Modern Healthcare articles from January 2006

Modern Healthcare archives from January 2006

In the spotlight.(News Makers)
January 2, 2006... * A grand jury indicted Albany, Ga., physician John Bagnato and his office administrator, Charles Rehberg, for sending harassing faxes to officials at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Albany. Bagnato, who has been embroiled in litigation...

New dad? Ten-hut! And bring your newborn baby with you!(Outliers: Asides & Insides)
January 2, 2006... Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, Texas, is only the latest hospital to give first-time fathers some operating instructions for dealing with a big change in their lives. Boot Camp for New Dads, a hospital-based program operating in...

Time to nominate most powerful doc-executives.(Letters)
January 2, 2006... Do you know a physician who doesn't think he or she is powerful? I thought so. How about a healthcare executive? Same. That's why our first annual ranking of the 50 Most Powerful Physician Executives in Healthcare last year was such a hit with...

Alvarado case stretches on.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Vince Galloro One of 2005's closely watched court battles among hospital executives-the Alvarado Hospital Medical Center physician-kickback trial-will have to wait even longer for a finish. A chance encounter on a commuter...

A flurry of mergers; Four companies announce hospital deals.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Vince Galloro Merger activity among for-profit chains picked up as the year ended with four companies unveiling agreements to buy hospitals in December. Health Management Associates, Naples, Fla., said on Dec. 27, 2005, it had...

Medical school faculties are stressed out: survey.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano Stress among faculty members at U.S. medical schools has led to high levels of job dissatisfaction and anxiety, especially among younger faculty, with about 20% showing symptoms consistent with clinical depression,...

Late News; CEO joins Geisinger board.(chief executive officer Thomas Henry Lee joins Geisinger Health System Foundation)(Larry Wall will resign from Colorado Health and Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Geisinger Health System Foundation, Danville, Pa., tapped the chief executive officer at Partners Community HealthCare System, Boston, to fill a seat on its 17-member board for a one-year term. Partners CEO Thomas Henry Lee, 52, is also a...

Wrestling with conflicts; Cleveland Clinic, devicemaker ties raise concerns.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano The Cleveland Clinic ranks among the best-known hospitals in the nation, joining institutions like Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Mayo Clinic among healthcare's aristocracy. But the elite institution is now...

Changes on the way; New look, staffers, beats and online products will mark our 2006.(Editorial)
January 2, 2006... Byline: David Burda, editor Rust never sleeps, and neither does Modern Healthcare. We've been busy planning and implementing a number of changes all designed to better serve the healthcare business news and information needs of our...

Medicare, Medicaid anxiety; Providers wait for word on cuts, reimbursements.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Matthew DoBias A delay by Congress in passing a budget bill has left hospitals, providers and home-care staff fidgety for at least another couple of weeks until legislators return to session and the House again takes up the vote....

Bednar leads ethics initiative.(News Makers)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone Ethics and compliance attorney Richard Bednar has been tapped to lead the voluntary ethics initiative by group purchasing organizations, an effort aimed at averting legislation to regulate the industry's business...

Nominees sought; Program to honor top minority execs in healthcare.(The Week In Healthcare)(Editorial)
January 2, 2006... Byline: David Burda, editor Modern Healthcare is seeking nominations for our first-ever listing of the Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare. We are seeking nominees from all sectors of the healthcare industry, including hospitals,...

HealthSouth responds; Company sues Scrushy for return of bonuses.(Late News)(HEALTHSOUTH Corp's fraud related cost)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone HealthSouth Corp. struck back against its founder, Richard Scrushy, with a countersuit that demands Scrushy return millions in bonuses from a fraud under his leadership and that estimates HealthSouth's fraud-related...

Rebuilding in New Orleans; One hospital struggles with more indigent care, staffing shortages.(Commentary)
January 2, 2006... Byline: A. Gary Muller The year 2006 will be one of tremendous change for the healthcare community in New Orleans as we put the cataclysmic events of the past year behind us and rebuild our healthcare delivery system. These changes will...

Ten indictments in IT scandal; Feds accuse former Medical Manager execs of fraud.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Joseph Conn Ten former top-level executives of healthcare software developer Medical Manager Health Systems were indicted by a federal grand jury in South Carolina last month for conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money...

Who'll be celebrating? New year looks promising for many, including merger-ready hospitals and managed care, but challenges are coming on just as strong.(Special Report)(Column)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Cinda Becker Dawn Gideon has three priorities for St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in 2006, and No. 1 is to divest three of the struggling New York hospital system's five hospitals, including St. Vincent Hospital Staten Island,...

