Modern Healthcare articles from January 2009

Modern Healthcare archives from January 2009

Starting anew; 2008 was an exceptionally productive year for us, but 2009 promises even more.(Opinions)(Editorial)
January 5, 2009... Byline: David Burda, Editor On behalf of Modern Healthcare's editorial staff, I'd like to say happy New Year and thank you to all our readers. With your support, 2008 was a great year for us here, and we expect an even better editorial...

Thinking small(er); Cigna looks to on-site to cut costs.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely While corporate America may be pulling back from the creation of on-site health clinics, Cigna Corp. plans to jump deeper into that arena. The health insurer is turning to the on-site health clinic business in a...

Last call for the Hall.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Modern Healthcare has extended the submission deadline for nominations for the 2009 Health Care Hall of Fame induction to Jan. 12. The program recognizes luminaries who have made outstanding contributions to healthcare nationally and...

Take a deep breath; Relaxation techniques key to fend off stress.(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson During times of intense stress, experts say one of the best ways to regain clarity and decisionmaking abilities is to temporarily bring mental focus away from stressors and toward the natural functions of the body. ...

Outlook 2009: Change is coming.(Special Report)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... 2008 is history, but events of the past 12 months are expected to dominate healthcare business and policy in the year ahead. January's arrival brought to an end one of the most dramatic years in recent U.S. financial history. The year began...

Finance: Cash is king.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans Hospitals weakened by last year's turmoil will closely and frequently scour the books in 2009 for ways to protect balance sheets, say finance and investment experts. Cash eroded last year as stock markets sank and...

Construction: End of the boom.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Capital constraints and a weaker operating environment forced many hospitals and health systems to put building projects on hold in late 2008. Look for more projects to hit the brakes in the months ahead. "In...

Not-for-profits in their sights? Moody's: Chains could make plays; others disagree.(The Week In Healthcare)(Moody's Investors Service Inc.)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Vince Galloro Moody's Investors Service believes that investor-owned chains could make a meal of cash-strapped not-for-profits this year, but two transactions advisers cautioned that the chains seem more likely to hoard their...

Special Report Extra.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Special Report Extra is a series of podcasts that amplifies a related Special Report that appeared in the weekly print edition of Modern Healthcare. The interviews, conducted by Modern Healthcare's seasoned group of 28 reporters and...

FTC's not done yet; Calif., Colo. doc partnerships latest to be scrutinized.(The Week In Healthcare)(Federal Trade Commission)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Gregg Blesch The American Medical Association recently complained to a House committee that the government "casts an overly suspicious eye on physician collaboration through network arrangements.'' The Federal Trade Commission late...

On the Move.(NewsMakers)
January 5, 2009... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS James Davis was named executive vice president and COO of University Health Care System in Augusta, Ga. Davis had been COO at St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown, Ohio, which is owned by Catholic Healthcare Partners,...

The deals are out there; Experts: Good time to take advantage of economy.(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Though stress in the C-suite is ratcheting up as finances become tighter each day, industry observers say not all executives should become glum. Tough times are a good and real excuse for hospital executives to...

Exec. search survey open.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Modern Healthcare's fourth annual survey of healthcare executive search firms is now open for participation. Please visit the Ongoing Surveys section of Modern Healthcare Online, modernhealthcare.com/surveys, for details on how to...

Forum to address 'never events'.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Coping with "never event'' reimbursement policies will be the subject of one of the many education tracks at Modern Healthcare's Leadership Forum: Transforming Healthcare through Clinical Informatics. The Leadership Forum, which offers an...

Stress up the ladder; wellness management is key for C-suite execs, whose stress can affect entire organizations.
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson When hospital executive Jim Casanova gets stressed, he likes to think about a little refrigerator magnet he received as a gift a few years ago. The top of the tchotchke is imprinted with the phrase, "Control what...

On the clock; nurse unions seek ban on forced OT in 2009.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson As more states pass laws to prevent hospital administrators from forcing nurses to work overtime hours, officials at the major national healthcare unions say they plan to press for a federal ban this year. In...

Slowdown hits on-site clinics; employers reassess plans for workplace healthcare.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Employment-based health clinics are the latest casualty of the ongoing recession, as corporations push off plans to open on-site and near-site clinics and some existing clinics are being considered for the chopping...

