Modern Healthcare articles from January 2003

Modern Healthcare archives from January 2003

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Wall Street Journal quotation about Tenet Healthcare)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... ``At first glance the furor over Tenet Healthcare looks like one more corporate scandal, with a plunging stock price amid revelations that the hospital giant faces both a federal audit and government raids at its hospitals. But look more deeply...

West Virginia docs walk off the job in malpractice dispute; Protest on New Year's Day shows rising frustration with high cost of malpractice insurance coverage.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano A small town in West Virginia's panhandle has become ground zero in a rapidly escalating national debate over the costs of medical malpractice insurance. While the malpractice controversy has touched off...

Expectations high over Frist.(The Week in Healthcare)(Senator William Frist, M.D.)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman As the nation read stories about Sen. William Frist, M.D., hopping out of his vacation car to treat traffic accident victims in Florida last week, Washington insiders pondered whether the new majority leader's...

Smallpox, big worries; Preparing medical-response teams is easier said than done, according to healthcare providers across the nation.(Cover Story)(Homeland Security Act to take effect)(Cover Story)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski Hospital officials nationwide contend that the steps being taken to prepare healthcare workers to respond to a smallpox attack pose tough administrative, financial and logistical challenges that must be addressed...

Outlook '03; Even with unrelenting cost increases, some sectors enjoy a healthier prognosis. But the year promises formidable challenges for all.(Special Report)(health care industry)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko If Benjamin Franklin were around today, he'd probably name three things that are now certain in this world--death, taxes and higher healthcare costs. Expensive new drugs and medical procedures are proliferating,...

Health insurers to sell MedUnite.(Late News)(ProxyMed will buy)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko Less than three years after teaming up to standardize electronic processing of medical claims across the healthcare industry, a consortium of leading health insurers called it quits. The group agreed to sell the...

Healthcare Profile.
January 6, 2003... This profile marks the debut of a new regular editorial feature in Modern Healthcare. Each month, the magazine will publish an in-depth profile of a healthcare industry leader or personality written by a member of our editorial staff. The...

Briefly: Beltway Briefs.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services strategy, postpones beneficiary cap)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... New auditing strategy set * The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced a new ``progressive compliance strategy'' for auditing hospitals that receive too large a proportion of Medicare outlier funds, which reimburse...

When saving lives isn't enough; Only time will tell if docs who become politicians help or hurt healthcare.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... Byline: David Burda, Editor When I was growing up, my parents, as well as the parents of all my friends, wanted us to become either doctors, lawyers or, if you were Roman Catholic, priests. If you didn't choose one of those, you were...

Justice seeks Tenet outlier info.(Late News)(Tenet Healthcare Corp. under investigation)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly and Jeff Tieman The U.S. Justice Department subpoenaed Tenet Healthcare Corp., Santa Barbara, Calif., seeking information about Medicare outlier payments made to 19 of Tenet's hospitals from 1997 to 2002, the company...

Make your workers the stars; Good leadership means cultivating, motivating your family of employees.(Publisher's Letter)(Column)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I had breakfast during the holidays with Terry Mulligan, an old friend who has had a distinguished career in healthcare manufacturing, having been the top sales honcho at American Hospital Supply Co. when the great...

Polio takes its turn as worry for anxious health officials.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(focus on polio; American Medical Association starts antiterrorism center; Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital suit dropped)
January 6, 2003... With a new smallpox policy in place, the federal government has turned its attention toward polio, taking an inventory of virus strains in labs around the country as part of an effort to prevent an accidental or purposeful outbreak. All...

Time to settle up; Hospitals pay $12.3 million but admit no wrongdoing in year-end settlements.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor In the waning days of 2002, hospitals in three states agreed to pay settlements worth more than $12.3 million in what has become an annual holiday ritual: the year-end plate-clearing by U.S. attorneys of pending...

Late News.(healthcare spending up; Trinity Health suit; Patrick Hays wins award)
January 6, 2003... Healthcare spending spikes National healthcare spending reached $1.4 trillion in 2001, up nearly 8% from $1.3 trillion in 2000, according to figures the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to release this week. The spending...

