Modern Healthcare articles from December 2003

Modern Healthcare archives from December 2003

Rating adjustment; Moody's ponders corporate rules for not-for-profits.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic Moody's Investors Service may consider extending its new corporate governance ratings to not-for-profit hospitals and health systems, Modern Healthcare has learned. Moody's announced in August that it would...

Beyond the rhetoric; Exploring some of the myths of a huge Medicare reform measure.(Opinions-Editorials)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed Has there ever been a piece of legislation as mythologized as the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003? The answer, of course, is yes. Even last...

Weapon of debt reconstruction; Ohio hospital hopes to stay open after filing second Chapter 11.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor A financially troubled Ohio hospital is hoping Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection will save it for the second time in four years. Cleveland's only for-profit hospital, 212-bed Deaconess Hospital, filed for Chapter 11...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... "The latest news out of Congress is that in order to pass their spendthrift energy and Medicare bills, the Republican leadership is resorting to still more spending, especially sweetheart projects for members. Does anyone else notice a theme...

New Jersey experiment; Eight hospitals will participate in CMS 'gainsharing' project, in which doctors can earn bonuses of up to 25% on Medicare fees.
December 1, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker The New Jersey Hospital Association has cobbled together an ambitious, controversial and financially risky experiment that aims to realign the competing economic interests of hospitals and doctors that, according to...

Performance pay on the way; 279 hospitals in Premier, CMS project; Scully hints at expansion.
December 1, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Hospital alliance Premier came up 21 hospitals short of expectations when it closed enrollment last week for the groundbreaking pay-for-performance demonstration project it launched last July with the CMS. But CMS...

Grudge match; With a new CT heart scan gaining acclaim, radiologists and cardiologists are ready to go to the mat again in battle over control of the procedure.(Special Report)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Haunted by a family history of heart disease and uneasily facing his 50th birthday, Alan Muney couldn't resist the offer to undergo a cardiac computed tomography test that his employer, Oxford Health Plans, in most...

Group crusades against how TV shows portray nurses' role.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)
December 1, 2003... With the potential to influence millions of TV viewers, fictional dramas such as NBC's "ER'' should take care to portray healthcare professions more accurately, some advocates believe. Instead, the show's depiction of nursing as a...

Readers talk back to Lauer.(Publisher's Letter)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer On "He's the man'' (Nov. 17, p. 24) about former Henry Ford Health System Chief Executive Officer Gail Warden and his example for other leaders: What a wonderful Publisher's Letter. Gail is an icon not only of...

The architecture of reform; How design of imaging facilities can be template for a new health system.(Opinions-Commentary)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Bill Rostenberg Most proposals for health system reform in the past decade have focused on rationing care rather than delivering it more efficiently. Therefore, they have not reduced costs. What we call the healthcare crisis is...

After the storm; Medicare bill foes vow to overturn provisions.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong Before the president even had a chance to sign the sweeping Medicare reform bill Congress handed him last week, opponents were vowing to fight some provisions that won't take effect for years, raising questions about the...

Late News.
December 1, 2003... Bankrupt firm gets 2nd chance Bankrupt Doctors Community Healthcare Corp., Scottsdale, Ariz., was granted the right to try to buy back four hospitals it is managing under debtor-in-possession provisions, including 303-bed Greater Southeast...

Providers prevail; Two healthcare organizations win Baldrige prize.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski Two not-for-profit hospitals last week became the latest healthcare providers to win the nation's highest honor for quality achievement, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, administered by the U.S....

Acting the part; As HHS' interim IG, Corrigan says she's able to use every skill she's ever developed in her leading role.(Healthcare Profile Dara Corrigan)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Dara Corrigan, HHS' acting principal deputy inspector general, knows how to build bridges and mend fences. She's even skilled at chaining herself to a flagpole. These disparate skills-and 12 years of fraud-fighting...

Pensions cut deep; After years of reduced or eliminated pension fund contributions, hospitals are being forced to pay up.
December 8, 2003... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic After swallowing rising costs for labor, malpractice insurance and supplies, hospitals are facing another new expense: pension deficits. After years of "funding holidays'' in which hospitals and healthcare...

Profits first; JCAHO execs rewarded for subsidiary's success.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 8, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey An emphasis on profitability during the past two years paid off in monetary recognition for the top echelon of executives at the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and its...

Listing their top concerns.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly Reimbursement tops the list of concerns of healthcare chief executive officers, far surpassing quality and patient safety, according to a new survey by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Even after...

