Modern Healthcare articles from February 2009

Modern Healthcare archives from February 2009

Annual health IT survey open.(By the Numbers)
February 2, 2009... The 19th annual Modern Healthcare/Modern Physician Survey of Executive Opinions on Key Information Technology Issues is open for participation. This survey analyzes opinions of senior healthcare executives to understand the benefits of...

When Attorneys General Attack; Memorial Hermann settlement in Texas part of trend of top law enforcement officials turning their scopes on healthcare.
February 2, 2009... Byline: Gregg Blesch New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo runs what he calls a Health Care Industry Taskforce, which his Web site says exists to deliver "innovative, high-intensity, high-impact and high-speed advocacy'' and "model,...

Attorneys General crack down.(List)
February 2, 2009... California Jerry Brown Filed motion in federal court to halt $8 billion in prison hospital construction and return control of the prison healthcare to the state from federal receivership; rejected two proposed for-profit buyers of...

SCHIP bill may omit referral ban; AHA hoping for House-Senate conference on bill.(The Week In Healthcare)(Report)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Physician-owned hospitals may have dodged yet another bullet. It appears that a provision seeking to ban physician self-referral to hospitals in which they have an ownership interest will not make it into the...

Who will get more? Lawmakers divided on splitting Medicaid increase.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are steeling for a fight over how an increase in federal Medicaid dollars, carved out in two Congressional economic stimulus packages, will get dispersed to states left reeling by the...

Muni bond boost; Incentives for buying tax-exempt debt part of bill.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans The massive economic stimulus package that cleared the U.S. House last week offers some aid for healthcare borrowers shut out of municipal bond markets. The $819 billion bill, which passed 244 to 188 along party...

Rewiring the VA; decision to use outside contractors to replace key pieces of vaunted VistA IT system draws criticism from experts, original architects.(Special Report)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Joseph Conn Much of the attention of the healthcare industry over the past several weeks has been focused on Washington and the various proposals before Congress to boost the faltering economy, including spending billions of...

Prone to error; DME billing faces greater scrutiny from feds.(durable medical equipment)(Strictly Finance)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Gregg Blesch This year, the CMS promises to take a harder look at the random sample of records it reviews to estimate how many flawed claims Medicare pays for durable medical equipment, or DME, spurred by a report indicating its...

Take MBA survey.(By the Numbers)
February 2, 2009... Modern Healthcare is conducting its seventh-annual survey of business graduate schools that offer programs targeting physician-executives. Interested institutions must offer long-distance learning programs that award MBAs or similar...

So who are you? In dispute with UHW-West, SEIU taps new reps.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Hospital administrators across California were forced to abruptly amend their union contact lists last week because one the state's largest healthcare unions, United Healthcare Workers-West, is undergoing an adverse...

Fla. hit hard by Medicaid cuts; over $100 million in reduced reimbursement OK'd.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Florida lawmakers have dealt another blow to hospitals in the state, stripping out $101 million in state Medicaid funding from the current-year budget on the heels of a previous $150 million reduction. Like scores...

Boosting service; insurers respond to downturn with tailored coverage packages for companies.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely At a time when major health insurers are facing declining enrollment in employer-sponsored plans, several are rolling out the red carpet with new tailored coverage packages in an attempt to hold onto valuable...

Other Voices.(Opinion)
February 2, 2009... "The more we dig into the... `stimulus bill,' the more amazing discoveries we make. Namely, Democrats have apparently decided that the way to gun the economy is to spend even more on healthcare. This is notable because if there has been one...

Trying to be heard; doc-owned hospitals worried about FAH's priorities.(Federation of American Hospitals)(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond For years, physician-owned hospital advocates have said they could make a stronger case for the value of these facilities if they had a larger contingent, and, subsequently, a louder voice on Capitol Hill. On a...

On the Move...(Newsmakers)
February 2, 2009... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS West Penn Allegheny Health System, Pittsburgh, named Dawn Gideon to the newly created role of executive vice president and chief of hospital operations. Gideon joined the struggling system in April 2008 as president and...