Defender of the law; False Claims Act co-author to keep fighting healthcare fraud as Senate panel chair.(Healthcare Profile)(Senator Charles Grassley to be chairman of Senate Finance Committee)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Sen. Charles Grassley is about to become a very popular man. Again. The 69-year-old Iowa Republican, who assumes the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Finance Committee this month, will be lobbied heavily by...

The next wave in payment looms; Consumer-driven health plans confer new risks on patients and providers.(Opinions-Commentary)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Jon Gabel Benefit consultants and health plan executives say recent trends in employer-sponsored healthcare show that managed care's dominance is over and the era of consumer-driven health benefits is dawning-with uncertain effects...

Going to the pols; San Antonio health system pushes tax plan to help fund trauma centers in Texas.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly After successful referendums that boosted taxes to pay for trauma care in Arizona and California, officials at University Health System, San Antonio, are lobbying the Texas Legislature to approve a tax plan to help...

Legal saga ends; Mich. hospital pleads guilty in insurance fraud case.(United Memorial Health Center (Greenville, Michigan))
January 13, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko Ending what it called ``a long legal nightmare,'' United Memorial Health Center, Greenville, Mich., has pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to fraudulently bill health insurers for unnecessary procedures...

Late News.(multiple topics)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... Medicare fraud charges Mental health clinic operators in two states were charged with bilking Medicare out of millions of dollars. In West Virginia, the U.S. attorney's office joined a civil whistleblower lawsuit accusing EastRidge Health...

Talk about a code blue: Mich. hospital is alerting the undead.(Saint Mary's Mercy Medical Center (Grand Rapids, Michigan) computer glitch, patients incorrectly labeled as deceased)
January 13, 2003... Officials at Saint Mary's Mercy Medical Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., are learning the critical difference between a billing code for ``discharged to home'' and a similar one with a single-digit difference, the one for ``deceased.'' A...

IOM report sets priorities.(Institute of Medicine; improving quality in health care industry)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Healthcare officials reacted with guarded optimism last week when the Institute of Medicine released its latest report on improving quality in the industry. The IOM, a division of the National Academy of Sciences...

UHHS reaches out for chief.(University Hospitals Health System Inc. selects Thomas Zenty, III as president and chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... The long search for a permanent replacement for Farah Walters, who retired in June 2002 as president and CEO of University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland, has ended with the selection of an outside candidate over an acting CEO who had just...

A question of integrity; Federal prosecutors question Tenet's compliance with integrity agreement in a $323 million False Claims Act lawsuit.(Tenet Healthcare Corp., 1994 corporate integrity agreement violation)(Cover Story)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Since the hardball business practices of Richard Scott's Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. drew unwanted national attention and government scrutiny in the late 1990s, Tenet Healthcare Corp. has pitched itself as the kinder...

Ratings downgraded; Anemic economy, investments blamed.(healthcare; Fitch Ratings, Moody's Investors Service, Standard and Poor's Corp. reports and forecasts)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly A weak investment market and struggling economy played a role in credit-rating downgrades for not-for-profit hospitals and health systems in 2002, and this year's forecast does not look any more promising, analysts...

No clear and present danger; Bush's smallpox inoculation plan begs key question: Where's the threat?(smallpox vaccination program)(Editorial)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed Later this month, healthcare providers will be subjected to a hugely expensive and risky public health experiment for no compelling reason and with only a murmur of dissent. The...

A community solution; Local health centers are credited with keeping the safety net strong. President Bush wants them to play an even bigger role.(Special Report)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman A few miles east of downtown Denver, five streets come together to form the central intersection of a diverse neighborhood known for its international cuisine and tough inner-city history. A walk along Welton Street...

In the spotlight.(Juanita Romans promoted senior vice president at Memorial Hermann Healthcare Hospital, Blue Shield of California hires Cynthia Martin as consumer experience vice president)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... * Juanita Romans, 52, has been promoted to senior vice president of 11-hospital Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Houston, and CEO of flagship Memorial Hermann Hospital, replacing James Eastham, who resigned in September 2002. Romans becomes...