Credit still available; HUD program among options for post-acute providers looking to expand.(Strictly Finance)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond As the credit markets remain shaky after taking a beating in 2008, access to capital will likely put a strain on post-acute providers looking to invest in facilities and major equipment, experts say. This comes...

For-profits: becoming a losing proposition?(Special Report)(Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Vince Galloro The year ahead is not only going to be a rough year for investor-owned hospital chains, but also it just might be the beginning of the end of their profitability in the long run, predicts Jeff Villwock, a managing...

Insurers: consumers to bear bigger share.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely The economic crisis presents a mixed bag for health insurers in 2009. On the one hand, their fortunes could rise because of declining medical cost trends as more people put off or forgo care. At the same time,...

Devices, drugs: more consumer protections.(Special Report)(Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea 2009 is likely to be the year when long-debated policies to rein in spending on medical devices and drugs finally gain traction thanks to a raging recession, industry analysts say. "The convergence of market and...

Physician entrepreneurs: threat to ownership.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond If physician-owners were worried that their business model might be threatened in 2008, they no longer need to fret over uncertainty. Instead, they can be sure the threat is real in 2009, as experts predict...

Physicians: primary-care push.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The means to resolve the issue of healthcare reform all revolve around primary care,'' says Jeff Harris, president of the American College of Physicians, noting how other industrialized countries that have more...

Legal affairs: Obama's agenda.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Gregg Blesch The legal terrain in healthcare this year will be mapped not just by the points plotted in the past months by courts and federal agencies, but also will begin to be redrawn by the new occupant of the White House. ...

Labor: an end to the secret union ballot?(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Ask labor leaders, healthcare executives or consultants studying the issue of union activity and all seem unanimous in predicting that it's likely to continue rising in 2009. "Healthcare is ripe for unionization. It...

Quality: focus on outcomes.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Expect a number of quality initiatives to become more targeted and specific to improving outcomes in 2009, experts say. Where providers last year were asked to measure and report on a wide range of practice...

Healthcare IT: here comes the money.(Special Report)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joseph Conn Most healthcare information technology prognosticators say that big money is finally coming to add muscle to a federal IT booster program that began in 2004. President Bush set up the Office of the National Coordinator...

Late News.
January 5, 2009... Tenn., Ala. hospitals struggling to deal with economy: surveys Hospitals in Tennessee and Alabama are struggling to deal with the effects of the financial crisis and recession, according to surveys in those states. Most hospitals responding...

Still going shopping; St. Jude Medical adds two tech companies.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson and Jean DerGurahian The financial crisis may have upended the initial public offerings of some devicemakers but it didn't stop St. Jude Medical from going on a year-end $533 million buying spree. St. Jude Medical,...

AHRQ underfunded: advocates; current funding won't help safety, quality, they say.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Current funding for HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is not enough to ensure improvements to the nation's health-delivery system, quality and safety advocates say. AHRQ recently awarded more than...

Other Voices.(Opinions)
January 5, 2009... "I've got a new year's resolution and a new slogan for the country.... Americans must resolve to be smarter going forward than we have been for the past several years.... The slogan? "Invest in the U.S.''... (W)e should stop squandering the...

New DRGs boost pay; but some say system isn't only reason.(The Week In Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals as a whole experienced an estimated increase of 3% in reimbursement, or nearly $2.3 billion, under the CMS' new inpatient prospective payment system using severity-adjusted DRGs during the first three...

IPOs put on hold; medical-tech companies struggle to find investors.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea At least five medical-technology companies have canceled plans for initial public offerings of their stock within the past few weeks as a result of the deteriorating investment market, according to documents filed with...

Medical associations find their kind of town in Chicago; asides & insides.(Outliers)
January 5, 2009... If Boston and Durham, N.C., are the hubs of medical research, then Chicago may well be the center of organized medicine. The city's downtown is home to the American College of Surgeons, American Hospital Association, American Medical...

Corrections & Clarifications.(Corrections)(Correction notice)
January 12, 2009... In the "By the Numbers" supplement, Dec. 22, 2008, p. 42, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Healthcare should not have been included in the ranking of largest for-profit hospital chains. The organization is a not-for-profit system. The information was...