Northeast.(Regional News)
February 2, 2009... TURNERSVILLE, N.J.-Kennedy Memorial Hospitals-University Medical Center, Cherry Hill, N.J., unveiled a $13.4 million surgical department expansion at its Washington Township campus in Turnersville. The 155-bed campus of the 482-bed hospital is...

South.(Regional News)
February 2, 2009... RICHMOND, Texas-OakBend Medical Center said that the CMS decided to award it a full Medicare inpatient update for fiscal 2009 after initially denying the funds because of problems with its quality data. OakBend, like more than 60 other...

West.(Regional News)
February 2, 2009... OAKLAND, Calif.-As many as half of California hospital buildings at risk of earthquake damage or collapse won't meet state construction mandates because of changing economic conditions and other factors, according to a new policy brief from the...

Here comes the Sunshine; lawmakers eye physician-owned GPOs for reporting.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea If lawmakers have their way, group-purchasing organizations will be among the companies required to report any ownership interest or payments that they provide to doctors, according to new draft legislation for the...

Late News.
February 2, 2009... Fitch reaffirms negative outlook on not-for-profit hospitals Fitch Ratings reiterated its negative outlook for not-for-profit hospitals as the nation's recession deepens and the credit crunch drags on. The agency lowered its outlook from...

A true security blanket; while businesses walk tightrope in recessive economy, healthcare still has safety net.(Opinion)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Neil McLoughlin Notes on the news: As the nation spirals into economic calamity, it's hard to find any rays of hope or cheer. But healthcare industry executives and employees can take some comfort in the fact that their...

Looking for some insurance? They can get it for you retail.(Outliers)
February 2, 2009... As the economy slows and consumers snap wallets shut, retailers nationwide are feeling the pinch. But one major sector of the economy is warming up to retail as a way to recruit new customers during down times: health insurers. So far, at...

TransforMED taps Fund official; group says picking Abrams not conflict of interest.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks A Commonwealth Fund official has joined the board of managers of a for-profit arm of the American Academy of Family Physicians, but the Commonwealth Fund doesn't see a conflict of interest between her role in...

Midwest.(Regional News)
February 2, 2009... BOARDMAN, Ohio-Akron Children's Hospital opened a 32-bed children's hospital called Beeghly Campus in Boardman on Dec. 8, 2008. In late 2007 the 253-bed Akron hospital and Humility of Mary Health Partners, a region of Catholic Healthcare...

Emphasis on training; experts at EMS crash hearing say tools can't do it all.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Highly skilled flight crews, scenario-based training, and the use of technological devices are essential to improving air ambulance safety, according to experts who testified at a National Transportation Safety...

After Daschle; reform has momentum on its side, advocates say.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell with Matthew DoBias Capitol Hill may have lost its chief quarterback on healthcare reform, but the rest of the players seem ready to forge ahead with a backup. In the aftermath of a week that produced a new law...

AHA still wants self-referral ban; lobby is determined after provision dropped in bill.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell After failing to get a ban on physician self-referral included in the State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization bill, the acute-care hospital lobby isn't giving up. The $32.8 billion bill signed...

Still under wraps; after appeals court rejects releasing physicians' Medicare claims data, consumer groups may still have a chance thanks to President Obama's pressure for more-open government.
February 9, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely A federal appeals court has dealt a blow to consumer groups that are pushing for more transparency for healthcare claims data, potentially drawing a line in the sand as to how much transparency is too much. The...

IOM seeks HIPAA change.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Recommendations set forth by the Institute of Medicine in its report on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's privacy rule express a new way of thinking about health information and research,...

`Testing the water'; recent thaw in bond markets has some borrowers dipping their toes in.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans Healthcare borrowers have edged into an opening in the municipal bond markets since early January. In recent weeks, health systems in Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas found willing investors and...

Playing defense; hospitals' latest financial strategy: hold onto cash, allowing big-ticket spending only when absolutely necessary.(Special Report)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans The nation's crippled financial system and lousy economy have led many U.S. hospitals to reverse course on strategic investments in technology, construction and other big-ticket items. Last year's investment...

