Modern Healthcare articles from July 2004

Modern Healthcare archives from July 2004

Mission unaccomplished; Hospitals need to act now to show that serving patients is their only business.(Opinions)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Todd Sloane How much of a regulatory and legal predicament the not-for-profit hospital industry is in as a result of the uninsured billing/charity-care tsunami remains to be seen. There is no question, however, that a lack of...

GPO hearings, take 3?(The Week In Healthcare)(Group purchasing organizations)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Cinda Becker The Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee is considering another hearing-the third since April 2002-on the business practices of hospital group purchasing organizations. Senior-level executives in the...

Tough enough? Rules about drug firms' gifts get new look from docs.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Michael Romano After the American Medical Association rejected a proposal to water down its ethics code just three weeks ago, some physicians now wonder if the rigid policy governing gifts from drug companies needs to be even...

Late News; Cardinal lowers forecast.(Company forecasts)
July 5, 2004... Cardinal Health, Dublin, Ohio, lowered its earnings forecast and announced it had received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with an investigation into the company's drug-distribution business. The company,...

Nurse radio is on the air--or at least on the Internet.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)
July 5, 2004... Nurses have tough jobs, with long hours, lots of stress and pay that doesn't always match up to the demands. But at least they now have a radio station all their own. OK, so radio station is not exactly accurate. Nurseradio.org is a Web...

Much ado about nothing; Between last year's Medicare bill and the November elections, healthcare legislation may be high on drama, low on substance.(Medicare)(Laws, regulations and rules)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Tony Fong and Jeff Tieman Remember the episode of "Seinfeld'' where George and Jerry pitch network executives the idea of a TV show about nothing? The story on major healthcare legislation coming from Capitol Hill this year might...

Mariner bought by new firm.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Vince Galloro National Senior Care sounds like the kind of company that would buy a nursing home operator. Last week, National, based in Sparks, Md., offered to buy Mariner Health Care, Atlanta, and take it private for $1 billion,...

Scoring big; Two major initiatives in works to gauge hospital value.(The Week In Healthcare)(Not-for-profit hospitals)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic With not-for-profit hospitals increasingly being called on to account for their community benefits, two separate initiatives are afoot to weigh hospitals against each other based on the value they provide. ...

Mixing policy and politics; As Kerry's domestic policy director, Sarah Bianchi blends campaign experience, healthcare expertise.(Healthcare Profile)(Biography)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jeff Tieman Usually her boss is the one onstage, but on this particular day, at least for an hour and a half, it's Sarah Bianchi's turn in the spotlight. In a conference room packed with observers at Washington's Willard...

Briefly: Managed Care; Bill problems for all: report.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Almost 20 million American families, including about 13.5 million families with health insurance, had trouble paying their medical bills in 2003, according to a report released last week by the Center for Studying Health System Change. While...

What's on tap; Recently introduced healthcare bills and where they stand.(Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act)(Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2004)(Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2004)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Modern Healthcare reporting Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (S.720 and H.R.663): * Introduced by Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) in February 2003 and Sen. James Jeffords (I-Vt.) in March 2003 * Would establish a...

Briefly: Post-Acute; Location criteria assailed.(The Week In Healthcare)(Acute Long Term Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... A lobbying group for the long-term acute-care hospital industry said last week that it strongly opposes a proposed regulation that would stem development of long-term acute-care hospitals within existing general hospitals. The regulation would...

A new degree of expertise; Organizations, universities helping doctors graduate to IT proficiency.(Special Report)(Clinical computerization for physician offices)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joseph Conn Clinical computerization for physician offices is in large part a financial challenge, as the federal government is recognizing through its hints that it will promote broad adoption of IT through economic incentives....

In the spotlight.(HEALTHSOUTH Corp. appoints Mike Snow and Robert May)
July 5, 2004... It appears that HCA executives, long accustomed to the fallout from fraud problems, are coming to the rescue of HealthSouth Corp. The Birmingham, Ala.-based rehabilitation company again drew from HCA's pool of top executives for its new...

