Healthcare Strategic Management articles from September 2003

Healthcare Strategic Management archives from September 2003

Leveraging hospital investment in ER services.(Market memo)
September 1, 2003... There is a critical imbalance in evidence in most communities today between the population's increasing demands on the nation's hospitals' emergency rooms and the capacity of treatment spaces, inpatient beds, and staff resources that are...

Physician conflicts are tough to resolve.
September 1, 2003... What do teaching hospitals do when their academic physicians' infighting becomes nasty, dirty and public? Who has the power to settle disputes? When and how do chief executive officers and trustees get involved? How can damages be...

VHA study: physician affiliation biggest factor in consumers' choice of hospital.(Strategic Notes)
September 1, 2003... While consumers strongly believe in differences in both clinical performance and service quality among hospitals, they continue to make highly subjective choices, according to VHA, which recently released the report "Consumers and health care:...

Baptist Health acquires HealthSouth hospital.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Baptist Health South Florida has agreed to acquire HealthSouth Doctors' Hospital in Coral Gables, Fla. Included in the transaction are the 281-bed hospital, physician office building and home health agency. Under the agreement, the...

HMA buys five hospitals from Tenet Healthcare.(Strategic Notes Health Management Associates)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Health Management Associates of Naples, Fla., has acquired five hospitals in Florida, Missouri and Tennessee from Tenet Healthcare for $550 million. The five hospitals are the 128-bed Seven Rivers Community Hospital in Crystal River, Fla.;...

CHS acquires Petersburg, Va., hospital.(Strategic Notes Community Health Systems )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Community Health Systems (CHS) Inc. of Brentwood, Tenn., has acquired Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, Va. Included in the transaction are the 408-bed medical center, several satellite clinics and two paramedical educational...

LifePoint buys Lebanon, Ky., hospital.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Lifepoint Hospitals of Brentwood, Tenn., has agreed to purchase Norton Spring View Hospital in Lebanon, Ky., from Norton Healthcare. The sale also includes Norton Spring View Nursing Home and Spring View Pediatrics. Sale terms were not...

Kindred to operate 60-bed hospital in Nashville.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Kindred Healthcare of Louisville, Ky., has signed a lease with the Hospital Authority of the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County to operate an existing 60-bed long-term acute care hospital in Nashville. Financial terms were not...

Dynacq buys Dallas hospital for $6.7 million.(Strategic Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Dynacq International Inc. of Houston has completed its planned acquisition of 113-bed Garland Physicians' Hospital Inc. and an adjacent medical office building in Garland, Texas, for $6.7 million. The deal also includes the assumption of...

Philanthropy group reports hospital funds raised in 2002 plummets from 2001 levels.(Statistical Notes)
September 1, 2003... Funds raised by Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) member organizations in 2002 totaled about $5.53 billion, a substantial decline from the estimated $8 billion raised in 2001, according to the AHP. The dramatic drop in giving...

Report: hospitals in increasing numbers offering incentive plans for executives, managers.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Hospitals and health systems in increasing numbers are offering incentive plans for their executives and managers, according to a recent report from Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, a Chicago-based health care compensation consulting firm. ...

Fitch: expect moderate decline in not-for-profit hospital profitability in 2003.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Although operating performance was stable in 2002, nominal increases in managed care rates this year, along with increased charity care from a growing uninsured population, will likely cause hospital revenue to grow at a slower pace than...

GAO report: no single factor behind skyrocketing medical malpractice premiums since 1999.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... There is no one single factor behind skyrocketing medical malpractice premiums in the past four years, but increased losses by insurers appear to be the greatest contributor, according to a recent report by the General Accounting Office (GAO)....

NIC figures show assisted living facilities struggle occupancy levels in the first quarter.(Statistical Notes National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The first quarter of 2003 saw many assisted living properties struggling with their occupancy levels, according to a recent report issued by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries (NIC). The Key Financial...

HHS launches Medicare demonstration project to promote high quality care in nation's hospitals.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new Medicare demonstration program that will use financial incentives to encourage hospitals to provide high quality inpatient care. The demonstration will reward...

AHRQ, University of California launch online-only peer-reviewed journal focused on patient safety.(Database Notes Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the University of California, San Francisco, have created an online-only peer-reviewed journal focused on patient safety and the prevention of medical errors. The web is located at...

Nurses group launches special online section dedicated to international nursing.(Database Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The International Council of Nurses and Nursing Spectrum, a division of publishing giant Gannet Co., have joined forces to launch an international section for the online publication, Nursing Spectrum. The new section can be accessed at...

New web site dedicated to helping those with rheumatoid arthritis found at www.RA.com.(Database Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A web site focused on helping people with rheumatoid arthritis has been launched. The site can be found at www.RA.com The web site provides an overview of the medical condition, an interactive drug guide, treatment information, and...

New York City Dept. of Health offers web-based health care response program.(Database Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has launched a new web-based response program, New York City AWARE, to give area health care providers early warnings and updates on disease outbreaks or bioterror incidents as part of...

EZPaymentservices offers online bill pay service.(Database Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... EZPaymentservices of Scottsdale, Ariz., has launched a new online payment service for providers. According to the company, the new system eliminates the time-consuming and costly process of sending paper invoices to customers, sending...

Texas Health Resources shows a proactive merger can pay off.(Provider Profile)
September 1, 2003... One of former GE chief executive Jack Welch's more famous maxims is "Change before you have to." For hospital executive Doug Hawthorne, that phrase might have summed up the thinking behind his decision to help steer a merger of health...

Experts offer tips for merger success.(Provider Profile)
September 1, 2003... Health Care Strategic Management recently interviewed a half-dozen consultants and a financial adviser to health systems to get their thoughts on what makes for a successful merger. Below is a list of 10 key points, some of which overlap, that...