Modern Healthcare articles from April 2003

Modern Healthcare archives from April 2003

HealthSouth fallout; Business partners, investors monitoring pacts.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski With HealthSouth Corp. facing sweeping federal charges of accounting fraud, hospitals and other healthcare companies are closely monitoring their business partnerships with and investments in the rehabilitation...

JCAHO has some surprises for hospitals starting in '06; All triennial accreditation surveys will become unannounced as part of larger evaluation process.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 7, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey A decision by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to make all triennial surveys unannounced as of 2006 was a ``logical extension'' of its plans for a reformulated accreditation process...

Willing and able; Supreme Court ruling forces HMOs to open networks to any willing provider; some say it may wound managed-care industry.(Cover Story)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko In a decision some say could ultimately spell the death of traditional managed care, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that states can force HMOs to open their networks to any healthcare provider wishing to...

Vaccination compensation; Congress moves to create a reparation program.(Late News)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong While concerns about the safety of the smallpox vaccination program grew, Congress tried to move ahead on creating a compensation program for those who may be injured or killed from an adverse reaction to the vaccine. ...

Quarantines approved; Bioterrorism training prepared hospitals for SARS.(Late News)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor In a bold move in response to the growing spread of a deadly pneumonialike epidemic, President Bush signed an executive order allowing the quarantine of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome and other...

The party's over; Former allies face off over proposed budget cuts.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker The election-year romance between New York Gov. George Pataki and the state's healthcare industry has soured as the governor faces off with the same powerful lobbying forces that last year helped him win his third...

Issues of antitrust; FTC opposes proposed sale of Louisiana Hospital.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic The Federal Trade Commission blasted a proposed sale of 182-bed Slidell (La.) Memorial Hospital to Tenet Healthcare Corp. last week, saying it could hurt consumers. Days earlier, the hospital's chief executive...

Rehab project; HealthSouth to undergo major internal overhaul.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano As the federal fraud investigation widens at HealthSouth Corp., the nation's largest provider of rehabilitation services is undergoing its own forced rehabilitation-a companywide transformation that eventually may...

Pain-free quality control; Patient-safety bill is smoke screen for effort to restrict error victims' rights.(Opinions-Editorials)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed Proponents of medical malpractice legislation often decry any attempt to link their cause to better reporting of medical mistakes. Tort reform, they say, addresses frivolous lawsuits and...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... ``The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome presents formidable global challenges. If we are extremely lucky, the epidemic will be curtailed, develop a seasonal pattern that will improve prospects for regional containment or evolve...

The buck stops here; Bill would further limit physician referrals.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor A congressional bill introduced last week that would prohibit physicians from referring patients to for-profit specialty hospitals in which they hold preferential financial interests sounded like the cavalry coming to...

How much do they make? When it comes to the size of their paychecks, healthcare association chiefs face a long-running debate over whether it's fair or foul.(Special Report)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly A slumping economy didn't seem to hurt the pockets of many chief executives who run healthcare trade associations, as they saw their collective annual compensation grow steadily in 2001. E. Ratcliffe Anderson...

The sunshine covenant; Part of hospitals' mission is to share information with patients, public.(Opinions-Commentary)(Editorial)
April 7, 2003... Byline: The Rev. Michael Place Our nation's healthcare system is moving inexorably toward greater openness, transparency and accountability. This movement is in part a response to the demands of patients, payers, legislators and...

In charge of change; CMS' No. 2 executive concentrates on reducing the uninsured, modernizing Medicare.(Healthcare Profile)(Interview)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro and Mark Taylor Ruben King-Shaw Jr. knows that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he is second in command, is something of a black box to healthcare providers. But, he wonders, is the CMS really...

Some simple sales sayings; Sacrifice, discipline, manners, character all part of good salesmanship.(Publisher's Letter)
April 7, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I was asked recently what makes someone successful in sales. This is something I spend a great deal of time thinking about and have a long history with. So here are some tips: First off, success in anything...

Briefly: Hospital News.(HCA completes sale of Health Midwest; Tenent Healthcare Corp. settles lawsuit)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Health Midwest sale OK'd * HCA completed its $1 billion purchase of not-for-profit Health Midwest, Kansas City, Mo., last week, the company said. Nashville-based HCA agreed in November 2002 to pay $1.1 billion for Health Midwest, which...

When soldiers call 'medic!', Miami hospital grads answer.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)
April 7, 2003... A Miami hospital is doing more than its part for the U.S. war effort in Iraq. Since October 2001-just weeks after 9-11-Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center has served as the principal training ground to prepare U.S. Army surgeons,...