On pricing, think wholesale; Transparency works, but only if focused on the data that matter to consumers.(hospital retail pricing)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Chip Kahn My grandfather earned his living running a chain of five-and-dime stores in my native Louisiana. The best advice that he ever gave my father, and that my father passed onto me, was "Never buy retail what you can get...

One step at a time; Preparation, orderly implementation are keys to achieving clinical, financial goals for information technology.(implementation of clinical information management technology)
July 5, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey It's the beginning of a new era for clinical care at Bronson Methodist Hospital. During the next few months, the 343-bed facility in downtown Kalamazoo, Mich., will contract for a system that lets physicians, nurses...

Governance gap; Alaska hospitals try to improve CEO-board relations.(The Week In Healthcare, Chief Executive Officer)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Julie Piotrowski When the new 25-bed critical-access hospital in Valdez, Alaska, opens its doors later this summer, the facility's former chief executive officer, Jim Culley, won't be there to welcome patients. Although Culley...

Bringing you the best.(American Society of Business Publication Editors has awarded Modern Healthcare four prestigious editorial honors)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: David Burda, editor The American Society of Business Publication Editors has awarded Modern Healthcare four prestigious editorial honors. In the ASBPE's national competition, Modern Healthcare won three awards: a gold award for...

The unusual suspects; Whistle-blowers target contractor, Bear Stearns.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Mark Taylor Last week's news that executives from a suburban Chicago hospital had filed a civil whistle-blower lawsuit was unusual, healthcare attorneys say, not because of who was blowing the whistle, but because of whom the...

Stay out of Florida; State bans single-specialty facilities for cardiac, orthopedic, cancer treatment.(The Week In Healthcare)(Health care industry)(Laws, regulations and rules)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Michael Romano In another sign of a hostile climate for specialty hospitals, Florida has banned the creation of any facility that focuses on cardiac care, orthopedic services or cancer treatment. It was the first time a state...

Building a 'system of systems' ...(Special Report)(clinical information system)
July 5, 2004... Byline: John Morrisey Here's the central problem with committing to go out and buy a clinical information system: There really is no such thing, at least in the traditional sense of purchasing IT computer applications. As many experts...

Increased friction; Tax on ambulatory surgery centers aimed at boosting funds for N.J, hospitals.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Cinda Becker New Jersey's hospitals persuaded the governor and state Legislature late last month to boost charity-care funding by 53%, but the bounty came at least in part on the backs of free-standing ambulatory surgery centers....

Miami vice? U.S. attorney accuses Fla. hospital, execs of kickbacks.(Late News)(Larkin Community Hospital)(health care industry, cases)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Mark Taylor The U.S. attorney's office in Miami filed a civil False Claims Act lawsuit against for-profit Larkin Community Hospital, South Miami, Fla., and several individuals over alleged kickbacks and unnecessary services. ...

Other Voices.(Opinions)(health care industry)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... "The U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system on the planet, but millions of Americans without access to care die from illnesses that could have been successfully treated if diagnosed in time. Poor people line up at emergency rooms for...

Rehab backlash; As new regs take effect, lobbying mounts for update.(The Week In Healthcare)(Laws, regulations and rules)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Tony Fong As the CMS implemented its final regulations last week on when to clas-sify hospitals as inpatient rehabilitation facilities, momentum gathered for legislative action to block its enforcement. On July 1, changes to...

Culture matters; How founding principles can help solve today's problems.(Publisher's Letter)(Corporate culture)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Everywhere I go I hear people use the word "culture'' when discussing their organizations' internal operations. It is a hot buzzword and has great meaning in terms of how companies, hospitals or health systems...

Blues unite; BCBS of Arkansas, Florida to consolidate products.(The Week In Healthcare)(Health insurance industry)(Organization formation)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Laura B. Benko The Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans of Florida and Arkansas intend to consolidate their specialty insurance products under a new for-profit venture that they hope will eventually evolve into a national Blues-backed...