Late News.
February 9, 2009... Healthcare still adding workers as unemployment hits 7.6% Healthcare hiring did not flag last month, even as the U.S. economy continued to hemorrhage jobs. Hospitals and physician-office employment in January remained steady as job losses...

All winners ...(Special Feature)
February 9, 2009... All winners of the American College of Healthcare Executives awards will be honored during the college's annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, March 23-26 in Chicago. Profiles were written by Elizabeth Gardner, a former Modern Healthcare...

Boost for SCHIP; program's expansion to cover 4 million more children.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals and other healthcare providers are banking on treating fewer children in the emergency department and providing more preventive services as a result of the extension and expansion of the State Children's...

Other Voices.(Opinion)
February 9, 2009... "President Barack Obama lost the services of a good friend, trusted adviser and prospective healthcare reform leader yesterday when Tom Daschle wisely withdrew his nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services.... With Mr. Daschle gone,...

More tax-exempt scrutiny; Grassley seeks uniform definition of charity care.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson The federal effort to demand more accountability from not-for-profit hospitals to justify their tax-exempt status advanced into a high-profile arena last week as part of the debate over the national economic stimulus...

Focus on self-improvement; technology-enabled collaborations helping hospitals improve infection control.(Information Edge)(Report)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Accelerating the adoption of research into best practices is helping hospitals manage requirements by states to report on hospital-acquired infections. As more states mandate infection reporting, hospitals are...

Would the CDC by any other name be any more effective?(Outliers)
February 9, 2009... In the long list of "things to fix'' in healthcare, it doesn't seem likely that changing the name of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the "Centers for Disease Prevention and Control'' will make the cut. But that's what the...

Hall of Fame grows; Cahill, Mayo brothers, Wilford to be honored.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Four leaders in healthcare who presided over periods of rapid growth are being inducted into the Health Care Hall of Fame. The four newest members will be: brothers William and Charles Mayo, founders of the Mayo...

Hobson's choice for Catholics? Abortion bill could force hospitals to close, some say.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Catholic healthcare providers are caught at the center of a debate over a proposed abortion-rights law that some critics say could force hospitals to close rather than be forced to provide services they consider deeply...

Other Voices.(Opinion)
February 16, 2009... "To everyone out there despairing-or rejoicing-about the Obama administration's supposedly rocky start: Settle down. It's actually going rather well. Sure, President Obama had a lousy week. He blundered with the selection, and withdrawal, of...

Data debate; AHA, APIC disagree over infection-control info plan.(The Week In Healthcare)(American Hospital Association)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Industry leaders are calling for more definition and action in HHS' national infection-control plan, with two influential groups in disagreement on how best to use the data that are collected through reduction...

Previous Winners.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)
February 16, 2009... Modern Healthcare and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society created the CEO IT Achievement Awards in 2003. Since then, 18 chief executive officers have received the award. Previous winners are: 2003 recipients ...

Honoring IT-savvy CEOs; Green, Murphy, Spezia share the prize in seventh annual competition.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)(Michael Green)(Edward Murphy)(Anthony Spezia)
February 16, 2009... Byline: David Burda Welcome to Modern Healthcare's seventh annual CEO IT Achievement Awards program, co-sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. In this special editorial section, you'll meet the three...

Meet Our Judges.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)
February 16, 2009... Modern Healthcare and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society would like to thank the following five senior healthcare executives for serving as the judges for the 2009 CEO IT Achievement Awards competition. We appreciate...

HCA, Tenet set bond priorities; Systems planning for medium-term maturities.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Vince Galloro HCA and Tenet Healthcare Corp. don't have a lot of debt coming due this year, but they have some medium-term maturities that they need to plan for. Last week, each company made some progress in those efforts. ...

Late News.
February 16, 2009... Aetna's net income drops 57%; enrollment, revenue up in '08 Aetna saw fourth-quarter net income drop 57% on investment losses, legal settlements and job severance charges, but overall the company boosted enrollment and revenue for 2008....

Christmas in February? Many of hospitals' wishes granted in stimulus bill.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals appear to largely have gotten what they asked for with the $787 billion stimulus package, which was passed by the House last week, poised for approval by the Senate at deadline and expected to be signed by...