CHA sees red for third year.(The Week in Healthcare)(Catholic Health Association)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly As the Catholic Health Association spent more on assemblies and off-site meetings for members and gave officers and directors healthy pay raises, the association reported a loss for the third consecutive year,...

Trust bust; Greed and illegal actions dominate corporate world, but we know the solutions.(Publisher's Letter)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I got into a discussion the other day with my good friend Tony Alibrio about some of the elements of a civilized society that seem to be in short supply these days, such as character, empathy and ethics. Tony knows...

Hitting bottom; The JCAHO's profits plummet after 2 record years.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 8, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey After two years of record profits, the bottom line of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations bottomed out in 2002 as falling revenue from its principal business of quality evaluation failed...

Shrinking technology; Nanotechnology holds the promise of spectacular medical advances, including a cure for cancer, but critics warn of dire consequences.(Medical Advances)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Joe Mantone One of the hottest trends in research laboratories worldwide involves studies being conducted on the nanoscale. The nanotechnology industry focuses on finding small (very small) solutions to some of society's...

Hasta la vista--for now; Will Schwarzenegger's move terminate policy plans?(The Week in Healthcare)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent order to halt all pending state regulations has thrown into question the future of several healthcare-related laws, including first-in-the-nation mandates governing...

Support for scans; Studies present strong case for CT screening.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker CT, the workhorse of radiology, took center stage at last week's 89th Annual Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America as two separate studies presented compelling cases for...

A new former title; Scully--regulator, cheerleader, cowboy--to quit as CMS chief before implementing reform bill.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Thomas A. Scully)(Biography)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong and Jeff Tieman Whoever replaces outgoing CMS Administrator Tom Scully as the master of Medicare has no small job ahead. His successor will preside over implementation of the most sweeping changes to Medicare in four...

Northeast.(Regional News)
December 8, 2003... NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.-Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center said last week that it had reached an agreement to pay Ascension Health a $5 million lump-sum payment to end a legal dispute over debt related to the failed partnership between Niagara...

DaVita faces the music at rock hall of fame.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(healthcare news)
December 8, 2003... Outliers has to wonder, what is it about troubled healthcare companies and rock 'n' roll? Last year, Richard Scrushy, lead singer of Proxy, but better known as the indicted founder of HealthSouth Corp., fronted his band at Fortune's Battle of...

Going public; For first time, AMA discloses new boss' pay.(The Week in Healthcare)(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano The American Medical Association paid about $2.6 million in compensation, benefits and expenses to its top executive, former presidents and members of its governing board of trustees in 2002, according to the annual...

In the spotlight.(News Makers)(Mission Hospitals)(Brief Article)(Biography)
December 8, 2003... Robert Burgin, president and CEO of Mission Hospitals, Asheville, N.C., will retire at the end of 2004 after more than 23 years at the helm of the two-hospital system. Burgin, 63, became president and CEO of Memorial Mission Hospital in...

Corrections, Clarifications.(The Week in Healthcare)(Correction Notice)
December 8, 2003... * A Nov. 3 article on the proposed merger of Anthem and WellPoint Health Networks (p. 6) incorrectly stated that WellChoice, New York, planned to remain independent and had adopted provisions to prevent a takeover. The for-profit parent of...

Operators are owning up; While hospital management firms say they don't target their clients for acquisition, such deals can make sense once conflicts are addressed.(Special Report)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro When board Chairman Earl Jones describes the physical state of Good Hope Hospital, there is little doubt what prompted the board to seek state approval to build a replacement for its Erwin, N.C., facility. The...

Physician advocate dies.(News Makers)(Obituary)
December 8, 2003... Bob LeBow, former president of Physicians for a National Health Program, died late last month in Boise, Idaho, from the effects of a 2002 bicycle accident. LeBow, 63, was medical director of three community health clinics in Idaho,...

Bigger and better; Modern Healthcare and Modern Physician join forces to serve readers.(Editorial)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer, Vice president and publisher of Modern Healthcare and Modern Physician It gives me great pleasure to announce that effective Jan. 1, 2004, Crain Communications, the parent corporation of Modern Healthcare and its...

Opening the lines of communication; CDC program helps involve reporters in the fight to promote public health.(Opinions-Commentary)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski The need for strong and accurate public health reporting has never been greater. How closely U.S. healthcare and public health systems partner together-ultimately in tandem with journalists and the media-will...