Healthcare decisionmakers.(Special Report)
January 12, 2009... President-elect Barack Obama The former Illinois senator campaigned vigorously on a platform that put healthcare reform on par with economic stimulus. He has pushed for the use of healthcare IT and has called for an expansion of government...

Construction survey open.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Modern Healthcare's 30th annual Construction & Design Survey is open for participation. This survey is intended for U.S. construction companies that service the healthcare market and that had a minimum of 100,000 square feet of healthcare...

View from Washington: this time, they mean it.(Special Report)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Matthew Dobias A decades-long push to fundamentally change how the healthcare sector looks, feels and operates will come to a head this year. But after countless tussles, numerous false starts and lingering bad feelings from the...

HHS unveils six to eighty-six; meantime, Joint Commission revises its standards.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Providers got a glimpse last week of the latest federal quality standards they will be expected to follow to reduce infections and also to comply with Joint Commission accrediting standards. HHS released its...

Daschle's warm reception; industry leaders like what HHS nominee has to say.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias Industry leaders last week gave a thumbs up to the first in a series of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill that will likely lead to the appointment of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to the nation's top...

Belt-tightening time; recession-proof? Doc investors fear not.(Physician Affairs)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Barbara Kirchheimer Physician investors are finding little comfort in the familiar adage that healthcare is recession-proof. It seems 2009 might be the year that proves that theory false. As with other industries feeling the...

HCA nixes Pensacola deal; Baptist couldn't secure financing by deadline.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Vince Galloro Amid speculation that the credit crunch could spur more hospital deals, tight credit markets scuttled a hospital sale last week-for now, at least. HCA exercised its option to terminate its deal to sell 339-bed...

Swiping savings; MGMA renews push for machine-readable ID cards.(Information Edge)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks As the old saying goes-popularly attributed to the late Sen. Everett Dirksen-"A billion dollars here, a billion dollars there, pretty soon you're talking real money.'' If its campaign to get the healthcare...

On the Move.(NewsMakers)
January 12, 2009... CONSULTING Dennis Stockwell was named to the new position of general counsel of Jackson Healthcare, Alpharetta, Ga. Stockwell, 54, will be responsible for all legal affairs in his newly created position. Previously, Stockwell was general...

West.(Regional News)
January 12, 2009... SAN DIEGO-Sharp Memorial Hospital plans to open a $194 million expansion facility on Jan. 14. The new 334-bed, 315,000-square-foot, seven-story structure, called the Stephen Birch Healthcare Center, includes 46 emergency/trauma beds; 10 surgery...

South.(Regional News)
January 12, 2009... ATLANTA-The Georgia Community Health Department launched a new Web site to help residents make informed healthcare decisions. The site, georgiahealthinfo.gov, provides information about quality and cost of care and health education. Users can...

Objection? Sustained; with costs continuing to rise, it's time re-evaluate business as usual.(Opinions)(Viewpoint essay)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Neil McLaughlin Over the past year, or at least when gas prices were soaring to $4 a gallon, there was a lot of talk about resources and sustainability. A similar concern over the sustainability of the nation's healthcare system...

Pelletier joins commission.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian The Joint Commission continues to shore up its leadership staff with providers that have hospital experience in the appointment of Mark Pelletier. Pelletier, 50, will serve as executive director for the...

As Obama seeks stimulus ... some wonder where the funds will be going.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Healthcare was among the four targeted areas of President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus package announced last week, but interest groups were left wondering how much-and where-federal funding will be...

With the new calendar year, the CMS unleashed a flurry of news, proposals and regulations.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
January 12, 2009... Of the 3,339 participating hospitals, 3,313, or more than 99%, will get the full 2009 payment update in the CMS' Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program, according to a CMS news release. The remaining 26 will receive an update that...

Midwest.(Regional News)
January 12, 2009... CHICAGO-St. Anthony Hospital opened a new and bigger emergency department to serve the growing population in the surrounding neighborhoods, which brings a larger-than-average percentage of pediatric patients through the 151-bed hospital's...

Nowhere to run... ..and nowhere to hide from bigger financial problems facing the industry, critics say, despite decrease in spending growth.
January 12, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell At first glance, the news seemed promising. In its annual spending report issued last week, the CMS announced that healthcare spending grew only 6.1% in 2007, a slight decrease from 6.7% in 2006 and the slowest...

