Modern Healthcare articles from July 2008

Modern Healthcare archives from July 2008

The human cost; The numbers show the toll of lack of coverage.(Charles S. Lauer)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Like most people who follow the healthcare industry, I have often bemoaned the fact that 47 million of our fellow citizens lack access to health coverage. I believe that in a country as rich as ours, the fact that...

Medicare malcontent; Lawmakers who voted against freeze feel the heat.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Afrustrated medical lobby last week turned its wrath on Capitol Hill, blasting lawmakers for failing to stop a 10.6% cut in Medicare payments to doctors by July 1. Physician organizations posted ads, flooded...

Worth the risk; Public policy must change to encourage development of breakthrough drugs.(Opinions Commentary)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Kenneth Davis Advances in biology, genetics and molecular biology are creating a watershed moment in medical science. Those of us at the leading edge of research in the life sciences, especially at academic medical institutions,...

Renal remedy would reverberate.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias A major Medicare bill, which stalled in the Senate over partisan bickering late last month, includes some of the most sweeping changes to how the federal government pays providers of kidney-care services, and could...

Outliers; Asides & insides.
July 7, 2008... Musicians increasingly attuned to a niche in palliative care Hospice care is designed to ease life's last days, and, increasingly, music is a key part of palliative care. At the Washington Soldiers Home and Colony in Orting, Wash., near...

LETTERS.(Opinions Letters)
July 7, 2008... A betrayal of physicians... Playing politics with patient access to care and physician practice viability is the ultimate insult to those of us who serve the population's medical needs ("Payment cuts stand for now,'' June 30, p. 4). I...

Help us help you; New purchasing power survey will reveal who holds the purse strings.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)
July 7, 2008... Byline: David Burda A lot has changed in healthcare since you were born (and probably since you finished your first cup of coffee this morning). For the past 32 years, Modern Healthcare has kept its readers informed of those changes-and...

Getting unambiguous; Joint Commission '09 standards target performance.(The Week in Healthcare)(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian After three years of work, the Joint Commission unveiled revised standards for 2009 that are expected to fundamentally change the relationship between hospital staffers and the accreditation process. The Joint...

Mich. Blues sued over using subscriber funds to buy for-profit.(Late News)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan Inc.)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... Michigan's attorney general filed a civil lawsuit against Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, alleging that the not-for-profit insurer illegally used subscriber funds to purchase a for-profit subsidiary. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox...

UnitedHealth settles lawsuit over stock option practices.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... UnitedHealth Group, Minnetonka, Minn., said it is settling a federal securities class-action lawsuit brought by major shareholders for $895 million, and is slashing 4,000 jobs and warning of weaker profits because of the poor economy and higher...

CMS seeks 3% inflation update in outpatient PPS for 2009.(Late News)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Prospective payment systems)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... The CMS proposed to increase Medicare payments for outpatient services with a 3% inflation update to more than 4,000 hospitals and other facilities next year under the outpatient prospective payment system. The CMS projects it will pay the...

Thinning the herd; Mergers trimming players in health IT field.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Health information technology might be a booming business, but industry players agree: It's one tough market. Faced with reluctant physicians who don't see the bottom-line value of costly electronic systems in...

BREAKING BARRIERS; Hospitals work to make sure cultural issues don't hinder quality of care.(Special Report)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Leonard Karp thought he was striking out with executives at a hospital in India when he traveled there to pitch a partnership program with U.S. facilities. The chief executive officer just sat there shaking his...

HCA sells Georgia hospital to not-for-profit system.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... HCA, Nashville, sold another hospital to a not-for-profit system, this time in Georgia. The company sold 100-bed Hughston Orthopedic Hospital, Columbus, to the Medical Center Hospital Authority, which leases its facilities to Columbus (Ga.)...

NQF seeks input on priorities and goals for reform effort.(Late News)
July 7, 2008... The National Quality Forum is asking for input on a new list of priorities and goals it developed through its National Priorities Partnership effort to reform healthcare in the next five years. The standards-development group established seven...

How severe? Hospitals adjust to life with MS-DRGs, but impact on bottom line still unclear.(Strictly Finance)(medicare severity diagnosis related groups)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell A new system that pays hospitals for inpatient procedures based on the severity of a patient's condition hasn't resulted in any drastic cuts or soaring increases to reimbursement. Yet, the industry is feeling a...

N.Y. Berger deadline passes ... ... but debate over success of hospital plan goes on.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea The arrival of last week's deadline for the New York State Health Department to complete a major portion of a controversial plan to close, merge and restructure hospitals and nursing homes throughout the state has left...