New chapter in NCFE saga; SEC's civil fraud charges against executives at failed firm offer cold comfort for the hospitals, physicians hurt by the debacle.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Cinda Becker A Securities and Exchange lawsuit filed late last month against former top executives of National Century Financial Enterprises, the fallen backer of financially distressed healthcare providers, offered little...

Behind the FTC's lawsuit; Payers pointed finger at Evanston Northwestern.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Taylor The Federal Trade Commission wasn't shooting in the dark when it alleged in its 2004 antitrust lawsuit against three-hospital Evanston (Ill.) Northwestern Healthcare that the Chicago North Shore system exploited its...

Federal monitor named to oversee N.J. med school.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Cinda Becker A federal monitor stepped in to oversee the financial operations of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey as part of a deferred prosecution agreement to avoid criminal charges for Medicaid fraud. ...

Continuing leadership; Giles nominated as ACHE's chairwoman-elect.(The Week In Healthcare)(Alyson Pitman Giles joins American College of Healthcare Executives)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Melanie Evans Alyson Pitman Giles made the leap to management early in her career in occupational therapy, a path that eventually put her at the head of three New Hampshire hospitals. Now the American College of Healthcare...

Medicare muddle; Rx drug benefit confuses both enrollees, providers.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Matthew DoBias The responsibility for educating senior citizens confused by the new Medicare prescription-drug benefit, which took effect on Jan. 1, is defaulting into the laps of healthcare providers across the country-some of...

UnitedHealth pays the price; $9.2 billion insurers' merger not without concessions.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 2, 2006... Byline: LAURA B. BENKO UnitedHealth Group, Minnetonka, Minn., consummated its $9.2 billion acquisition of PacifiCare Health Systems, Cypress, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2005, but not before becoming the first health insurer in nearly six years to...

Coming to America; A tale of an immigrant who sacrificed so his children could succeed.(Lauer's Letter)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Charles S. Lauer, Vice President-Publishing/Editorial Director I first met Nhuan Dang and his wife, Toan, four years ago. Their daughter, Fawn Lopez, was the associate publisher of this magazine at that time and she introduced them...

On the move ...(News Makers)(Michael Patterson joins Brown County Regional Healthcare )(Kirk King joins Harris Methodist HEB Hospital)(Steven Glass joins Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Health System)
January 2, 2006... HOSPITALS, HEALTH SYSTEMS Michael Patterson was appointed president and CEO of Brown County Regional Healthcare in Georgetown, Ohio. Patterson, 48, replaces Bruce Bennett, who retired. Most recently, Patterson was CEO of Parkway Regional...

HOW IT UNFOLDED.(News)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Modern Healthcare reporting The history of Medical Manager 1996 July-Medical Manager Corp. is formed. 1997 January-Medical Manager Corp. launches initial public offering of stock, raises $66 million. ...

By The Numbers.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Finding the right kind of doctor is hospitals' biggest physician recruiting challenge, far outweighing hospitals' ability to offer competitive incentives, according to a survey by Merritt, Hawkins & Associates. In addition, meeting the...

R.I. hospital, execs indicted; Charges allege bribes were paid to state lawmaker.(Late News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone Roger Williams Medical Center, a not-for-profit 151-bed hospital in Providence, R.I., and three current or former executives were indicted last week in U.S. District Court, Providence, on charges stemming from...

Guidelines for in-store treatment; AAFP offers list of standards for clinics set up in retail outlets.(American Academy of Family Physicians)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Along with buying items such as socks, corn chips and shampoo, consumers can now get a quick medical diagnosis from a nurse practitioner or physician assistant at dozens of retail stores across the country....

What really matters most; Care for uninsured, reimbursement payments and staffing rank high on hospital CEOs lists of key healthcare issues, says the ACHE.(American College of Healthcare Executives)
January 9, 2006... Byline: MELANIE EVANS Money woes continued to trouble hospital chief executives in 2005 despite the industry's record-high profits in 2004 and its strong showing last year with lenders and investors. For the third year, hospital chief...

Acquisitions key in 2006: S&P.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Vince Galloro From the investor-owned perspective, Standard & Poor's sees calm waters in 2006 for the broad healthcare market, so it can better focus on actions taken by hospital companies and others in the sector that would roil...

Grassley seeks probe of QIOs.(The Week In Healthcare)(Quality Improvement Organization )
January 9, 2006... Byline: Matthew DoBias In a separate move targeting another CMS institution, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), called on HHS' inspector general's office and the Government Accountability Office to investigate the operations of Medicare...

Doc group will advise the JCAHO.(Physician Affairs)(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., said it named 18 doctors to a "physician engagement advisory group'' in an effort to boost the medical community's participation in the accreditation...

