular care, said it plans to build its 12th hospital. Jointly owned and operated with local physicians, the 32-bed facility will focus on serving the needs of patients with cardiovascular disease....

Disease management firm reports profitable quarter after six years in business. (Strategic Notes).
February 1, 2002... After six years of developing population-based disease management (DM) services for complex, chronic diseases, Accordant Health Services (AHS), Greensboro, N.C., reported that it reached profitability as of October 2001, posting positive cash...

Kaiser opens 25th medical center in Baltimore-Washington area. (Strategic Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic opened a 17,000-square-foot medical center in Columbia, Md. The center is Kaiser's 25th in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area. Kaiser Permanente's Columbia Gateway Medical Center is offering...

Endocare, Prostate Treatment Centers Inc. plan cryosurgical centers throughout U.S., Canada. (Strategic Notes).
February 1, 2002... Endocare Inc., a developer of temperature-based treatments for prostate cancer, announced the formation of a strategic partnership with privately held, Spokane, Washington-based Prostate Treatment Centers Inc. (PTCI) to jointly develop regional...

Medicare+Choice HMOs will have little more money for hospitals. (Strategic Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... It appears that Medicare+Choice managed care organizations will not be able to increase payments to hospitals and physicians for 2003, and it's likely that more plans will get out of the business of serving Medicare beneficiaries. Karen...

Province Healthcare has deals to buy three unnamed non-urban hospitals. (Strategic Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Province Healthcare Co., which owns hospitals in "attractive non-urban markets," said it has letters of intent to acquire three hospitals and is "in active discussions with 18 hospitals regarding possible acquisition." Province owns or...

Larry Y. Wilson named Kaiser Permanente's new senior vice president for strategic planning. (Strategic Notes).
February 1, 2002... Kaiser Permanente, Pasadena, Calif., said that Larry Y. Wilson has joined Kaiser Foundation Hospital and Health Plan (KFH/HP) as senior vice president of strategic planning and consulting for the California Division. He will be responsible for...

Harris Poll shows most people like their health plans, if not managed care in general. (Statistical Notes).
February 1, 2002... The Harris Poll[R] shows that most people continue to think well of their own health plans even though most have negative views of managed care. Fully 67% of adults with employer-provided plans give their plans a grade of A or B, and only 8%...

5.4 million New England residents enrolled in HMO health benefit plans. (Database Notes).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... As of September 2001, 5.39 million New England residents were enrolled in an HMO health benefit plan. Blue Cross Blue Shield plans command the lion's share of the market. HMO Blue of Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts enrolled almost 1...

WebMD acquires Medscape medical portals for professionals and consumers. (Database Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... WebMD Corporation has acquired the portal assets of MedicaLogic/Medscape, Inc., including the Medscape Medical Professional and Medscape Health for Consumers Web sites, for $10 million in cash effective immediately. MedicaLogic has filed for...

Fitch says the near-term outlook for health insurers and managed care organizations is stable. (Database Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Hospitals don't have to worry whether most managed care organizations will be able to pay their bills. They only have to worry whether they will pay in a reasonable amount of time. Fitch, the credit rating service, said its near-term rating...

Centers for Disease Control introduce new Web site for consumers and professionals. (Database Notes).(www.bt.cdc.gov)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has redesigned its Web site to provide both new and updated bioterrorism resources for health professionals and the public. The site at www.bt.cdc.gov addresses the need for up-to-date and...

Kaiser Family Foundation publishes Women's Health Data Book. (Database Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Henry J. Kaiser Family foundation and the Jacobs Institute for Women's Health have published the third edition of the Women's Health Data Book, a profile of women's health in the United States. The report shows that cardiovascular...

North Shore-Long Island Jewish invests in lifelong learning program. (Learning Centers).
February 1, 2002... The North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System is investing in lifelong learning for its 30,000 employees. Its strategy of offering lifelong learning to employees recognizes that the rapidly changing intellectual, scientific,...

VHA develops safety program to prevent surgical site errors. (Quality And Safety).
February 1, 2002... VHA Inc. said it has implemented a new patient safety program aimed at preventing surgical site errors, and more than 2,600 physicians and nurses from 550 hospitals have gone through the program so far. The preventive program was developed...