Late News.
December 8, 2003... Medical errors' causes traced Thousands of medical errors per year are attributable to the mishandling of a few types of drugs, miscommunication among hospital caregivers and misidentification of patients, according to data to be released...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... "Legislation authorizing a prescription drug benefit ranks as the most sweeping expansion of Medicare since the program's 1965 birth. The Bush White House promoted a drug plan. Congressional partisans debated the merits of competing Democratic...

Governance rehab; Judge tells HealthSouth to cut board members.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski A Delaware judge gave HealthSouth Corp. shareholders a victory last week when he directed the rehabilitation company to remove several long-standing board members and convene a long overdue shareholder meeting. ...

West.(Regional News)
December 8, 2003... MODESTO, Calif.-Tim Joslin, chief executive officer of Doctors Medical Center said last week he has filed a defamation lawsuit against Blue Cross of California, claiming that the state's largest health insurer damaged the 391-bed hospital's...

South.(lease of Triad hospitals inc., Federal Trade Commission cases and remedies, new buildings and facilities, Texas, Alabama, Maryland)
December 8, 2003... HOUSTON-An independent practice association affiliated with Memorial Hermann Healthcare System will cease certain negotiating practices under a consent agreement reached last month with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC said the...

Midwest.(Cleveland bankruptcy case, Deaconess Hospital)
December 8, 2003... CLEVELAND-Mayor Jane Campbell and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week to order the reopening of 212-bed Deaconess Hospital, which closed late last month. In a 28-page friend-of-the-court brief, Kucinich...

On the move...(News Makers)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Talk about longevity: Robert Drisner, 65, is stepping down after 34 years with Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls, Wis. He started as president of the hospital in 1969 and added the title of president of parent Community Health Care...

Excellence abounds; Sodexho honors providers that go the extra mile.(Special Feature)
December 15, 2003... Byline: David Burda, editor Modern Healthcare congratulates the winners and runners-up of this year's Spirit of Excellence Awards, co-sponsored by Sodexho Health Care Services, an Avon, Conn.-based health services company. This year's...

Hospital on the block; HHS agrees to sale of troubled Tenet facility to avoid its exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Tenet Healthcare Corp. last week became the first company to announce the sale of a hospital to avoid its exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid. Tenet announced that it planned to sell its troubled 238-bed Redding...

Hospital says, 'Go ahead, walk that mile for a Camel'.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(health care industry)
December 15, 2003... Secondhand smoke harms patients, even if it's just wafting from the hair and clothes of those tending to them, says one hospital administrator who wants to put an end to the perceived health risk at his facility. And maybe even whip his...

Position of power; Prosecutor picked to lead troubled Detroit system.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Michael Duggan may be the first county prosecutor to head a major urban health system, but he's not the only nonhealthcare executive to assume a hospital leadership post. Last week, the board of 10-hospital Detroit...

Calls to reform the reform; Democrats set out on difficult task: amending law.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong Even as President Bush signed Medicare reform into law last week, Democrats launched another round of legislative volleys to eliminate major provisions they said would harm seniors. If they are successful-and that's a big...

Nursing students build skills, confidence; Program gives interns opportunity to expand their acute-care skills.(The Week in Healthcare)(Nurses training program conducted by Eastern Connecticut Health Network and University of Connecticut's School of Nursing)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Increases in older and sicker patients paired with decreases in patient discharge times and staffing levels have noticeably increased the stress levels of registered nurses in acute-care settings, particularly those early...

Late News.
December 15, 2003... Spending growth slows Healthcare spending growth slowed to its lowest level in three years as insured patients passed up increasingly costly care when faced with higher copayments and deductibles, according to a study by the Center for...

Why healthcare is issue No. 1; A plan to cover the uninsured while giving the economy a needed boost.(Opinions-Commentary)(health care industry)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Dick Gephardt In 1972, my 2-year-old son Matt was diagnosed with what doctors said was terminal cancer. My wife, Jane, and I were told he probably wouldn't live six weeks. In the end, we were among the most fortunate in more ways...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... "(Tom) Scully... could not have scored more money had he hit the lottery.... Scully guided Congress in putting the complex new Medicare legislation together. Now... Scully is being courted by at least five private employers, all of which are...

Briefly: Hospital News.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Hospital workforce rises * The number of workers in hospitals rose by 7,900 in November to about 4.2 million employees, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some 64,800 more...