High-speed connection; HHS: Health IT plan moving faster than expected.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Modern Physician At a July 21 event to disclose the Bush administration's health information technology plans, HHS will make "several key announcements" that will provide impetus for changing healthcare IT in America, HHS Secretary...

E-data network set to be launched in Massachusetts.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Modern Physician Fallon Clinic, Fallon Community Health Plan and UMass Memorial Health Care, all in Worcester, Mass., said last week that they have agreed to partner in creating an electronic medical-data connectivity network. ...

AHIMA latest to join push for patient-friendly bills.(Physician Affairs)(American Health Information Management Association)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Modern Physician The American Health Information Management Association has become the latest group to support an industrywide initiative to make patient bills clear, concise and correct. The Patient Friendly Billing Project was...

Gender Differences.(Physician Affairs)(women's selection of medical specialties not uniform)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... While women continue to dominate some specialties in residency programs - including pediatrics and obstetrics-gynecology - they lag in some male-dominated specialties, including surgery, according to a survey by the Washington-based Association...

Children's CEOs find value in long tenures.(News Makers)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Julie Piotrowski Though some hospital CEOs are stepping down rather than continuing to deal with the pressures of managed care, government red tape and competition, don't ask William Considine or Treuman Katz about the "R" word....

CareFirst remakes board in wake of law.(News Makers)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... CareFirst Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Owings Mills, Md., revamped its board of directors as required by a new law passed in the wake of the health insurer's ill-fated attempt to convert to for-profit status. CareFirst replaced seven...

On the move ...(News Makers)(Appointments in health care industry)
July 5, 2004... HOSPITALS/SYSTEMS Eddie George, the only top executive in Wellmont Health System's eight-year history, will step down at the end of the year. George, 63, had planned to stay on as president and CEO of the Kingsport, Tenn., system for...

No resolution in California; Questions remain after Anthem-WellPoint hearing.(Late News)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Michael Romano A four-hour public hearing in California's state capital did little to answer the insurance industry's $17.4 billion question: Will regulators give the go-ahead to the controversial merger between Anthem and...

An offer they can't refuse; As mergers and acquisitions make a comeback, hospitals large and small are choosing consolidation over competition.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Vince Galloro Deal-making is back. Has it reached the frenzied levels of the mid-1990s? No. But figures from the first six months of 2004 show that mergers and acquisitions are racing ahead of the very weak start they were off...

Late News; NCQA adds new quality measures.(National Committee for Quality Assurance )
July 12, 2004... The National Committee for Quality Assurance added four measures to its industry-standard evaluation of health plans. The new measures from the accreditation group are aimed at encouraging physicians to step up efforts to manage the health of...

Hospital isn't so sure it buys stuntman's idea of charity.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)
July 12, 2004... St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., a clinical leader in pediatric oncology, is by necessity a fund-raising powerhouse. Despite having just 56 beds, it provides a huge level of charity care for needy families. It has 13...

Turbulence ahead; HFMA speakers confident despite myriad challenges.(Special Feature)(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Mary Chris Jaklevic Even the climate-controlled glass atriums at Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center couldn't shield a record crowd of 4,000 at the Healthcare Financial Management Association's Annual National...

But some still can't get along.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Vince Galloro Unlike diamonds, mergers aren't forever. Two recent de-mergers remind today's dealmakers that what seems logical when a deal is being consummated might not look as good six or seven years later. Mergers can founder on...

Paying the bill.(Physician Affairs)(revenue for medical schools)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... More than half of all revenue for 125 medical schools in the U.S. in 2001-02 came from tuition and fees, affiliated medical practice plans, support from the parent university and hospitals and clinics, according to a survey by the Association...

Briefly: Capitol Hill.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Bill would benefit HHS' budget * The House Appropriations Committee's health and human services subcommittee unanimously passed a spending bill that would give HHS a total of $374.3 billion for fiscal 2005, an increase of $14 billion over...