A head start in technology; Foundation of IT helped Michael Green increase efficacy and strategic use.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)(information technology)(Company overview)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea When Michael Green took over as president and chief executive officer of New Hampshire's Concord Hospital in June 1992, getting hospital staff used to the idea of a paper-free existence was not among his chief...

No excuses here; Green, Murphy, Spezia take calculated risks, buck slow IT investment trend.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Fawn Lopez Michael Green, Edward Murphy and Anthony Spezia, the winners of the seventh annual Modern Healthcare CEO IT Achievement Awards, co-sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management System Society, are true leaders...

From coal fields to tech champion; Anthony Spezia says IT has been crucial to Covenant's quality gains.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)(Organization overview)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Joe Conn It would be no surprise if Anthony Spezia is a one-of-a-kind leader in the healthcare industry-a former turnaround consultant who became a coal company executive, also ran a health insurance company and is now heading a...

First but not last? St. Barnabas risks default, other systems may follow.(The Week In Healthcare)(St. Barnabas Health Care System)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans A New Jersey health system divulged to investors last week that its cash dipped low enough to risk technical default on its debt, and analysts say more systems are expected to follow suit. St. Barnabas Health Care...

AMA goes on offensive; Aetna, Cigna sued over alleged underpayments, more legal action possible.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Two high-profile class-action lawsuits brought by physicians and the American Medical Association against Aetna and Cigna Corp. over out-of-network reimbursements are also seeking to force insurers to pay for...

Going big in Virginia; Edward Murphy leads charge to convert Carilion Clinic to e-records.(CEO IT Achievement Awards)(Organization overview)
February 16, 2009... When Edward Murphy, president and chief executive officer of the Carilion Clinic system in Roanoke, Va., decided to orchestrate one of the largest patient-data conversions ever conducted by a health system, his motivations went beyond health IT...

On the HOT seat; As the recession grows, an IRS report shows enviable salaries and uneven community benefits provided by tax-exempt hospitals.(Internal Revenue Service)(Survey)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans with Joe Carlson Not-for-profit hospitals eager for a share of billions in taxpayer dollars earmarked to stimulate the economy found the sector's existing tax breaks under scrutiny last week. The Internal Revenue...

RAC is back; Program restarted with PRG-Schultz, Viant now in tow.(The Week In Healthcare)(Recovery Audit Contractor)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals in certain states may have new reasons to be wary of the Recovery Audit Contractor program. The controversial new audit program, which pays incentive fees to third-party auditors of Medicare...

Lessons in entitlement spending; Daschle dilemma part of larger problem on the road to healthcare reform.(Opinion)(Thomas A. Daschle)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Neil McLaughlin The withdrawal of former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle as HHS secretary and health reform czar has sparked a flurry of comment from our readers. Before he settles down to his new life as an asterisk in the...

Tech specs; Stimulus would provide billions for health IT.(The Week In Healthcare)(information technology)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Joseph Conn with Jennifer Lubell The portion of the $787 billion federal stimulus package devoted to healthcare information technology, privacy and security issues formalizes several key components of the federal government's...

Just 3,000 years later, and Meresamun gets her CT scan.(Outliers)
February 16, 2009... Talk about a long wait for an appointment. After almost 3,000 years, an Egyptian woman known as Meresamun finally was able to get a CT scan using the latest equipment-though it probably didn't do her much good. Back in her day, around 800...

Back in gear; NIH allocations should get stalled projects going.(National Institute of Health)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea After years of losing ground on the worldwide medical research stage, the National Institutes of Health is set to receive $10 billion through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Much of that appropriation...

Toward a more effective system; it's time we have more knowledge of what works in healthcare-and what doesn't.(Opinion)(Editorial)
February 23, 2009... Byline: David May Warning: Comparison shopping could be hazardous to your health. Or so we're told. Tucked into the newly enacted $787 billion economic stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed last week is the provision of...

Quiet period; Premier hasn't named successor for Norling yet.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea Four months after announcing that its president and chief executive officer, Rick Norling, would step down in June 2009, group purchasing organization Premier is still searching for a new chief executive, said a company...