Insurance vets could cash in; Blackstone Group set to pay $21 per share for Apria.(The Week in Healthcare)(veterans)(Apria Healthcare Group Inc.)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Two veteran health insurance executives are set to get a payday with the sale of home health company Apria Healthcare Group to the private-equity firm Blackstone Group. Under the terms of the $1.6 billion...

Flying in the face of danger; A spate of air ambulance crashes has raised questions about safety, but providers say the service offers overwhelming benefits.
July 7, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Despite the alarming number of U.S. air ambulance crashes in the first half of 2008-which have claimed 16 lives-several healthcare providers say the benefits of air medical services still outweigh the risks...

Tenet melts Golden State assets; Chain to whittle California hospital count to 11.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Vince Galloro When Tenet Healthcare Corp. shifted its corporate headquarters from Santa Barbara, Calif., to Dallas in 2005, the move perhaps symbolized not only a new direction for the company, but also the decline in California's...

On the move...(News Makers)(briefs)
July 7, 2008... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS Banner Health, Phoenix, announced three new CEO appointments. Elizabeth Woodyard is the new CEO of Banner Lassen Medical Center, Susanville, Calif. Woodyard, 55, was previously chief nursing officer of Fairbanks (Alaska)...

South.(Regional News)(briefs)
July 7, 2008... ORLANDO, Fla.-Florida Hospital acquired more than 100 acres near an emerging medical and research park in southeastern Orlando. Jacqueline Lorenzetti, a spokeswoman for the 1,834-bed hospital, declined an interview request last month, but...

West.(Regional News)
July 7, 2008... LOS ANGELES-The UCLA Medical Center successfully moved to a new facility across the street, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Officials relocated 275 hospital patients and 60 psychiatric patients to the new hospital over the period of...

Ain't no sunshine ... ... after 10% Medicaid rate cut in Calif.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely What a difference six months makes. All the goodwill and carefully crafted coalitions built during California's attempt to pass comprehensive healthcare reform last year have dissolved into bitter fights over...

Digging into Medicare; Speakers press importance of upcoming election.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch The American Health Lawyers Association's annual meeting last week began with a keynote speaker's take on the challenge presented by increasing healthcare costs and was followed by dueling surrogates arguing the...

Gain-sharing could make gains; CMS' proposed rules would ease restrictions.(The Week in Healthcare)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
July 7, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea The CMS' newly proposed rules for gain-sharing and other pay-for-performance initiatives released last week could be a significant step toward loosening financial-arrangement restrictions that many believe prevent...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... "Many people who have Friday off for the Fourth of July holiday are toiling a little harder this week. They try to get ahead -- or at least caught up -- so work does not pile up over the long weekend. Then there is Congress. Lawmakers are...

HOT COMMODITY; Survey shows doc pay keeps climbing, but raises moderating.(Special Feature)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Andis Robeznieks According to at least one healthcare compensation expert, because of a shrinking supply of doctors and increasing demand, some physicians may soon see their services "turn into a barrel of oil,'' meaning they could...

Huron acquires Stockamp; $219 million deal consultant's biggest to date.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans Huron Consulting Group made its largest acquisition with a $219 million deal that underscores healthcare's importance to the Chicago firm's accelerating growth. The deal-for $169 million in cash and $50 million in...

KEEPING AN EYE ON THE BLUES; Michigan is the latest state to step up its scrutiny of the Blues' dealings, in this case over certain business transactions.
July 14, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Michigan's largest health insurer is under fire from the state attorney general over how it operates its for-profit subsidiaries. And the insurer faces a tough fight in the Legislature as it seeks to loosen state...

Outliers; Asides & insides.(Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council abruptly closed at the end of June after political wrangling)(temporal bone surgery simulator)(online physician profiles to include all medical malpractice payments)
July 14, 2008... Pa. health cost council workers get caught in political crossfire Joe Martin's Independence Day holiday unexpectedly lasted a day longer than expected. Martin's employer, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council abruptly closed...

Waiting game; Congress sends veto-proof Medicare bill to Bush.(Late News)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Physicians are waiting with bated breath to see what the president will do with a veto-proof Medicare bill that will stave off cuts to their Medicare payments through 2009. In a dramatic session on the Senate...

Partners in reform; Health plans have earned a seat at the table.(From the C-Suite)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Bruce Bodaken Are Harry and Louise lurking in the pantry again, ready to derail federal health reform like they did in 1994? Not necessarily. Recent state health reform efforts indicate a changing dynamic in which health plans...