Not satisfied; Democrats call for independent probe of Scully.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Mark Taylor Congressional Democrats demanded an independent investigation last week after an HHS inspector general's report cleared former CMS Administrator Tom Scully of criminal conduct related to cost estimates of last year's...

Scruggs' hospital lawsuit grows.(The Week In Healthcare)(health systems controlling )
July 12, 2004... Byline: Mark Taylor The list of hospitals and systems being sued by Mississippi plaintiff attorney Richard Scruggs and others for allegedly overly aggressive billing practices grew last week by six. The civil cases originally filed in...

Pluses and minuses; Edwards' background as trial lawyer raises concerns.(The Week In Healthcare)(Sen. John Edwards plans to help in the health care reform and reduce medical malpractices)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Jeff Tieman When it comes to healthcare, and especially medical liability reform, the newly minted Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. John Edwards of North Caro-lina, brings bonuses and baggage to the Kerry campaign,...

Bedside battle; Study prompts renewed call for ban on forced OT.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Tony Fong A new study connecting overworked nurses and medical errors may arm nursing organizations with a new weapon as they lobby for state and federal legislation aimed at increasing the number of nurses at the bedside....

Adopting automation; IT leaders try to establish voluntary certification.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 12, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey In yet another outbreak of initiative in the area of information technology, a group of IT-minded trade associations is rounding up a spectrum of leadership in the healthcare industry this week to explore...

A new game of leapfrog? RFID is rapidly changing the product-tracking process. Some say the technology--once costs drops--could displace bar-coding.(Medical Advances)(Agility Healthcare Solutions)(radio frequency identification)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Cinda Becker Consider the state of bar-coding in the nation's hospitals, and it seems as if the hospital industry is hopelessly out of step with the rest of the world when it comes to information technology. But given the...

Medicare mayhem; Fur flies over wage index policies, use of new MSAs.(The Week In Healthcare)(medicare payments )
July 12, 2004... Byline: Jeff Tieman Hospitals in three Southern states want HHS to refund more than $260 million they say was lost to a Medicare payment rule that also grabbed the attention of several lawmakers last week. At issue in both the lawsuit...

No resignation in his decision; As a loved one seeks transplant, Fred Brown takes care of a higher priority.(Publisher's Letter)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Fred Brown has had a distinguished career in healthcare. In the 1990s he was chief executive of BJC Healthcare in St. Louis and in 1999 he was chairman of the American Hospital Association. We ran into each other...

It's more than just the purchase; Make clear the commitments that it will trigger.(Special Report)
July 12, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey It's ultimately about putting patients first, fixing things that stand in the way of improving patient care, and making it easier for clinicians to execute their responsibilities-not about how many computer functions...

Raining on competition; Florida's specialty hospital ban is a bad idea for patients.(Opinions)
July 12, 2004... Byline: David Burda What happened in Florida should stay in Florida. On July 1, one of the worst pieces of protectionist legislation ever passed in the history of the healthcare industry took effect in the Sunshine State. As reporter...

Other Voices.(Opinions)
July 12, 2004... "The key plank of (John) Kerry's election will be (Bill) Clinton's in 1992: government-mandated universal healthcare. And (Kerry says) the current American choice to deliver healthcare through private industry is `shameful.' Not wrong or...

Large issues for smaller hospitals; Proper planning leads to IT system with the right fit.(Special Report)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Joseph Mantone After five years on the job, Jim Olson could finally start thinking about the third item on his to-do list at Waterbury (Conn.) Hospital. The chief information officer has been at the 268-bed facility for five years...

The process comes first; Before assembling all the pieces of a clinical IT system, know what the initiative needs to accomplish and how the technology fits in.(Special Report)(planning for changes in the clinical information technology)
July 12, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey Think of a clinical information technology initiative as the biggest jigsaw puzzle ever. Then envision having to put it together using some pieces already on hand and many others that first have to be identified,...