Polling questions; Gallup accuses Scully of intimidation, collusion.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' plan to develop a standard patient-satisfaction survey for hospitals mushroomed last week into a federal lawsuit by a major public polling firm that accuses CMS...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
April 14, 2003... ``If it's a public relations war that Richard Scrushy's new lawyers are trying to win, they may want to rethink the battle plan. HealthSouth's founder and former CEO surely didn't earn much sympathy by telling a court that he needs $10 million...

A level playing field; Equal treatment urged for not-for-profits, for-profits.(The Week in Healthcare)(Panel Discussion)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong Not-for-profit hospitals, despite their stated missions to help their communities, should continue to be regulated in the same way that for-profits are, said panelists at the most recent round of healthcare antitrust...

Taxing situation; Ruling endangers tax-exempt status of health plans.(Late News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Not-for-profit health plans might have a harder time justifying their tax-exempt status in the wake of a new federal appeals court decision. A health plan owned by not-for-profit Intermountain Health Care, Salt...

Dodging a bullet; Rulings limit punitive damages, uphold arbitration.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko Health insurers celebrated two key Supreme Court decisions last week that could effectively limit their exposure to financially disastrous lawsuits. The rulings-one that set strict guidelines for limiting...

Still trading jabs; AHA, FAH report cites rapid premium increases.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman The hospital industry last week fired a new shot in the ongoing battle of blame over rising healthcare costs. The bullet came in the form of a report released jointly by the American Hospital Association and the...

Don't mess with VHA; Despite turmoil, Novation won't lie down for GPOs.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker In the month since he was elected, VHA President and Chief Executive Officer Curtis Nonomaque has not been willing to say much, preferring to stay in listening mode as he travels across the country visiting regional...

Barely afloat; HealthSouth scrambles to avoid bankruptcy filing.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski As HealthSouth Corp., Birmingham, Ala., founder Richard Scrushy appeared in federal court last week and prosecutors played a secretly recorded conversation between him and the company's former chief financial...

Not taking over; CMS deputy administrator latest to step down.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Ruben King-Shaw Jr., heir apparent to Tom Scully, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, resigned from his post as the agency's deputy administrator last week in a move that didn't take many by...

Getting back to basics; Treating customers right is the key to success in the long run.(Publisher's Letter)(Editorial)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Good customer service is talked about all the time, but very few companies and organizations really understand what it entails. I know executives who run companies that are doing quite well today but will run into...

Bucking the system; Student group opposes caps on noneconomic damages.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano America's medical students, rocking the boat in youthful rebellion, have announced their collective opposition to caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, a stance that directly contradicts the...

Whose info is it, anyway? As HIPAA provisions take effect, patients may be surprised by the level of confidentiality, intent on exercising new rights.(Cover Story)
April 14, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey A big framed notice greets patients and family members this week at 26 locations throughout the Mercy Health Center network of facilities in Oklahoma City. Inspired by federal decree, the new posters advertise all...

A HIPAA has its day; New privacy mandates may be cumbersome, but they also are necessary.(Opinions-Editorials)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed This is a big week for every U.S. medical provider. HIPAA is no longer the beast braying outside the door. Now it's pushed its way into the waiting room and the back office. This is a...

Distancing himself; HealthSouth CIO sought to escape scheme.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey Kenneth Livesay's promotion to chief information officer of HealthSouth Corp. in 1999 was not just a chance to get ahead but to get away. It turned out that as assistant controller of the Birmingham, Ala.-based...

One insurer's plan to cover everyone; Universal coverage requires universal sacrifice by all segments of society.(Opinions-Commentary)(Editorial)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Bodaken Remember Harry and Louise? They helped torpedo national healthcare reform a decade ago by raising concerns about how the proposed changes might affect ordinary folks. Well, guess what? A national dialogue about...

Late News; Medicaid survives Senate vote.
April 14, 2003... The Senate voted 50-50, with Vice President Dick Cheney breaking a tie, to pass a $2.2 trillion 2004 budget that does not propose major cuts to Medicaid. The budget would authorize $400 billion in new Medicare money from 2004 to 2013 for a...

Front and center; Dems making universal coverage a rallying cry.(Special Report)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong A decade removed from the Clinton healthcare reform debacle, Democrats are once again on the forefront of the push for universal coverage for all Americans. As the number of uninsured continues to climb-hitting 41.2...

Barbakow exits as chairman; Leader will keep CEO title as Tenet Healthcare Corp. struggles to bring in new investors, send a message.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro It's not just Tenet Healthcare Corp.'s hospital portfolio that's getting trimmed. Tenet's top executive is having his job portfolio cut in half, as part of an overhaul of the company's corporate governance that Tenet...