How we did it.(Special Feature: Trustees of the Year 2009)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Linda Wilson This year, 64 nominations were received for the Trustees of the Year awards program, co-sponsored by executive search firm Witt/Kieffer. Nominations were accepted from Oct. 6 to Dec. 1, 2008. Two winners were...

Late News.
February 23, 2009... Obama picks Wakefield to head HRSA under HHS Rural health advocate Mary Wakefield has been tapped by President Barack Obama to head the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, under HHS. She's currently the director of the...

99% coverage plan floated.(Late News)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias The Commonwealth Fund has called for wholesale changes in the way healthcare is delivered, paid for and covered in a report that the group says lays out a path for long-term, money-saving reform. In its...

Recession's sting revealed in '08; systems lost some cash reserves, operations weakened.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans The early numbers are grim as hospitals and health systems release a first look at financial performance during the final painful months of 2008. As last year drew to a close, healthcare analysts and insiders...

Governors' alternative energy; Paterson, Perdue want to allocate funds elsewhere.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias with Jennifer Lubell The $87 billion in increased federal Medicaid funding allocated by the federal stimulus bill that became law last week may not all be flowing to healthcare providers as many have assumed. ...

Watching Medicaid in R.I. Controversial waiver puts allocations in spotlight.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea Rhode Island may soon find itself the focus of growing observation as states struggle to determine how to best allocate Medicaid benefits in light of an expanding recession and burgeoning rosters of uninsured residents....

Other Voices.(Opinion)
February 23, 2009... "A provision in the economic stimulus package would fund the research (doctors and patients) need- $1.1 billion for comparative studies that would find which drugs really are the best under which circumstances. The idea had broad bipartisan...

Still lobbying; nursing, doc advocates want money for training.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Though the ink has barely dried on the stimulus bill, lobbying for funding has already begun among nursing and physician advocates who say they have some ideas for how to divvy up $500 million that was included in the...

Unclear marching orders; while defense, VA allocations large, specifics small.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks with Jennifer Lubell In some ways, the section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 devoted to the Veterans Affairs Department is symbolic of the entire contents of the massive piece of legislation,...

A stimulating conversation; healthcare organizations praise the economic stimulus law, start considering ways to use the $150 billion in relief.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell The $150 billion in planned healthcare spending contained in the giant stimulus package signed last week by President Barack Obama can't come soon enough for some healthcare providers. Much of the money for...

Nipping infections in bud; dollars would also go toward community programs.(Report)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond First, the bad news: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital-acquired infections cause about 1.7 million illnesses and 99,000 deaths each year, while 230,309 Americans have died from...

A Bronx tale: search for funds; Indian Health Service to also receive $500 million.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Eight years ago, El Nuevo San Juan, a federally qualified community health center in the Bronx, saw about 72,000 patients at its 16,500-square foot facility before it moved into a building more than twice its size....

On the Move...(Newsmakers)
February 23, 2009... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS Ascension Health member St. Vincent's Health System, Birmingham, Ala., named John O'Neil president and CEO, effective in late March. O'Neil, 52, who currently serves as president and CEO of Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton,...

Comparison analysis; critics questioning design of effectiveness studies.
February 23, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias Plans to funnel $1.1 billion to federal health agencies in an effort to compare drugs, medical devices and even procedures have come under fire by some policy analysts who say the government is ill-equipped to lead...

Land locked; some health systems use a buy-and-hold strategy.(Construction Digest)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The current credit crunch could, in many ways, continue to increase the gap between the haves and have-nots in healthcare, one expert says. Only those with money already in the bank can borrow the cash they need to...

Calif. prison showdown; attorney general, receiver battle over $8 billion plan.(The Week In Healthcare)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely California's attorney general and the court-appointed receiver in charge of the state's prison healthcare system are locked in a bitter battle over the future of healthcare access for the state's 158,000 incarcerated...

Trying to nudge healthcare along to a better future.(Outliers)
February 23, 2009... Everyone could use a slight push in the right direction at times, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation hopes to find those little nudges that lead to big improvements in the healthcare industry. The foundation is sponsoring the Designing...