Barriers to CPOE; Study cites doc resistance, high cost as roadblocks.(Physician Affairs)(Computerized Physician Order Entry)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Physician resistance, high cost and immature products were identified as the top three barriers to implementing computerized physician order-entry systems in a survey of 52 hospital executives by Harvard Medical School researchers. The top...

Illinois city approves limit on noneconomic damages.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Carbondale, Ill., sent a message to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and members of the Illinois General Assembly last week that they need to address the state's medical malpractice crisis. The Carbondale City Council voted 4-1 with one abstention on...

Flat cap in malpractice lawsuits is unfair: study.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... A flat cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases is unfair to plaintiffs, particularly those who suffered grave injuries, researchers said in a study published last week. In a sampling of jury verdicts in California, which has a...

Paying the bill.(Physician Affairs)(federal government gets revenue from medial collge tution fees)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... More than half of all revenue for 125 medical schools in the U.S. in 2001-02 came from tuition and fees, affiliated medical practice plans, support from the parent university and hospitals and clinics, according to a survey by the Association...

Glory, how fleeting? Questions loom about tenure of next HHS IG.(Department of Health & Human Services, inspector general)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Mark Taylor The man President Bush nominated to lead HHS' inspector general's office would, if confirmed, arrive in a high-profile position during an election year when corporate fraud and white-collar crime dominate both headlines...

Joining forces; IT acquisitions sharpen focus on clinical quality.(information technology, acquisitions and mergers)
July 19, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey Information technology companies that once concentrated on improving the administrative side of health plan and provider operations are taking a clinical turn, prompted by increased interest in harvesting...

The human touch; Building, sustaining contacts are key to long-term success in business.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Relationships are crucial to success in business and life, but many people seem to be unaware of this fact. Ask any successful businessperson about how they got where they are and they will invariably tell you...

Data trackers; These groups supplied information for this year's Physician Compensation Survey.(American Medical Group Association, Delta Medical Consulting, Goddard Healthcare Consulting, Hay Group, Hospital and Healthcare Compensation Service, Jackson & Harris, MD Network, Medical Group Management Association, Merritt, Hawkings and Associates, Pinnacle Health Group, Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Warren Surveys)
July 19, 2004... American Medical Group Association * The Alexandria, Va.-based trade group's 18th annual Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey was conducted in December 2003 in partnership with the Minneapolis-based accounting and consulting firm...

Hits and misses; JCAHO loses money; JCR subsidiary makes a profit.(Joint Commission on Accredition of Healthcare Organizations, Joint Commission Resources)
July 19, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey Bedeviled by a revenue slide that won't quit, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations lost money on its core business of quality evaluation in 2003-the second straight year of net losses...

Late News; Boston Scientific recalls stents.
July 19, 2004... Boston Scientific Corp. recalled 85,000 Taxus drug-eluting stents as well as 11,000 of its bare-metal stent systems due to a problem with balloon deflation during coronary angioplasty procedures. The problem can result in serious complications,...

Bill requires full disclosure.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Cinda Becker New Jersey healthcare stakeholders are crafting a bill that would make hospitals and healthcare facilities duty-bound to report incompetent or potentially criminal employees such as Charles Cullen, the former nurse who...

Rooting out fraud; Blues' fraud-fighting netted $240 million last year.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Mark Taylor As the Senate prepares to consider the confirmation of a new HHS inspector general, insurance fraud is growing as a priority for private payers. Last week the Chicago-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association...

Reluctant heroes; Everyone wins when hospitals, physicians, patients, payers speak their minds.(Opinions)
July 19, 2004... Byline: David Burda This is a story about Jerry Marcus and Gary Fennessy. I don't know Jerry or Gary, but by the end of this editorial, you will know their points of view. Jerry and Gary are two individuals carrying on a disagreement being...

Partners in preparedness; AMA, CDC team up to coordinate emergency plan.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Michael Romano Private physicians and public health experts will gather in Washington this week for the First National Congress on Public Health Readiness, marking the beginning of a new partnership between the American Medical...