Other Voices.(Opinions)
January 12, 2009... "The really tricky part of health reform is illuminated in a new report that breaks down U.S. healthcare spending, which reached a staggering $2.2 trillion in 2007.... The situation isn't hopeless. Health reform won't reduce what we spend on...

Late News.
January 12, 2009... Healthcare workforce growing as overall unemployment rises While the rest of the economy posted rates of joblessness not seen since 1993, healthcare continued to expand its workforce in December 2008, adding 31,600 positions in a month in...

Northeast.(Regional News)
January 12, 2009... MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.-Orange Regional Medical Center completed the steel construction on a seven-story hospital scheduled to open in spring 2011. Once complete, Orange Regional will consolidate its two-campus 343-bed hospital into the newly built...

Midwest.(Regional News)
January 12, 2009... CHAMPAIGN, Ill.-A judge last month approved a settlement agreement between a large Illinois physicians group and the state's attorney general, who claimed in a 2007 lawsuit that two dominant practices conspired to shut out new Medicaid patients...

CMS: Support lacking; others disagree on disease management findings.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Disease management advocates remain optimistic that nurse-based health coaching and other health support programs can improve outcomes and lower costs despite a damaging new report on a CMS pilot project. The CMS...

Quality push continues.(Special Report)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals can expect another year of increased pressure to improve accountability and quality despite the many question marks that surround the new administration's approach to regulatory policy. The industry...

New year's stress; ACHE survey shows finances lead execs' concerns.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson As the effects of the unflagging recession begin to hit even the healthcare industry, hospital executives are more concerned than ever about the financial challenges facing their institutions, particularly in Medicaid...

Forum targets EHRs, privacy.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
January 12, 2009... Generating financial and marketing data from electronic health records-while respecting patient privacy-will be the subject of one of the many education tracks at Modern Healthcare's Leadership Forum: Transforming Healthcare through Clinical...

M&A: An upside to a down market.(Special Report)(credit market)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson and Vince Galloro Leo Brideau and William Petasnick have all too much company these days. Like bankers and mortgage holders and factory workers around the country, they've seen their best-laid plans laid to waste by...

Different visions of reform; Five executives offer their views on what will work.(Opinion)
January 19, 2009... With Barack Obama taking office this week promising to make another effort at reforming healthcare in the U.S., Modern Healthcare invited five healthcare executives and analysts to give their thoughts on healthcare reform. Their efforts are...

More breathing room; HHS proposed rule pushes back ICD-10 to 2013.(The Week in Healthcare)(United States Department of Health and Human Services)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Joe Conn HHS' final rule for transitioning to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, included pushing back the compliance deadline-a boon to many industry representatives who had argued the implementation time...

Settling up; Christ Hospital, Health Alliance OK separation terms.(The Week in Healthcare)(Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Gregg Blesch Christ Hospital's decade-plus as a member of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati was legally over April 10, 2006, notwithstanding the bitter legal battle over the withdrawal that raged on until last week....

Other Voices.(Opinion)
January 19, 2009... "Some experts on healthcare met in Columbus last month to brainstorm at the request of (HHS nominee) Tom Daschle... One of the key points... was that all Americans should have affordable health coverage.... Employer-provided insurance......

Dear Mr. Prseident; Opinion leaders offer the Obama administration their take on what healthcare priorities need to be., with most respondents in favor of a National Health Insurance Exchange to expand coverage.(Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey)(Barack Obama)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias A blueprint for healthcare reform, shaped by political leaders inside the Beltway and pursued by incoming President Barack Obama, has garnered the much-needed support of healthcare leaders outside of Washington-the...

Note.(Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey)
January 19, 2009... The Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, is an online poll designed to highlight perspectives on the most timely health-policy issues from a panel of the nation's leading health plan...

The price is now right; UnitedHealth Group's settlement on benchmarking databases could make out-of-network care costs more transparent, equal, some say.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Gregg Blesch New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has a flair for bravado. Doctors and hospitals hope he accomplished something as big as he's selling it. Last week, Cuomo unveiled an agreement with UnitedHealth Group that...

CEO IT award winners announced.(The Week in Healthcare)(Michael Green, Edward Murphy and Anthony Spezia)(Awards list)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Modern Healthcare and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society are pleased to announce the recipients of this year's CEO IT Achievement Award. The 2009 winners are: Michael Green, president and chief executive officer of...