A well-oiled ER; Streamlined emergency room procedures improve everyone's satisfaction.(Special Feature)(emergency room, Cape Canaveral Hospital,Cocoa Beach, Florida)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Three years ago, the emergency department at 150-bed Cape Canaveral Hospital hit bottom, ranking in the 12th percentile on the national Press Ganey Associates customer-satisfaction survey. The morale of physicians and...

Owning their own; Plan to sell Cambio to employees announced.(Late News)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Vince Galloro For most of its 14-year existence, Cambio Health Solutions has been a consulting firm trapped inside bricks-and-mortar companies, but the Brentwood, Tenn., turnaround consultants have been set free. Quorum Health...

Settlement in California; Hospital accused of admitting patient to evade law.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor A recent California patient-dumping settlement may be the first in which a hospital allegedly admitted a patient with an emergency condition in order to circumvent the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor...

The peak of construction; After years of stagnant hospital growth, Colorado sees boom in healthcare construction as enterprising companies pan for gold.
December 15, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano With its spectacular panoramas and laid-back lifestyle, Denver's ever-expanding metropolitan area has enjoyed an explosion of population growth over the past dozen years, triggering an unprecedented building boom in...

HealthSouth appeals made.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski US. Attorney Alice Martin's office last week appealed the sentences of five former HealthSouth Corp. executives, arguing the punishments were too lenient. "We will appeal the court's sentences for these...

Wait 'til next year; Congress doesn't pass funding bill but extends benefits for mental health patients.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Tony Fong Congress left town for the year last week without completing a delayed 2004 omnibus appropriations bill but did manage to pass a one-year extension of legislation that mandates equal health benefits for mental health...

Camp promotes healthy lifestyle.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Youth from low-income families in Braddock, Pa., face myriad health-related challenges, ranging from poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles perched in front of video games, to anxiety produced by gunfire on their...

Team effort heads off mutiny.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Julie Holt, director of patient services at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, was walking through the parking garage on her way into work about two years ago. "One of the (registered nurses) from night shift was coming...

Mobile office serves homeless, immigrants; Hospital's outreach program provides preventive, primary care to needy.(The Week in Healthcare)(St. Joseph Medical Center)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Bill Gough remembers a Latino father of two who could not work because of a back injury that led to curvature of the spine-and excruciating pain. The man, a recent immigrant, had tried unsuccessfully to receive care at...

Exemption denied; Wisconsin clinic loses property tax appeal.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor A tax case decided last week by a Wisconsin appeals court could lead to increased conflict between not-for-profit healthcare organizations and the municipalities where they are located. The 728-physician Marshfield...

Flailing in California; Healthcare due to suffer as Schwarzenegger faces realities of governing.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed Poor Ahnold. The former Mr. Universe, who used to outmuscle other bodybuilders, bench-press Hollywood producers and manhandle his female co-stars is finding his new reality show a tough...

Living on 'The Edge'; Book discusses how our attitudes can affect our personal, professional lives.(Publisher's Letter)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I was standing in line at the hotel headquarters of a healthcare conference a few years ago when I overheard a conversation between two senior executives. They were talking about the problems confronting the...

Wait reduction; Indiana hospital eases anxiety for mammography patients.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Columbus (Ind.) Regional Hospital in 1995 built the Breast Health Center to offer improved mammography screening. While women liked the state-of-the-art facility, focus group research showed the 256-bed hospital was still...

The HEAT is on.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel In two years, Parma (Ohio) Community General Hospital's emergency department cut diversion hours by 33%, the average length of stay for treat-and-release patients by 39%, and the number of patients leaving without being...

Turnover down, satisfaction up.(Special Feature)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Byline: Ed Finkel Reduced employee turnover and increased patient satisfaction have been key indicators of the success of Lexington Medical Center's campaign to create and sustain a culture of service excellence. Turnover at the...

Editor's Note.(By The Numbers)
December 22, 2003... Byline: David May Money. Speed. Quantity. Quality. So many aspects of daily life are best expressed in numbers. And nowhere is this truer than in healthcare, whether it's a clinical department of a hospital, a physician's office or the...

Gallup survey a shot in arm for the nursing profession.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(Donations of Radiological Society of North America, innovations of Robert Whitmer)
December 22, 2003... Nursing may be a profession in flux today, what with the staffing crisis, the California ratio law and low pay and morale in some quarters. But the public holds nurses in higher regard than all other occupations, a recent survey found. A...