Moving back into HMOs; With the Anthem-WellPoint merger looming ahead, one Wisconsin health system is buying back its HMO.(Health Maintenance Organization)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Laura B. Benko With providers nationwide fretting over the effects that Anthem's pending mega-merger with rival WellPoint Health Networks could have on their bottom lines, one healthcare system is jumping back into the HMO...

Community crackdown; Focus moves from specialty to ASCs.(community hospitals, specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Michael Romano Now that they've helped crack down on specialty hospitals, community hospitals in some states may be targeting an-other one of their prime rivals for lucrative out-patient business: ambulatory surgery centers. ...

Long wait almost over; Project Bioshield measure nears final approval.(bioterrorism antidote)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Tony Fong More than a year after first proposing Project Bioshield, President Bush was given the chance last week to put his signature on the legislation, which aims to encourage development of drugs to be used in bioterrorist...

Premera loses conversion bid.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Laura B. Benko Washington state regulators last week officially blocked Premera Blue Cross' attempt to convert to for-profit status, a decision that could throw a wrench into the fast-consolidating Blue Cross and Blue Shield...

Defending LTACs; Congress pressures CMS to revise admissions policy.(The Week In Healthcare)(Long-term acute-care)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jeff Tieman Long-term acute-care hospitals and their growing base of friends in Congress put new pressure on the CMS last week to revise a proposal that even the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has come out against. Among...

On the move ...(News Makers)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Leslie Norwalk has been named deputy administrator of the CMS, dropping the word "acting'' from her title, the agency says. Two other CMS positions have also been filled. John Robert Dyer rejoins the agency as COO and Charlene Brown is becoming...

Another loss; Judge tosses Mount Sinai suit over CEO search.(Late News)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Michael Romano A Miami federal judge threw out a lawsuit by Mount Sinai Medical Center accusing Chicago-based headhunter Heidrick & Struggles of botching the search for a chief executive officer who saddled the Miami Beach, Fla.,...

Railing against the 75% rule.(The Week In Healthcare)(American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Tony Fong After months of pressure from providers, legislators tried last week to force the CMS to back off new regulatory requirements for rehabilitation providers that went into effect this month. The effort came in the form...

Tabbie Awards.(The Week In Healthcare)(American Society of Business Publication Editors)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Modern Healthcare has won two editorial awards in an international business publication competition. Trade, Association and Business Publications International recognized Modern Healthcare with two of its inaugural Tabbie Awards. The...

Making a connection; Coalition issues healthcare IT infrastructure road map.(The Week In Healthcare)
July 19, 2004... Byline: John Morrissey As federal government leaders get ready to say their piece this week on advancing health information technology, a private-public coalition has set the stage with the beginnings of an industry consensus around...

Medical malpractice law gets results in Calif.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Modern Physician California's medical malpractice law, cited as a model by President Bush, has reduced awards in malpractice trials by an average of 30%, according to a study released last week. But because the landmark law...

La. officials seek approval on insurance expansion.(Physician Affairs)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Modern Physician Louisiana officials will seek federal approval of a plan to expand access to health insurance for some of the state's more than 800,000 uninsured residents, despite the proposal receiving some criticism from...

Florida fraud case defendants have rich history with the law.(Outliers: Asides & Insides)(Larkin Community Hospital)
July 19, 2004... When the U.S. attorney in Miami last month charged 122-bed Larkin Community Hospital, its current and former owners, executives and some of their relatives with defrauding Medicare and Medicaid, several of the defendants already knew the drill....

At the roots of its success; AHA's lobbying muscle comes from strong network of local advocates.(Opinions)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Michael Heaney As healthcare issues remain close to the top of the nation's domestic political agenda, advocacy organizations in Washington are always looking for ways to gain an advantage in getting their point across. One...

100 Most Powerful voting deadline nears.(The Week In Healthcare)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... There's now less than one week left to cast your ballot in Modern Healthcare's third annual 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare competition. The deadline is midnight CDT July 23. Visit modernhealthcare.com to submit your vote. ...