A test of teamwork; A new payment system will force hospitals and physicians to learn to share.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Todd Sloane The CMS is to be lauded for trying again on testing bundled Medicare reimbursement. The approach involves a single fixed payment to all providers involved in an episode of care, giving each a chance to share in any...

Slimming fast; Cardinal Health, Sage Software cut jobs, business units.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea and Joseph Conn Cardinal Health's announcement last week that it will eliminate 600 jobs and consolidate the Dublin, Ohio-based company's four business units into two primary segments and a third noncore unit should have...

Doc puts his medical and technological skills to work.(Information Edge)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Kaweah Delta Medical Center, Visalia, Calif., is on the cutting edge of medical informatics technology in large part because of the expertise of Roger Haley as a physician and programmer, says Mark Garfield, vice president and chief medical...

An 'explosion' of informatics; AMDIS Awards honor advancement of health IT.(Information Edge)(Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems')(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: David Burda, editor, and Joseph Conn Five physician informaticists and four healthcare organizations are winners of the 2008 Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems' AMDIS Awards for excellence and achievement in...

Not-for-profits not unnoticed; Ohio, Pa. deals watched closely by regulators.(Independence Blue Cross merged with Highmark Inc.)(Attorney General Marc Dann resigned because of sexual harassment scandal)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans Michigan's attorney general isn't the only state regulator to closely scrutinize not-for-profit healthcare. In Pennsylvania, the Insurance Department last week held two of three public hearings scheduled on the...

Health REITs still strong; Interest high in facilities and investments.(The Week in Healthcare)(Healthcare Real Estate Investment Trusts)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Vince Galloro The residential real estate market may have slowed to a crawl, but the property market for healthcare services is still chugging along. Healthcare real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are strongly outperforming...

CMS program recovers $1 billion.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias A controversial Medicare program has recovered $1 billion in improver payments made since 2005, for a net gain of $693.6 million for the government, even though hospitals and members of Congress remain skeptical of...

Heparin overdose in Texas; Last sentinel-event alert focused on med errors.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Three months after the Joint Commission released its last sentinel-event alert regarding pediatrics medication safety, 14 infants in Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-South received overdoses of the blood...

Behavioral watchdogs; Joint Commission standard targets unruly staff.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Hospitals will have greater reason to crack down on unruly medical staff and employees now that the Joint Commission is forcing them to scrutinize disruptive behavior more closely. The new standard, which...

Hospital uses team approach to prove value, capabilities of IT.(Information Edge)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Concord (N.H.) Hospital's clinical informatics team, established five years ago, has used clinical informatics to make it easier for providers to translate what they know into what they do at the point of care. The team's members are Joel...

Physician leadership helps drive performance improvement.(Information Edge)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Although five-hospital Riverside Health System, Newport News, Va., began investing in an electronic health record for its physician group in 1996, its medication reconciliation application called RxConcile, which builds upon the EHR,...

System uses technology to deliver higher quality, safety.(Information Edge)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... At Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, in Allentown, Pa., compliance with best-practice guidelines for prophylactic antibiotic choice and timing rose significantly after the hospital implemented a suite of intensive-care,...

Lack of essential data was one of the emergencies in ER.(Information Edge)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Craig Feied and Mark Smith were hired in the mid-1990s as director of medical informatics and chairman of the emergency department, respectively, at Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center. Their task was to turn around the emergency department and...

Doc spearheads adoption of CPOE, early-warning system.(Information Edge)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Peter Lindenauer, M.D., the medical director of clinical and quality informatics at three-hospital Baystate Health, Springfield, Mass., has spearheaded the system's adoption of computerized physician order entry and its ongoing move toward an...

IT helps Thailand hospital cope with double-digit growth.(Information Edge)(information technology)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Bumrungrad International Hospital, a 554-bed private tertiary facility in Bangkok, Thailand, treated more than a million patients last year, about 40% of whom were international patients. The largest private hospital in Southeast Asia,...

Data trackers; Fifteen companies provided compensation data on up to 21 physician specialties.(Special Feature)(Survey)
July 14, 2008... American Medical Group Association The Alexandria, Va.-based trade group surveyed 44,600 physicians at 225 medical groups in 2007. The survey, which was conducted in partnership with RSM McGladrey, covers 215 positions/specialties and...

MP seeking top doc biz entrepreneurs.(Physician Affairs)(Modern Physician)
July 14, 2008... Modern Physician, Modern Healthcare's sister's publication, is pleased to announce its first Physician Entrepreneur of the Year awards program. This new annual awards program is designed to recognize physicians who have made their mark on the...