Briefly.(Briefs)
April 14, 2003... Cow heart tissue offers hope * Doctors are using a new procedure to take tissue from a cow heart and patch the hearts of human patients suffering from severe congestive heart failure. The new procedure, called ventricular restoration, uses...

Big savings, big business; Novation's private label helps members pare costs.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Novation is boasting that its controversial private label, Novaplus, experienced its best year ever, saving its hospital members 14%, or more than $1.6 million, from what they would have paid for brand-name products in...

A '100 Top Hospitals' addendum; Statement from Solucient.(Special Feature)
April 14, 2003... Editor's Note: Solucient, an Evanston, Ill.-based healthcare information company, has released a list of 64 additional hospitals that should have been included in the firm's 100 Top Hospitals ranking published late last year. Modern Healthcare...

Medicare a marketing ploy? Firm finds HHS not amused.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(news briefs)
April 14, 2003... HHS' inspector general's office has fined a California company more than $1 million-a record-for deceptive use of the word ``Medicare'' in its advertising and marketing materials. The inspector general alleges U.S. Seminar in La Mesa had...

Tough sell; Voters reject sale of Slidell Memorial Hospital.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro Fearing a loss of competition and feeling that public officials had not consulted them, local voters squelched a bid by Tenet Healthcare Corp. to consolidate the only two hospitals in Slidell, La. Voters rejected...

Smoothing the path; Leapfrog Group eases inpatient facility standards.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 14, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey Hospitals won't have to leap quite as high to attain three ambitious but controversial patient-safety goals promoted by the Leapfrog Group as factors in choosing one facility over another. The Washington-based...

Targeting the middlemen; Pharmacy benefits managers under fire for prices.(Medical Advances)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker As the anonymous middlemen known as pharmacy benefits managers increasingly move into the limelight, Express Scripts has reported that during the past three years it had received $2.48 billion in rebates and...

Universal appeal; Although there's strong consensus on the need to provide healthcare coverage for all Americans, that's where the agreement ends.(Special Report)(universal health care coverage debates in US)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko Gov. John Baldacci has set out to insure every man, woman and child in Maine-and he's not wasting any time. In January, Baldacci's first executive act as the Pine Tree State's new governor was to create a...

One call not to put on hold; When it comes to IT, healthcare CEOs may want to hear what experts have to say.(Publisher's Letter)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I was talking the other day with the chief executive of one of the largest healthcare information technology companies. The man seems to know his stuff, and he says he has a vision for our industry. He told me he...

In the spotlight.(News Makers)(two health care industry appointment news briefs)
April 21, 2003... * WakeMed, Raleigh, N.C., has chosen Bill Atkinson to be president and CEO of the two-campus, 726-bed system effective July 1. Atkinson, 49, is president and CEO of New Hanover Health Network, Wilmington, N.C. He will replace Raymond Champ, 62,...

Nearly finished; Merger probes should be done in a few months.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor One year after the Federal Trade Commission announced it would review previously consummated hospital mergers, the antitrust regulatory agency has yet to announce an enforcement action. Speaking earlier this month...

Wild and crazy at HHS; Accusations, insults, resignations obscure policy initiatives.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed It's been a dramatic time recently at HHS. Usually we expect such upheaval from activist Democrats, but now it's Republicans causing all the fuss. And no, I am not referring to a...

Two exit HCA board; Shareholder proposes pay cut for chairman, CEO.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro HCA said two directors are leaving its board and a shareholder has asked Jack Bovender Jr., HCA's chairman and chief executive officer, to volunteer to discuss with the board's compensation committee ways to cut his...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 21, 2003... ``How we as a society treat our most vulnerable citizens speaks volumes about our core values. Today those values are being tested by the state budget proposal to eliminate Medicaid funding for adult dental services, including treatment for...

Cashing in; 49 states, D.C. to benefit from fraud settlement.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor As states face massive budget deficits and slash beneficiaries, Medicaid programs from 49 cash-strapped states and Washington will receive nearly $150 million from the largest Medicaid fraud settlement to date. ...

Briefly: Beltway News.(The Week in Healthcare)(healthcare industry legislative news briefs)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Scully defends survey process * CMS Administrator Tom Scully told Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) last week that the agency's development of a patient satisfaction survey has been on the level, despite accusations suggesting otherwise by the...

Briefly: Earnings.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Universal sees 16% growth * Universal Health Services last week reported nearly 16% growth in profits for the first quarter-to $52.8 million, or 84 cents a share, from $45.7 million, or 71 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. The King...