Northeast.(New York nursing homes facing bankruptcy risks, opthamologist Shaul Debbi charged for fraud)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... ALBANY, N.Y.-New York's not-for-profit nursing homes said they are in serious financial decline with more than one-third at risk of bankruptcy, according to a report by the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. The study...

West.(various hospital partnerships and new facilities)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... MESA, Ariz.-National Surgical Hospitals, Chicago, has partnered with 19 physicians to open 20-bed Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital. The hospital, which specializes in orthopedic and neurological procedures, is the company's fifth surgical...

Bled dry; Fiscal woes threaten supply data from National Blood Data Resource Center.(National Blood Data Resource Center may discontinue blood supply monitoring due to financial losses)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker The National Blood Data Resource Center in all probability will soon abandon its monthly monitoring of the nation's blood supply, officials told Modern Healthcare last week. And its biennial survey, which in 1999...

Board evolving at Neoforma.(Neoforma cutting jobs across VHA, Novation, and University HealthSystem Consortium staff)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Hospital e-commerce exchange Neoforma, San Jose, Calif., will cut the apron strings this year from VHA and University HealthSystem Consortium and their joint supply company, Novation, as four Neoforma board members...

Briefly: Hospital News.(hospital information in West Virginia)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... W.Va. net income margin rises * Net income as a percentage of net patient revenue for acute-care hospitals in West Virginia increased to 2.8% on average in 2001, up 1.2 percentage points from 2000, according to an annual report released...

Hospital care fuels spending.(hospital care accounted for increase in 2001 healthcare spending)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Hospital care accounted for 30% of the increase in overall healthcare spending in 2001, marking its most significant share of the total increase in 10 years, according to data released last week by the Centers for...

Fund raising hits a privacy barrier; HIPAA rule will force healthcare organizations to rethink development outreach.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, effects on healthcare institution fund raising)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Christopher Cloud Fund raising for healthcare institutions often depends on tapping the grateful sentiments of former patients. To raise money for a new cardiology floor, for example, one time-tested approach is to target former...

Engaging life; Words from an earlier time still resonate as the new year dawns.(Publisher's Letter)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer A number of years ago, I was lucky enough to attend Middlebury College, a small school in Vermont. It's a wonderful institution made famous at the time because of its foreign language school, which during the...

Other Voices.(protests of doctors in response to insurance payments)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... ``In the last year, doctors have joined forces with insurance companies to demand sweeping legislative protections and, in some states, public subsidies for their annual (malpractice) insurance payments. Unable to win on the merits of their...

On the move...(employee and executive changes in the health care industry)
January 13, 2003... David Snow Jr. has resigned as president and COO of WellChoice, New York, the parent company of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield. CEO Michael Stocker will assume the additional role of president. WellChoice spokeswoman Deborah Bohren called...

Midwest.(Detroit Medical Center's profit losses, HMO industry profit gains)
January 13, 2003... DETROIT-Detroit Medical Center expects to report substantial losses at many of its hospitals for 2002, triggering cuts in executive salaries and vacation time for 2003, according to Crain's Detroit Business, a sister publication of Modern...

As Congress' priorities shift, hopes for healthcare dim; AHA, AMA sponsor 'fly-ins' to plead their cases for new round of hospital, physician finding.(The Week in Healthcare)(American Hospital Association, American Medical Association)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Healthcare lobbying groups made a pilgrimage to Capitol Hill last week, hoping to inspire the newly convened Congress to address reimbursement issues left unresolved in the last session. As the concerted lobbying effort...

Clear call; FTC exempts not-for-profits from phone registry rule.(U.S. Federal Trade Commission telemarketing sale rule exempting charities)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Not-for-profit healthcare organizations appear to have dodged another stray regulatory bullet. The Federal Trade Commission last month issued a final amendment to the telemarketing sale rule that will exempt...

Malpractice worries spread.(cases of medical malpractice in West Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano While West Virginia lawmakers scrambled last week to resolve a nationally publicized walkout of about 30 doctors at four hospitals, the medical malpractice crisis continues to trigger concerns in other...