KEY PROVISIONS OF MEDICARE BILL.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... * Halts a 10.6% cut to physician payments for the next 18 months; includes a 1.1% pay bump in 2009. * Brings copays for mental health services in line with other Medicare copays. * Offers bonus payments to doctors who adopt...

JOINT COMMISSION'S SUGGESTED POLICIES.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... * "Zero tolerance" for intimidating and/or disruptive behaviors, especially the most egregious instances of disruptive behavior, such as assault and criminal acts; incorporate the zero-tolerance policy into medical staff bylaws and employment...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... "How much is life worth? How do you put a value on a few months more? As uncomfortable as those questions are, America is going to have to find an answer, and soon.... Genentech's Avastin is one of the most popular anti-cancer drugs on the...

50 most powerful physician executives in healthcare; Awards banquest program.(Award Banquet Program)
July 14, 2008... Originally published April 14, 2008 Awards dinner, Wednesday, July 16, 2008, Ojai, CA - MP1 Caotioned winner photos - MP1 How the winners were chosen - MP4 Information and photos from the event are available at...

Intl. editors honor magazine.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Modern Healthcare has won four awards in this year's competition among business publications around the world. The honors were bestowed this month by Trade, Association and Business Publications International, a worldwide organization of...

One state's answer; Pennsylvania has taken on the challenge of change.(Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Nora Dowd Eisenhower Pennsylvania is undergoing a demographic change that most other states will not see for another 10 to 15 years. Experts accurately refer to Pennsylvania as an aging commonwealth. This shift could be viewed as a...

Tormented by the RAC; Hospitals, lawmakers challenge audit program.(The Week in Healthcare)(Recovery Audit Contractor)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell It won't be fully operational until 2010, yet hospitals and lawmakers already are challenging a Medicare audit program they fear will result in legal and administrative headaches. The CMS in a July 11 report...

Restructuring BioShield; Move aims for better organization, as hospitals cooperate on preparedness.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond In a new report to Congress, HHS said it has advanced research, development and acquisition activities to prepare the nation for biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological threats while significantly...

JOINING HANDS; Legal, operational issues prove tricky as providers collaborate on technology.(Special Report)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch In late May, a group of Michigan hospitals and systems announced they would pool their money and clinical expertise to bring the still new and very expensive technology of proton-beam therapy to the state. Together,...

Purchasing Power Survey.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 21, 2008... For the first time, Modern Healthcare, in partnership with the National Business Coalition on Health, is conducting a survey of major employers to determine how much they spend to provide healthcare benefits and services to their employees and...

On the move...(News Makers)(American Hospital Association appointed Linda Fishman as a senior vice president)(Louisiana State University appointed Cathi Fontenot as a medical director)(Christopher Todoroff is leaving Aetna Inc.)
July 21, 2008... ASSOCIATIONS The American Hospital Association, Chicago, named Linda Fishman senior vice president for public policy analysis and development, effective immediately. Fishman, who declined to give her age, succeeds Carmela Coyle, who...

Privacy practices questioned; HHS investigates possible Providence violations.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch HHS is trying a more rigid approach to handling healthcare organizations deemed too cavalier with private patient information. The department's Office for Civil Rights and the CMS for the first time required a...

Preventive measures win kudos from advocacy groups.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Disease prevention advocates are cheering Congress for including preventive-care provisions in the new Medicare law, saying they will help seniors access key screening tests and wellness counseling. Starting in...

Medicaid's hard lessons; Teaching hospitals learn to cope with complexities.(Payers and Purchasers)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias There's an old joke about two elderly women who complain about the food at a restaurant. "The food at this place is terrible,'' one of the ladies says. "I know,'' agrees the other, "and such small portions, too.''...

Ascension: Work to be done; System says plan prevents deaths, not all mistakes.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian Ascension Health wrapped up an ambitious five-year initiative to eliminate all preventable deaths and patient injuries with mixed results. The 72-hospital Catholic system said it achieved its goal of...

Fixing unfair Advantages? Providers hope to see more transparency, networks with Medicare private fee-for-service plans in wake of veto override.(Medicare Advantage)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Hospitals and physicians are expecting more transparency and a better deal from Medicare Advantage under the provisions of the Medicare bill enacted last week by Congress. While the primary goal of the bill, the...

