Healthcare Strategic Management articles from September 2004

Healthcare Strategic Management archives from September 2004

The evolution of medically-based fitness centers.
September 1, 2004... From their humble beginnings almost three decades ago, medically based fitness centers, the programs they offer, and the role health care plays in their development have evolved in response to the ever-changing factors affecting the world of...

LifePoint pays 66% premium for Province.(LifePoint Hospitals Inc.)(Province Healthcare Co.)
September 1, 2004... Investor-owned hospital chains have been buying and selling each other since American Medical International and Humana were created back in the early 1960s. Deals usually are done when the buyer's stock price is inflated and and can be...

'Be prepared' more than a motto for hospitals in hurricane path; supplies, evac plans ready.
September 1, 2004... Hospitals in Florida have long known about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Long before Hurricane Charley made headlines as it churned in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida hospitals had filed supply orders with their distributors....

Hospitals have much to gain by working more closely with insurance companies to cut costs.(Health Care Technology: Enabling Collaboration Between Payers and Providers-a book)
September 1, 2004... To overcome the financial challenges facing them, hospitals need the help of their traditional adversaries: third-party payers. The time has finally come for health care payers and providers to adopt collaborative, rather than adversarial,...

Hospitals reduce costs, patient waiting times with automated self-service check-in system.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Several hospitals have adopted a new strategy for reducing administrative costs: self-service patient check-in. In September, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, will begin pilot testing self-service MediKiosks at Sammons Cancer and Breast...

Tenet among hospitals and IDNs seeking to cut medical transcription costs with program.(Tenet Healthcare Corp.)(Integrated Delivery Network)
September 1, 2004... Broadlane, Dallas, has begun an effort to reduce medical transcription costs for members, aiming to save a minimum of 30% off current costs. The program began in July and features aggregating member's spending volume in large contracts and...

MedCath chairman resigns, cites new strategy for acquisitions that would create conflict.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Stephen Puckett resigned Aug. 12 as chairman of MedCath, a chain of 13 heart hospitals totaling 759 beds, based in Charlotte, N.C. Puckett, who founded MedCath as a group of cardiac catheterization laboratories, said a change in the...

Overuse of contract labor is costing hospitals billions; Norton Healthcare shows alternative.
September 1, 2004... U.S. hospitals could collectively save $8 billion annually on labor costs by changing the way they recruit nurses and skilled technicians. Simply put, they should avoid using contract labor and begin hiring full-time employees. That is the...

Nation's ER's in critical condition, according to testimony heard by Institute of Medicine.(emergency room)
September 1, 2004... The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Washington, is expected to issue a report late this year on the state of the nation's emergency services. Based on recent testimony, it is likely to conclude that: * Emergency room...

Doctors feel pinch of smaller compensation increases despite larger workloads in 2003.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Most physicians saw their compensation rise by just slight amounts during 2003, a fact that the Medical Group Management Assn. (MGMA), Englewood, Colo., interprets to mean doctors' pay is not keeping up with their increasing workloads,...

Questions about Medicare reimbursement? Don't expect correct answers from call center.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Hospital executives agree that rules and regulations surrounding Medicare are complex, and many rely on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for help in interpreting those rules. But CMS, it turns out, is not very good at explaining...

Diabetic patients fare better with VA hospitals than with managed care organizations.(Statistical Notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A recent study found that veterans' hospitals do a better job of treating diabetic patients than do hospitals in private managed care organizations. The study, published in the Aug 17 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, included five...

UHC expanding clinical database to allow hospitals to submit, share information.(University HealthSystem Consortium)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), Oak Brook, Ill., is expanding its clinical database to include submissions from members. Beginning in late August, system modifications will help subscribers analyze data in monthly or quarterly...

Pennsylvania hospitals respond to growing demand for gastric bypass surgery for obesity.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Pennsylvania residents are lining up in increasing numbers for gastric bypass surgery, according to the state's Health Care Cost Containment Council. The number of Pennsylvanians receiving the surgery for the treatment of severe obesity...

Architect group proposes new health care construction guidelines; comments invited.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Beginning Nov. 1, hospitals will have 60 days to respond to proposed new construction guidelines that, among other changes, would make single-bed private rooms a minimum standard for new hospital construction. The guidelines are proposed...

Conference to focus on correcting health care disparities among different groups of Americans.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Faces of a Healthy Future: A National Conference to End Health Disparities will be hosted by the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 27-29. The conference will bring together 600 health...

New test allows better prediction of survival potential for women with breast cancer.(presence of circulating tumor cells in the blood-study)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in 7.5 mL of blood taken from women with metastatic breast cancer can predict progression-free and overall survival, a new study shows. In its Aug. 19 issue, the New England Journal of Medicine...

Heart Center demonstrates specialty hospital operation to Medicare panel reviewing ban.(study of moratorium on physician investors by Medicare Payment Advisory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Heart Center of Indiana, Indianapolis, 60 beds, hosted the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Aug. 16 as part of a study of successful specialty hospitals. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last year declared an...

NIH, Chiron work to develop vaccine to protect population against new type of influenza.(National Institutes of Health)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) selected Chiron Corp., Emeryville, Calif., to produce an investigational vaccine designed to protect against a potential...

Hospitals taking steps to assure information, even apologies, to patients after medical errors.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The majority of U.S. hospitals have formal policies to disclose medical errors to patients, according to a survey conducted by the Premier Safety Institute, Oak Brook, Ill. While hospitals are more likely to disclose errors that result in...

Look at hospital activity and revenue by physician specialty.(data on inpatient discharges and patient days, and net inpatient and outpatient revenue by physician specialty)
September 1, 2004... Information on the hospital activity and revenue generated by a physician is essential to making informed decisions about recruitment, related medical staff development issues, facility development, and potential business ventures. This paper...

The new era of international health care marketing for U.S. hospitals.
September 1, 2004... Though not a major emphasis for most health care organizations (HCOs), international health care marketing has been a significant emphasis for some major HCOs for at least two decades. My file on International Health Care contains close to 100...