A provider voice; UnitedHealth adds UT exec to board.(Payers and Purchasers)(Kenneth Shine of the University of Texas System)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Jessica Zigmond When it wasn't busy agreeing to a total of $400 million in legal settlements with the American Medical Association and New York's attorney general last week, UnitedHealth Group found time to name a seasoned...

Political winds changing; Congress tackling variety of healthcare measures.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Matthew DoBias and Jennifer Lubell Federal lawmakers last week raised the curtain-and the stakes-on healthcare reform legislation, moving forward with a bill that extends and expands a popular children's health insurance program and...

Price growth slows; Hospitals payments rise only 1.5%, data show.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea Newly released preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the nation's current economic woes are having an effect on healthcare spending. Price growth slowed last year, according to two indexes that...

No holiday from the news; Modern Healthcare now offers weekend, holiday online news service.(Opinion)
January 19, 2009... Byline: David Burda If you're reading this, chances are you're a healthcare news junkie like me. You just can't get enough healthcare business and policy news to keep you feeling totally informed. Over the years, we've developed new ways...

Coverage may expand, but ... ... proposal on PET scans may not increase use.(The Week in Healthcare)(positron emission tomography)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Shawn Rhea A CMS proposal to expand Medicare coverage of PET scans that are used to diagnosis and stage cancer may provide a clinical boon to patients and some increased reimbursement opportunities for providers, but hospitals...

Credit squeeze won't let up; Cheaper deals elusive for healthcare borrowers.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Melanie Evans Banks' tight grip on credit is jeopardizing healthcare borrowers' access to one corner of the credit market where lending has become extremely cheap. Municipal bonds sold to short-term investors have seen interest...

Taking it personally; Healthcare crucial pocketbook issue: survey.(The Week in Healthcare)(Kaiser Family Foundation)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Evidence that Americans see healthcare as a personal economic issue can be seen in the results of a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Healthcare reform is...

From crusade for healthcare to impeachment and beyond.(Outliers)(Rod Blagojevich)
January 19, 2009... Today he has a few legal worries. But in 2007, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was on a populist crusade to bring universal healthcare to the state. "This is Armageddon, and we are on the side of the Lord,'' he said, paraphrasing Teddy Roosevelt....

Note.(Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey)
January 19, 2009... ***** Correction: In the Jan. 19 Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey (p. 18), Ernst & Young's Bruce Vladeck's name was misspelled. ***** The Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey,...

The strong, the integrated; Annual ranking of the nation's integrated health networks shows the critical roles played by outpatient care, implementation of information technology.(Special Report)
January 26, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Diverting surgery and diagnostic cases from inpatient settings to outpatient ambulatory centers is cheaper for patients and hospitals alike, which is why Sutter Health executives have put such a focus on it in their...

Next-door neighbors; Hospitals serve as linchpins for redevelopment.(Construction Digest)
January 26, 2009... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Nobody seems to have any money these days-including hospitals. But one thing hospitals do have is hundreds-or often thousands-of employees who need places to live, shop, eat, play and relax. A growing number of...

Pa.: Keep 'em separated; Blues merger rejection could have wider implications.(The Week in Healthcare)(Independence Blue Cross and Highmark in Pennsylvania)
January 26, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Pennsylvania's decision to reject the proposed merger of the state's two largest Blues plans last week could have long-term effects on how regulators review health insurance merger proposals as well as on...

Take it from the top; Hospitals, systems see increases in management-level layoffs.(The Week in Healthcare)
January 26, 2009... Byline: Joe Carlson Since last September when reports about layoffs began streaming out from healthcare providers in earnest, more often than not they have included obligatory references to direct patient care not being affected by the...

Corrections & Clarifications.(News)(Correction notice)
January 26, 2009... In the Jan. 19 Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey (p. 18), Ernst & Young's Bruce Vladeck's name was misspelled.

Claims denied; Hospitals losing update money over confusion, glitches with filing quality data.
January 26, 2009... Byline: Jean DerGurahian United Medical Center had seen its share of struggles even before the economy took a turn for the worse. The Washington-based hospital, troubled in the past by safety violations and multiple changes of ownership,...