Texas docs led by old political hand.(News Makers)(Charles Bailey Jr. to lead Texas Medical Association)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Charles Bailey Jr., a third-generation Texas physician with deep roots in the Lone Star state's political power structure-his father once cared for President Lyndon Johnson-is the new president of the Texas Medical Association. Bailey,...

Trust challenged; AHA considers involvement in charitable trust fight.(The Week in Healthcare)(American Hospital Association)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly At the urging of one of its larger hospital system members, the American Hospital Association is considering whether to step into a growing fray over charitable trust challenges by state attorneys general. ...

Technically brilliant; Inaugural award honors execs who promote IT.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... George Vecchione, president and chief executive officer of Lifespan healthcare system in Providence, R.I., and Pete Velez, executive director of Elmhurst (N.Y.) Hospital Center and senior vice president of Queens Healthcare Network, are the...

Culture clash; Norton, university end plans for joint cancer facility.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano In the end, the clash of two different cultures scuttled an ambitious plan for a new cancer hospital jointly operated by Norton Healthcare and neighboring University of Louisville. The Louisville, Ky., healthcare...

Late News.(healthcare industry news briefs)
April 21, 2003... Three former executives at HealthSouth Corp., Birmingham, Ala., invoked their right to avoid self-incrimination and refused to answer scores of questions posed by attorneys for company founder and former Chief Executive Officer Richard Scrushy....

Price check; Urged by union, CalPERS investigates alleged overpricing at Sutter's Northern Calif. hospitals.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko While federal investigators pry deeper into Tenet Healthcare Corp.'s aggressive billing tactics, the California Public Employees' Retirement System has launched its own investigation into alleged overpricing by...

Pros and cons of certificates; American Health Planning Association directory suggests that certificate-of-need process is regulatory in theory, not in practice.(Cover Story)(Cover Story)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano State lawmakers chipped away at certificate-of-need laws last year, diluting the impact of the controversial guidelines in eight states and repealing any oversight at all on hospital expansion projects in Missouri,...

Corrections & Clarifications.(The Week in Healthcare)(Correction Notice)
April 21, 2003... * Modern Healthcare's electronic newsletter, the Daily Dose, reported on April 14 that the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles requested information about Medicare outlier payments at 19 Tenet hospitals. Tenet publicly disclosed the inquiry...

A hole in the homeland defense; Fixated on smallpox, U.S. is unprepared for a more likely terror threat.(Opinions-Commentary)(Editorial)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Arthur Kellerman Our nation's terrorism threat level until last week stood at code orange, but in our nation's emergency rooms the threat level is code red. While huge sums are being spent to strengthen America's capacity to...

More trouble; Tenet receives civil subpoena over doc contracts.(Late News)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro Tenet Healthcare Corp. said it received a civil subpoena from HHS' inspector general's office seeking documents from the company's headquarters and five of its hospitals in California and Nevada. Tenet said the...

Looking into the future; Predictions don't always come true, but hospitals still must look ahead as aging boomers, booming technology require new solutions.(Special Report)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro Thirty years ago, who imagined scores of specialty surgical hospitals competing with acute-care facilities? Twenty years ago, who imagined hospitals with all private rooms? Ten years ago, who imagined hospitals...

What's good for the goose ... Scrutinized Consorta gives suppliers code of conduct.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Tit for tat, at least one group purchasing organization under antitrust scrutiny is now turning up the heat on its suppliers. Consorta, a Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based GPO whose shareholders are faith-based or...

Briefly: Hospitals.(The Week in Healthcare)(several hospital news briefs)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Deals still in decline * Hospital merger-and-acquisition activity continued to decline in 2002, with only 58 announced deals involving 101 hospitals, according to healthcare research and publishing company Irving Levin Associates. The...

Malpractice crisis heads north, hits baseball team.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(multiple health care industry news briefs)
April 21, 2003... The incredibly expanding medical malpractice insurance crisis, once limited to 12 states in the U.S., has crossed America's northern border, pushing relentlessly into Canada, where even a universal health system cannot fully protect physicians...

Savings plan; Debate over Medicare privatization picks up steam.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman With the war in Iraq winding down, some lawmakers last week turned their attention to domestic matters, including Medicare reform, re-igniting the debate that began a month ago when President Bush proposed a radical...

Internal overhaul; Legislation proposed to reform Slidell Memorial board.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic A Louisiana lawmaker has drafted legislation to overhaul the governance of Slidell (La.) Memorial Hospital, after voters earlier this month rejected a proposed sale of the public hospital to Tenet Healthcare...