Blues caught in bind; Proposed Pa. tax on insurers' reserves clashes with association's policy.(Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Pennsylvania plans may see financial disadvantage with Edward Rendell's proposal)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko A Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association mandate designed to ensure the solvency of its member plans ironically could put Pennsylvania's four Blues insurers at a financial disadvantage if the state adopts a drastic...

It's good to be king again.(News)(Richard Scrushy returns to CEO position at HealthSouth Corp.)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski Less than six months after giving up the chief executive officer job at HealthSouth Corp., Birmingham, Ala., as part of a massive restructuring effort, founder and Chairman Richard Scrushy is taking it back. ...

Medical Advances.("Medical Advances" periodical new sections)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... This edition of Medical Advances marks the debut of a new regular feature in Modern Healthcare. Each month, we will publish an in-depth look at how the latest developments in biotechnology, medical technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals will...

Out for blood; Although automation and 'bloodless' surgical techniques are helping to conserve the nation's blood supply, the best way to stay well-stocked remains a steady stream of donors.(New York Blood Services, company innovations in blood donation)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker The day is just one-hour old for the East 67th Street offices of New York Blood Services. Nestled under a mound of blankets, Jeffrey Schwartz, a science teacher at New York's High School for the Humanities, is passing...

Paradox posed; Psychiatric capacity shrinks as demand climbs.(behavioral healthcare and psychiatric services reimbursement and occupany rates)
January 13, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski Occupancy and reimbursement rates for inpatient behavioral healthcare are increasing while the availability of outpatient psychiatric services is shrinking nationwide, according to an annual survey released last...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(health care industry forecast)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 20, 2003... ``Tenet (Healthcare Corp.'s) rapid fall demonstrates the vulnerability of healthcare players to a variety of pressures. Granted, the industry is in great shape compared with 2002's many laggards. It's poised for growth, thanks to an inexorable...

Mergers minus the mania; Smaller deals rule as economic uncertainties contribute to a fourth annual decrease in hospital consolidation activity.(Special Report)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly In an industry that not so long ago saw mergers and acquisitions being pursued at a feverish pace, it appears the burning desire for hospitals to make a deal has cooled considerably. Healthcare organizations...

Don't point and click; make the trip; In the world of sales, there's just no substitute for that face-to-face meeting.(Publisher's Letter)(Column)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer From time to time I'm asked to speak to a sales group, and invariably my host will suggest I just pick a topic. With such groups that's easy, because I have lived and breathed sales my whole career. I can always...

Quiet on the legal front; Health Midwest, attorney general forced to hush.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly Health Midwest, Kansas City, Mo., and the Kansas attorney general's office will have to end their war of words over the health system's planned $1.1 billion sale to HCA, Nashville-at least for now. Johnson...

Sticker shock at the hospital; Freed from reins of managed care, hospitals accelerate price hikes for fourth consecutive year; blame placed on staffing, tech costs.(Cover Story)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic Unleashed from the controls of managed care, hospitals hiked prices aggressively for the fourth straight year in 2002, according to government figures released last week. Industry consolidation and the easing of...

Fraud flurry; No connection seen in recent moves by government.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Healthcare fraud experts see few links among a spate of recent government fraud-enforcement actions against hospitals that last week saw criminal pleas in Chicago, the settlement of two civil suits and the intervention...

AMA chief, professor square off on blame for malpractice crisis.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(American Medical Association, Donald Palmisano)
January 20, 2003... Donald Palmisano, president-elect of the American Medical Association, is a very busy man these days, fending off attacks that the doctors' lobby is blackmailing the American public and taking its patients ``hostage'' in an increasingly...

Looking for options; Erie, Pa., hospital in talks with for-profit chain.(Regional News Metro Health Center)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Cinda Becker Assessing limited options as it struggles to emerge from bankruptcy protection, a small osteopathic hospital apparently is cracking open the door to for-profit hospital care in Western Pennsylvania. Officials at...

Tort reform; Doc wins $30 million defamation suit against hospital.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano In the midst of what they claim is a crisis over the cost of insurance, physicians are demanding new laws to limit damages in malpractice cases. But you won't hear any complaints about current laws from Bruce...