Docs take a deep breath; $3 billion payment cut averted as they win slight raise; problems remain.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano To listen to the hearty praise of groups like the American Medical Association, the $395 billion Medicare reform package is the best thing for physicians and their patients since penicillin. In addition to...

Marketing Medicare; Legislation would force federal program to compete with private sector.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko Even as the nation's managed-care plans gear up to take on what could become a dominant role in the future of Medicare, Congress' effort to introduce market competition into the government-run program for seniors...

Hospitals' holiday wishes come true; Behind the drug benefit is a lot of help for hospitals, especially rural providers.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly As hospital officials combed through the provisions of the Medicare reform bill signed earlier this month by President Bush, they discovered there was a piece of the pie for just about everybody in the sweeping...

PBMs get new role; Seen as key to drug cost control under new benefit.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)(pharmacy benefit managers)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Congress has entrusted the crown jewel of its Medicare reform plan-the new prescription drug benefit-to a group of shadowy middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, giving them a unique opportunity to re-invent...

2003: Year in Review; The stories that shaped shook healthcare.(Special Report)
December 22, 2003... JANUARY The big story... The U.S. Justice Department filed a $323 million civil Medicare fraud lawsuit against Tenet Healthcare Corp., marking another escalation of the legal problems befalling the nation's second-largest for-profit...

Flawed program needs fixing.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Bill Vaughan At the turn of the 18th century, Rep. John Randolph of Virginia said of Rep. Edward Livingston of New York, "Like rotten mackerel by moonlight, he shines and stinks.'' That's a good description of the new Medicare...

Pointing the way forward; For some, a little help is needed in finding a true calling.(Publisher's Letter)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Occasionally I get calls from friends asking me to give advice to someone about his or her future. Often the person they want me to speak with is their son or daughter. I enjoy these conversations because I have...

2003: a year of action; From Medicare reform to Scrushy's indictment, the talking led to doing.(Opinions-Editorials)(Column)
December 22, 2003... Byline: David Burda Editor When we look back at the year in healthcare, we should remember 2003 as a year of action. All too often, the year is marked by the release of dozens of white papers put together by blue-ribbon task forces. And...

Charity under fire? Providers say regs prevent them from giving care.(The Week in Healthcare)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly When Joseph Swedish considered expanding his hospital system's programs to help uninsured patients pay their bills, the president and chief executive officer of Centura Health said he realized that a plan to offer...

Late News.
December 22, 2003... Humana to acquire Ochsner plan Humana, Louisville, Ky., agreed to acquire 188,000-member Ochsner Health Plan from Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The addition of Louisiana's third-largest...

In need of counsel; Tenet expected to name new general counsel.(Late News)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Tenet Healthcare Corp. plans to name HHS' Deputy General Counsel E. Peter Urbanowicz as its general counsel, Modern Healthcare learned. Washington sources said they expected Urbanowicz, 39, to be hired by Dec. 31 to...

Briefly: Hospital Deals.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... Tenet to close Philly facility * Tenet Healthcare Corp. said last week that it would close Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia by March 31, 2004, because the hospital has sustained losses as high as $5 million per...

Opening door to choices.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Karen Ignagni A complex piece of legislation always generates controversy, and that's certainly true of the Medicare prescription drug bill. But now that the ink is dry, it's clear that the new law is good news for Medicare...

Moving on; St. Vincent president to step down next month.(The Week in Healthcare)(Column)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker After four difficult years trying to integrate a complex merger, David Campbell said last week that he was stepping aside as president and chief executive officer of eight-hospital St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers...

Killer credentials; In wake of nurse accused of killing patient, the health system wrestles with balancing shortage, ineffectual reference process.(health care industry)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker In the past two years Somerset Medical Center has sunk $12 million into a state-of-the art clinical information system to ensure patient safety, which has been alarmingly tied by two national studies in recent weeks to...

Providers get help in caring.(ABCDs of Medicare Reform)(health care industry to get government funding)
December 22, 2003... Byline: Rick Pollack In countless articles, political speeches-even TV ads-the American people are told what the Medicare bill means for them. But to understand the effects of this bill, all one needs to do is walk into a hospital. See...

Guarding against IV errors; Software alerts nurses to potentially harmful mistakes in drug dosages.(The Edge)(intravenous)
December 22, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey In just two weeks, a computerized double-check of intravenous drug doses programmed by nurses discovered a potentially harmful miscalculation 28 times-alerting caregivers before they could send overdoses coursing...