In the spotlight.(News Makers)(Michael Lauf chief operating officer of Wellmont's Bristol Regional Medical Center)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Vince Galloro Michael Lauf is willing to follow Richard Salluzzo to the end of Massachusetts, if not the earth itself. Lauf, 37, has left Wellmont Health Systems, Kingsport, Tenn., to follow Salluzzo to Cape Cod Healthcare,...

Competitive bidding project delayed in new Medicare bill.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea The massive 2008 Medicare act includes a delay of the contentious durable medical equipment, or DME, competitive-bidding project. The legislation halted the demonstration project-which would have required suppliers...

Outliers; Asides & insides.(Oregon State Hospital)
July 21, 2008... Paramedics' prank adds to woes at a N.J. hospital on the mend Coming on the heels of the Joint Commission's announcement of a new bad-behavior standard for healthcare facilities, it was more than a touch ironic that the University of...

A giant leaves the stage; Michael DeBakey's legacy unrivaled in medicine.(Charles S. Lauer)(In memoriam)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Charles S. Lauer There will never be another one like Michael DeBakey. The pioneering heart surgeon, who died July 11 at age 99, made contributions to medicine and public health in this country and around the world that few have...

A GRAY TSUNAMI COMETH; Long-term care is challenged by the onslaught of the baby boomers, but concern is muted by a lack of immediacy.(Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey)(Survey)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Barbara Kirchheimer More than three-quarters of surveyed healthcare experts favor adding a long-term-care benefit to Medicare, and most agree that ensuring adequate financing and a workforce able to meet the needs of the nation's...

CMS starts small on incentive; Agency dishes out $36 million in reporting initiative.(The Week in Healthcare)(United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian The CMS called its first round of incentive payments to physicians through a pay-for-reporting initiative a first step; if that's so, it's a very small step, industry executives say. The CMS is handing out $36...

A sense of urgency is needed; Solutions on long-term care demand action now.(Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Carol Raphael If our nation is to secure the health and quality of life of future generations of older Americans, we have to treat long-term care with the urgency it demands, making it as big a priority on the national healthcare...

Medicare phases in new mental-health copay.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond As behavioral healthcare advocates wait for the outcome of federal legislation on mental-health parity, they received a boost by way of the Medicare bill that effectively became law last week. Phasing in over a...

Anemic performance; Commonwealth Fund says things are getting worse.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias Healthcare experts tried to find the good in a healthcare scorecard report that contained mostly bad news. Despite spending more on healthcare than 18 other countries, the U.S. ranks behind them all in preventing...

Imaging accreditation requirement for reimbursement.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea A new accreditation rule will require advanced imaging services providers to become accredited through a designated standards organization in order to remain eligible for Medicare reimbursement. Part of the...

Credit crunch consequences.(The Week in Healthcare)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans Nervous investors and the nation's worsening credit crisis are again making it more expensive for not-for-profit hospitals to borrow for construction and big-ticket technology. First came the crash in late...

Electronic prescribing provisions hailed by docs.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias Proponents of healthcare information technology are cheering the passage of first-of-its-kind electronic prescribing provisions that are part of the broad Medicare bill, while some question whether its series of...

Feds offer no antitrust resistance to Blues merger in Pennsylvania.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Federal antitrust authorities for a second time declined to take issue with the planned merger of Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross and Pittsburgh-based Highmark, the two biggest Blues plans in Pennsylvania. The companies, which...

Calif. Blues fined $15 million, told to reinstate 2,220 members.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Both Anthem Blue Cross of California and Blue Shield of California agreed to reinstate insurance coverage to a total of 2,220 former members whose policies were revoked and pay up to $15 million in fines. Blue Shield of California, a...

USMD hires Karen Fiducia to lead its hospital division.(Late News)(USMD Inc.)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... USMD, an Irving, Texas, company that manages and develops physician-owned facilities, said it hired Karen Fiducia as president of its hospital division. Fiducia has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare turnarounds and financial...

Feds drop antitrust probe of Doctors Co.-SCPIE deal.(Late News)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... The Doctors Co., a California medical malpractice insurer, is no longer under investigation by federal authorities over its acquisition of SCPIE Holdings, a Los Angeles-based medical malpractice company. The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles advised...

Unlevel playing field? Hospitals contend ASCs getting off easy.(The Week in Healthcare)(ambulatory surgical centers)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell As the number of new quality measures increases for outpatient procedures, hospitals are decrying the fact that the CMS isn't holding ambulatory surgical centers to the same standard. Tying outpatient payments...

Joint Commission must reapply for deeming authority.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian The Joint Commission will have to apply for hospital deeming authority as a result of the Medicare law that Congress approved last week. With passage of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act...