A fall from grace; Cleveland Clinic's ethical lapses put spotlight on healthcare conflicts of interest.(Editorial)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed The prestigious Cleveland Clinic has become Exhibit A in the debate over healthcare's tangled web of conflicting interests. True to form, the imbroglio surrounding the clinic is being...

Gentiva buying Healthfield.(Late News)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone Home-health provider Gentiva Health Services, Melville, N.Y., said it signed a definitive agreement to buy Healthfield Group, Atlanta, a home-health and hospice company, for $454 million in cash and stock. The...

CHA's CEO comfortable in her new role; New faces in the lobby ...(Catholic Health Association)(Chief Executive Officer)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Melanie Evans With years of experience in hospital leadership and health policy, Sister Carol Keehan, the Catholic Health Association's new chief executive officer, is no stranger to advocacy or lobbying Congress. That doesn't...

Climbing the Hill; Congress set to take up healthcare issues with backdrop of looming midterm elections, budgetary pressures.(Special Report)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Matthew DoBias There's an adage in the theater that says if a gun appears in the first act, it has to go off by the final act. And as Congress closed 2005, the healthcare lobby found itself with an arsenal of guns loaded but still...

Soothing body and soul; N.Y. hospital's music therapy gives patients something to sing about.(Lauer's Letter)(Diary entry)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Charles S. Lauer, Vice President-Publishing/Editorial Director Like most people, I have always loved music. I enjoy all kinds-classical, jazz, even country. When I drive to work I always have my CD player going. It's my way of...

On the move ...(News Makers)
January 9, 2006... HOSPITALS Frank Pinckney will retire later this year after more than 14 years as president and CEO of Greenville (S.C.) Hospital System. Pinckney, 67, notified the board of directors four years ago that he hoped to retire this year after...

Rowe exiting Aetna; Williams to succeed man who turned around insurer.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Laura B. Benko Five years ago, when Aetna brought physician-executive John Rowe aboard as its chief executive officer, the health insurer was a listing vessel adrift in financial losses and provider ire. Now, having righted itself...

Docs don't shy from Medicare.(Late News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano Doctors in America are not shutting their doors on the elderly even after absorbing a steep cut in Medicare payments four years ago and struggling with increases of about 1.5% in each of the past three years, a new...

Other Voices.(Opinions)
January 9, 2006... "The marketplace Congress created for Medicare prescriptions is looking more like Neiman Marcus than Wal-Mart. Though the government has flooded the market with 43 million seniors, the group discount is, at best, pennies on the dollar.......

A long fight; Scrushy appeals latest order to repay bonuses.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Jessica Zigmond In a summary judgment for a shareholder lawsuit, an Alabama state judge ordered Scrushy to repay the money based on his "unjust enrichment,'' according to a law clerk for the judge, Alwin Horn III, of Alabama's 10th...

N.Y health commish lobbied to take on Hillary in 2008.(New York)
January 9, 2006... New York Republicans are turning to the biggest gun they have in the healthcare arena to challenge incumbent Hillary Rodham Clinton in the closely watched 2008 New York Senate race. A group of self-described "Republican activists'' is...

MedCath partners with system; Loan from Texas system to help pay hospital's debt.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Jessica Zigmond In a bid to restructure the debt of one of its hospitals, for-profit cardiovascular-care hospital company MedCath Corp. last week arranged to borrow $20 million from a local not-for-profit health system. ...

Aiming for transparency; GPO association pushes suppliers off board to lure new members.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone The group purchasing industry's trade association, the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association, reorganized its governance and finance structures in a bid to improve transparency regarding the organization's...

Help from India Inc. For-profit enterprises train nurses headed abroad.(Outsourcing Trends)(Apollo Hospitals Enterprise)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Melanie Evans Hospitals' endless demand for nurses in major American cities such as Boston, Kansas City and San Francisco continues to fuel an expansion of nursing schools-but not necessarily in California, Massachusetts or...

Healing a rift? Survey aims to aid provider, intermediary relations.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Matthew DoBias Looking for a way to mend the sometimes fractious relations between healthcare providers and the federal contractors charged with dispensing Medicare money, the CMS last week launched a first-ever survey of...

AAMC's incoming chief seeks collaboration; New faces in the lobby ...(Special Report)(Association of American Medical Colleges)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano Darrell Kirch still has about six months to go before taking over as president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, but he's well aware of the long list of challenges ahead: physician shortages, tuition...

Stable outlook, for now; Fitch sees calm prospects for 2006, uncertain for 2007.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Cinda Becker Fitch Ratings is projecting a stable outlook for the not-for-profit hospital market this year, but all bets are off after 2006. "We are definitely concerned about the environment after 2006, and it stems from the...