Midwest.(Regional News Witham Memorial Hospital celebrating anniversary; new St. Vincent Children's Hospital opens)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... LEBANON, Ind.-Witham Memorial Hospital, Lebanon, celebrated its 85th anniversary last week by opening a $27 million replacement hospital. The 48-bed, county-owned hospital covers 128,000 square feet and was financed through a five-year bond...

Tenet earnings jump by 27.2%.(The Week in Healthcare Tenet Healthcare Corp. )
January 20, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Tenet Healthcare Corp., Santa Barbara, Calif., last week reported another strong set of profit and operating figures for its most recent quarter, but Jeffrey Barbakow, chairman and chief executive officer, warned this...

South.(Regional News multiple records)
January 20, 2003... PHENIX CITY, Ala.-Ameris Health Systems, Nashville, has won approval from the state of Alabama to build a 70-bed hospital in Phenix City. The new hospital, expected to cost $25 million to $30 million, will replace Phenix Regional Hospital, a...

West: Health hazard; Medicaid cuts could endanger patients.(Regional News)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Laura B. Benko California healthcare advocates have kicked off a campaign to block proposed cuts to the state's Medicaid program, which they believe would have dire consequences for both patients and providers. On Jan. 11,...

N.J. docs set to launch walkout over escalating premium costs; Bush offers Rx for malpractice insurance crisis, including $250,000 limit on noneconomic damages.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano Following the lead of their rebellious comrades in West Virginia, scores of physicians in New Jersey are threatening to walk off their jobs Feb. 3 to protest sky-high insurance premiums. The planned walkout by...

JCAHO, NCQA join forces.(The Week in Healthcare Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and National Committee for Quality Assurance collaborate to protect human subjects in medical research)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly In a landmark partnership, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the National Committee for Quality Assurance have joined forces to create a program for protecting human subjects in...

CMS: Medicare improving; Scully: More disclosure of quality data coming.(The Week in Healthcare Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Sservices)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Medicare beneficiaries received better care during the past three years, even though 25% of beneficiaries still do not obtain the services they need, according to a study released last week by the Centers for Medicare...

Health plan or Club Med? Minn. AG criticizes HealthPartners' 'culture of luxury'.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly HealthPartners, Bloomington, Minn., came under fire last week from state Attorney General Mike Hatch, who charged that a ``culture of luxury'' existed at the 600,000-member health plan, where executives used company...

Suggested hike below inflation.(Late News Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends inpatient payment update less than inflation)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended last week that hospitals receive an inpatient payment update 0.4% less than inflation, a move that would save Medicare $1 billion to $5 billion over five years but...

Accreditation acrimony; Stark questions 'collegial' approach of JCAHO plan.(Late News U.S. Rep. Pete Stark)
January 20, 2003... Byline: John Morrissey Urging HHS to investigate a planned approach to healthcare accreditation, U.S. Rep. Pete Stark blasted the plan's reliance on a procedure in which healthcare organizations assess their own compliance with the bulk of...

Late News.(multiple records)
January 20, 2003... Grassley seeks Medicare freeze Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has added provisions to the fiscal 2003 omnibus appropriations bill that would freeze Medicare physician payments at 2002 levels through September...

Who's going to clean house? As antifraud efforts escalate, execs of troubled companies hear, see no evil.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed It's really starting to look like many healthcare executives just don't get it. Every enforcement agency but the Coast Guard is hot on the trail of fraud and abuse and there is the strong...

Are you ready? Even as crucial HIPAA deadlines loom, there's still plenty of unfinished business at many healthcare organizations.(Special Feature: discussion of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Linda Wilson Last month, two 11/2-inch notebooks thudded onto each of the desks of 50 employees at Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. The notebooks--implementation tool kits for the Health Insurance Portability and...

Implementing HIPAA.(Special Feature: discussion of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
January 27, 2003... The passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 unleashed a flurry of regulations to streamline healthcare billing operations and protect the privacy of patients' confidential information. The following are key...