Life support; Bipartisan legislation could help rural hospitals.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Rural hospital advocates are hopeful that a bill introduced in Congress earlier this month will take some pressure off small, rural facilities that often are paid less than their urban counterparts. Under the...

On the move...(News Makers)(multiple appointments in the health care industry)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Jane Henney, who was commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration during the last years of the Clinton administration, will take over the top job at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in July. Henney, 56, succeeds Donald Harrison,...

Not so special; Doc ownership in specialty hospitals scrutinized by healthcare panel.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 21, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong Specialty hospitals have a long history in this country, but only recently have doctors shared in the ownership of such facilities, and that has many general acute-care hospitals worried. In the midst of increased...

You have the power ... ... to rank the healthcare industry's 100 movers and shakers for 2003.(The Week in Healthcare)(Editorial)
April 28, 2003... Byline: David Burda, Editor Is your power fleeting? Or is it here to stay? Find out later this year in our Aug. 25 issue when we rank the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare for 2003. More precisely, when you rank them. This year,...

In the hole; Creditors file $5.2 billion in claims against NCFE.(Late News)(National Century Financial Enterprises)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic More than 660 claims totaling at least $5.2 billion have been filed against bankrupt National Century Financial Enterprises, shedding more light on the extent of the firm's alleged debts. Last week marked...

Notes from the lobbying front; AHA's rumored Medicaid retaliation, a ranking stir the pot in the Beltway.(Washington View)(American Hospital Association)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman In lobbying, as in all pursuits, it's almost always a bad idea to bite the hand that feeds you. That's why the healthcare industry's Beltway crowd was somewhat baffled last month when reports surfaced that the American...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Iowa is last in Medicare reimbursements per beneficiary)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 28, 2003... ``It's no surprise that the very bureaucrats who helped create and perpetuate the complicated, convoluted formula that cheats Iowa out of Medicare payments would defend the formula. During a Senate Finance Committee field hearing in Des Moines,...

Crisis solved? Consultant says solution lies in Tort Claims Act.(The Week in Healthcare)(Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano In the absence of sweeping changes in tort laws, a lone healthcare consultant is proposing a unique way to solve the so-called crisis in physicians' insurance costs-at least for a small portion of America's doctors....

Skipping the hospital; Implant campaign goes straight to the patient.(The Week in Healthcare)(DePuy is running TV ads for Imagin Knee Solutions)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Ask your neighbor, or perhaps your doctor, about choosing a knee implant, but a new advertising campaign by an implant maker does not dare suggest that your hospital may have an opinion. DePuy, a Johnson & Johnson...

Two big insurers post profits.(Late News)(WellPoint Health Networks and Aetna are the insurers)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko WellPoint Health Networks and Aetna posted better-than-expected first-quarter profits, while WellChoice, the parent of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said tax payments in its first quarter as an investor-owned...

Gephardt's opening shot; More Dem hopefuls likely to offer insurance solutions.(The Week in Healthcare)(Democratic House member Richard Gephardt)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong Get ready for more. As Democratic presidential candidate Richard Gephardt unveiled his plans for universal health coverage last week, political observers said many more proposals taking aim at the uninsured will be...

Feeble giants; Despite the corporate heft of their parent companies, Amicore, Xceleron highlight the complexities of storming an entrenched info-tech market.(The Edge)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano When drug giant Pfizer teamed with fellow corporate heavyweights IBM and Microsoft to create a new practice-management product for doctors 18 months ago, the news sent shudders through a fragmented and fiercely...

Thompson fulfills pledge in rebuilding of Afghan hospital.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson helps open Rabia Balkhi Women's Hospital)
April 28, 2003... Although by cable news standards the war in Afghanistan may be ancient history, the battle to restore basic services to that ravaged land continues. That's what had HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson in Kabul last week, where he helped to open the...

The docs are in charge; Physician executives branch out to lead a diverse array of institutions.(Opinions-Commentary)
April 28, 2003... Byline: James Casanova Some say the idea of a physician executive is an oxymoron. Others insist physician executives are the natural choice to hold key leadership positions in healthcare. Despite the differing opinions, physician...

Show me; System will challenge Missouri's CON law.(The Week in Healthcare)(Saint Luke's Health System)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski In the latest example of providers and state officials facing off to control healthcare construction, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon last week appealed a judge's approval of plans by Saint Luke's Health...

California plan gets price tag.(The Week in Healthcare)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko California's 6.6 million uninsured residents could receive basic medical coverage if the state's total healthcare spending increased by $7.8 billion, according to a study released last week by Blue Shield of...