Growing pains; Merger leaves two reprocessors to withstand congressional scrutiny.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone A recent merger among third-party medical device reprocessing companies comes as Congress increases its scrutiny of the industry. Vanguard Medical Concepts, Lakeland, Fla., and Alliance Medical Corp., Phoenix,...

By The Numbers.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Medicare should offer a long-term-care benefit financed by a premium, according to 80% of 246 healthcare opinion leaders surveyed by the Commonwealth Fund. Some 75% of respondents said there should be tax incentives for buying private long-term...

Five bills to watch in 2006.(Special Report)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Modern Healthcare reporting Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005 * Senate Bill 1932 * Sponsor: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) * Status: Pending in House * Includes a host of healthcare provisions,...

Ariz. school adds rural residents.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... The Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University in Glendale will bolster the number of residents it sends to rural areas to address chronic physician shortages outside the state's larger population centers, the school said....

CEO IT award competition.(Chief executive officers)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Modern Healthcare is seeking nominations for our fourth annual CEO IT Achievement Awards competition. The award, co-sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, honors one or more healthcare industry chief executive...

The unwritten rules; Raytheon CEO zeroes in on key guidelines for success in business.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Charles S. Lauer, Vice President-Publishing/Editorial Director There are so many management books out there that it's hard to choose. A lot of them are just a string of cliches or testaments to the egos of top executives, but I...

Vendors seen as likely winners; Whoever buys Guidant, devicemakers get more clout.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Joseph Mantone Hospital supply-chain experts were lukewarm about picking sides in the increasingly hot bidding war to purchase cardiac-device maker Guidant Corp. The prevailing viewpoints were that no matter who wins-Johnson &...

Survey deadline extended to Jan. 27.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 16, 2006... The deadline for Modern Healthcare's 27th annual Construction and Design Survey has been extended to Jan. 27. To download a copy of the survey questionnaire, visit modernhealthcare.com/surveys. Results of the survey will be published in the...

South.(Angleton Danbury Medical Center )
January 16, 2006... ANGLETON, Texas-Angleton Danbury Medical Center said in early January it entered into an agreement with Houston-based St. Luke's Episcopal Health System that will allow the 43-bed, not-for-profit medical center to coordinate managed-care and...

No end in sight; Healthcare tab hits record level, share of economy.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano Healthcare costs continued their inexorable rise in 2004 to a record level of $1.9 trillion as consumers spent more of their money than ever before on drugs, doctors and hospital care. And the ever-expanding...

On the move ...(Connecticut Children's Medical Center)
January 16, 2006... HOSPITALS Larry Gold has resigned as president and CEO of Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, eight months after the hospital was cited by public health officials for problems that may have contributed to the deaths of three...

What happens when you call a briefing and nobody comes?
January 16, 2006... It seems there may be a new way to draw attention to your cause-by not getting any when you first seek it. At least that's how it's turning out for Mark Coyle, who handles media relations for a group called the Committee to Reduce Infection...

Other Voices.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... "It is said only in hushed tones and not by anybody of prominence, but a few brave souls in the Bush administration admit it. President Bush's Medicare drug benefit that went into effect Jan. 1 looks like a political blunder of far-reaching...

Tenet wades through legal mess; $215 million settlement reached; jury deliberates.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Vince Galloro Tenet Healthcare Corp. moved toward resolving one legal problem last week, but the company can only wait while another resumed its slow march to a conclusion. Tenet agreed to pay $215 million to settle shareholder...

Mecklenburg ready to retire; Prominent CEO to leave Northwestern in Chicago.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Mark Taylor Gary Mecklenburg, one of the nation's most prominent not-for-profit hospital system chief executive officers, added his name to a growing list of high-profile hospital executives announcing their retirements recently....

U.S. emergency care gets C-; 80% of states receive poor or near-failing grades.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Jessica Zigmond The nation's emergency-care system is in serious condition and requires considerable improvement, according to a state-by-state report card released Jan. 10 by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Using...

One question: Credit or debit? As health savings accounts gain in popularity, insurers and the financial services industry want to bank the cash.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Cinda Becker The recent announcement by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association that it will charter a Blues-branded bank is just one more example of the health insurance industry's growing pervasiveness in the national...

Northeast.(Tara Hospital )
January 16, 2006... BROWNSVILLE, Pa.-Tara Hospital surrendered its provisional hospital license and closed earlier this month, citing financial problems and a deteriorating relationship with employees. Harry Cancelmi took over the role of chief executive officer...