Executive suite squeeze; Retiring CEOs don't see enough talent to replace them.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly When John Frobenius ended his 17-year tenure as chief executive officer of 676-bed St. Cloud (Minn.) Hospital and its parent, CentraCare Health System, on New Year's Day, he became part of a monster wave of executive...

Searching for some answers; Mount Sinai's lawsuit against recruiter Heidrick steps into current debate on shortage of qualified replacement executives.(Cover Story)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Michael Romano The National Center for Healthcare Leadership celebrated a first full year of operation this month, hosting a national symposium that focused on the uncertain supply of top hospital executives. It was a...

Weathering a 'perfect storm'; Hospitals face plethora of challenges but are determined to stay afloat.(Opinions-Commentary)(Column)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Richard Pollack It doesn't matter where you live or what health insurance card you carry-or even if you carry no card at all. Your expectations of your community hospital are high. In communities across America, more people are...

The complete supplement online.(Special Feature)
January 27, 2003... Get the complete Modern Healthcare HIPAA supplement exclusively at modernhealthcare.com Other stories that are part of the package include: * States may hold the real power * When will the savings materialize? * Don't wait...

Other Voices.(Opinions-Editorials)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 27, 2003... President Bush called for a cap on medical malpractice awards as a way to control soaring premiums for medical liability insurance that have sparked protests from doctors in several states. But the president's plan seemed far too narrow to...

Preventive medicine; Disease-tracking software can identify outbreaks, isolate trends faster than ever. Its next mission: protect the nation's health.(The Edge)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Julie Piotrowski As five healthcare organizations go about their business in the Kansas City, Mo., region, a computerized information analyzer sifts through fresh test results from laboratories operated by those organizations for...

Competing for attention; With tensions building in the Persian Gulf and debate heating up over the ailing economy, healthcare interests must fight to be heard.(Special Report)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman Congress convened earlier this month in a manner true to its form: with political bickering. As Republicans prepared to take back the Senate after a 20-month stint of Democratic control, leaders couldn't agree on...

It's a small world, after all; Global nature of today's economy demonstrated in a call to customer service.(Publisher's Letter)(Column)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Charles S. Lauer It was Friday about 5:30 p.m. when I decided to look over some of my outstanding credit card balances. I don't particularly enjoy paying the interest rates that credit card companies charge, so I try to keep my...

Numbers game has heated rivals as Wall St. firms trade barbs.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)
January 27, 2003... Remember how tough it was to count all those chads in Florida after the 2000 election? The tally to determine which Wall Street firm issued the most not-for-profit hospital bonds last year is proving almost as slippery. Data released to...

Back on the docket; Justice Department advances appeal challenging Texas system's exemption.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor In a case testing the bounds of tax-exempt joint ventures, the U.S. Justice Department advanced its appeal of a federal court ruling that upheld the tax-exempt status of six-hospital St. David's Health Care System in...

Both sides have to give; If docs want malpractice limits, let them agree to protocols, error reporting.(Opinions-Editorials)(Editorial)
January 27, 2003... Byline: David Burda, Editor Mistakes happen in every industry, including healthcare. Every reader of this magazine knows someone or knows of someone who was the victim of a medical error by a physician, hospital or other healthcare...

JCAHO bulletin called PR stunt.(The Week in Healthcare: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations described as public relations stunt)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly A call last week by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for greater reporting of patient deaths caused by hospital-acquired infections was met with criticism by a consumer advocate who...

Reversal of fortune; CMS reverses policy limiting emergency room visits.(The Week in Healthcare: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reverses month-old policy)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Jeff Tieman In what hospitals called a major victory last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reversed a month-old policy that would have allowed states to limit Medicaid emergency room visits. Providers said...

One down, one to go; Mo. settles Health Midwest case; Kansas still in court.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 27, 2003... Byline: Patrick Reilly Sparking a potential dispute with neighboring Kansas, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and Health Midwest officials last week announced a settlement in their battle over the fate of the health system's board and...

Late News.(news regarding health care industry)
January 27, 2003... Breaux floats universal plan Saying bold new ideas are needed, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) announced a proposal for a universal health insurance program centered on employer coverage and state insurance pools. Breaux said he hoped the plan...