Ky. relaxed CON plans in limbo; Hospitals oppose changes, fearing surge in building.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano Kentucky has one of the toughest certificate-of-need laws in the nation, stringent regulations that have thwarted significant expansion of acute-care beds for almost 25 years. But that may change under new guidelines...

Hard(ly) wired; CPOE systems still a rarity at U.S. hospitals.(computerized physician order-entry systems)
January 16, 2006... Byline: Joseph Conn Despite five years of private-sector pressure on U.S. hospitals to install computerized physician order-entry systems, the number using such systems remains a small fraction of nonfederal hospitals, according to the...

Driven to distress; Medical groups fret over expected billing challenges as more companies steer employees to consumer-driven health plans.(Special Feature)
January 16, 2006... Byline: Michael Romano Ann Donovan, the administrator of a five-physician oncology group in Kansas City, Mo., already has more than her share of hassles and headaches in a demanding job. Included is the difficult balancing act between...

MedPAC puts on the pressure; Panel wants hospitals to shift from capital spending.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Matthew DoBias The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission last week unveiled an aggressive set of recommendations designed to redirect hospital spending away from capital projects and instead funnel it back into patient care and...

LifePoint grapples with acquisition; Woes at Province contribute to earnings shortfall.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Vince Galloro Combining two companies is never a simple task, even when both of them share the same city as a headquarters. Executives for LifePoint Hospitals are finding that out-if they didn't know already-as the company digests...

Ex-head of Northwestern dies; Everhart helped lead hospital in '70s and '80s.(Northwestern Memorial Hospital )(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 16, 2006... Byline: Mark Taylor David Everhart, the retired president and chief executive officer of Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial Hospital, died in his Wisconsin home Jan. 1 at the age of 77. Everhart, who held those posts from 1976 to 1985,...

Midwest.(White County Medical Center )(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... CARMI, Ill.-White County Medical Center last month transferred its few remaining patients to neighboring hospitals and closed its doors, officials said. The 25-bed critical-access hospital suffered cash-flow problems after the CMS sought...

West.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... PHOENIX-Banner Health approved $449 million in construction projects that will add more than 300 beds to the Phoenix area and further expand the system's Colorado operations by 2008. The plan includes $230 million for a six-story, 62-bed...

Late News; HCA: Profits to beat expectations.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... HCA said Jan. 13 that it continues to see acceleration in admissions of uninsured patients, but also said that its profits for the fourth quarter would be slightly higher than its expectations. In the fourth quarter, HCA's same-facility...

Gentiva poised for growth; Healthfield deal puts company in hospice business.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Gentiva Health Services' agreement to buy home healthcare and hospice provider the Healthfield Group signals the company's plans for rapid growth at a time when favorable federal reimbursements have increased sales...

Safer, but more expensive; Adding more nurses saves lives but costs more money.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Melanie Evans Hospitals that boost the skill level and size of their nursing workforce could save lives, curb harmful errors and sharply cut costs, a research report argues. There's a catch, though. It'll likely cost more money...

Mandating H-CAHPS?(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Byline: Joseph Conn Congressional leaders are making it clear they believe that not participating in the now-voluntary H-CAHPS consumer-satisfaction survey should be a reason to cut Medicare rates. Though for practical purposes the...

Heart to heart in Columbia; S.C. town gets a second cardiac hospital.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Vince Galloro Palmetto Health opened the $80 million Palmetto Health Heart Hospital adjacent to its flagship hospital in Columbia, S.C., last week. The opening completes a project that was six years in the making and built over the...

Nominate minority executives.
January 16, 2006... Byline: David Burda, Editor Modern Healthcare is seeking nominations for our first-ever listing of the Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare. We are seeking nominees from all sectors of the healthcare industry, including hospitals,...

Less is more; Too many frivolous pop-up alerts discourage docs from e-prescribing: article.(electronic prescribing systems)
January 16, 2006... Byline: Andis Robeznieks When it comes to getting clinicians to buy into using electronic prescribing systems, it's important to focus on quality over quantity of alerts, according to healthcare researcher Nidhi Shah, M.D. Shah was the...

By The Numbers.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... About the same percentage of doctors accept new Medicare patients today as five years ago, despite a 5.4% reimbursement cut in 2002 and Medicare rate increases of about 1.5% in subsequent years. Some 72.9% of doctors reported accepting new...

Lost in the doughnut hole; The drug benefit's woes will worsen as seniors discover shortcomings.
January 16, 2006... Byline: Todd Sloane, Assistant Managing Editor/Op-Ed The horror show of technical glitches that has been the rollout of the Medicare prescription-drug program may well smooth out over time. The bigger story is that the real problems are...