Modern Healthcare articles from June 2007

Modern Healthcare archives from June 2007

Section 508 nearing expiration; Loss of MMA wage index could spell trouble.(The Week in Healthcare)(Medicare Modernization Act)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Selected hospitals and systems stand to lose millions of dollars under a provision of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 that's set to expire in September. After having a special Medicare wage index...

WellPoint CFO steps down.(The Week in Healthcare)(resignation of David Colby)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker David Colby resigned as executive vice president and chief financial officer of WellPoint at the request of Larry Glasscock, chairman; incoming president and CEO Angela Braly; and the board of directors. Wayne...

Asides & insides.(Outliers)(Department of Health and Human Services plans for boost flu preparedness)(hospitals use electronic communicator)("Big Donor Show")
June 4, 2007... ***** Correction: Editor's Note: The subject of an Outliers item (p.44) regarding an organ donation TV show in the Netherlands was revealed to be a hoax during the show. That fact emerged after deadline for the page. ***** HHS...

Driving while distracted; Confessions of a serial multitasker-me.(Column)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I'm going to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth: When I drive I talk on my cell phone and play big band music on my CD player. From time to time, I drink a soft drink or even a hot cup of...

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS.
June 4, 2007... A photo caption accompanying the May 28 cover story, "Getting schooled in governance," p. 6, incorrectly identified which New Jersey state assemblyman also is a board member at St. Mary's Hospital, Passaic, N.J. Gary Schaer is the board member...

FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE.(Workforce Report 2007)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Todd Sloane As we have for the past four years, we examine one of the most vexing issues in healthcare-a workforce that may not keep up with a growing and aging U.S. population. With only modest changes in the overall picture this...

LETTERS.(Opinions Letters)
June 4, 2007... `45' rule not the only rationing I read with interest your cover story on the "45% rule'' ("Sensitive trigger,'' April 30, p. 6). Indeed, there is a rationing of healthcare across the board without the word being used. Because of the CMS'...

Diversity needed in the C-suite; Healthcare leadership does not look like America, and that must change.(Opinions Commentary)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Kevin Lofton For most of us in healthcare, stark statistics on the lack of diversity in the workforce are as familiar as they are troubling. As this nation evolves and minority populations continue to grow, it's more essential than...

Hey, you asked for IT; IRS OKs not-for-profits subsidizing docs' systems, so why all the long faces?(Opinions Editorials)(Information Technology)(Internal Revenue Service)
June 4, 2007... Byline: David Burda Right now, there's a hospital administrator out there somewhere who wants to strangle whomever asked the Internal Revenue Service for its opinion on giving money to physicians to buy information technology. Many...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)(Column)
June 4, 2007... "So, with a new health reform debate under way, what I want to tell you... is this: First, there is not a place in this world that is not struggling to control health costs.... But second, whether as a doctor or as a citizen, I would take...

Detroit deal under fire; Opponents rail against Riverview sale.(The Week in Healthcare)(St. John Health Corp.)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Gregg Blesch St. John Health plans to spend the month of June emptying inpatient beds at its Detroit Riverview Hospital, preparing to give the keys to the place to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. A number of parties,...

Physican owners to own up? CMS' proposal wants docs to disclose their interests.(Specialty Hospitals)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Gregg Blesch While the IRS is under pressure to force not-for-profit hospitals to disclose more about their operations in their annual filings, the CMS is forging ahead with plans to require physician-owned hospitals to disclose...

Sunrise feeling the heat; SEC takes formal look at company's handling of stocks.(Sunrise Senior Living Inc.)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Government scrutiny of Sunrise Senior Living intensified last week when the McLean, Va.-based senior-care provider announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission commenced a formal investigation of the company. The news followed the...

Feds OK Pa. Blues merger ... ... but state approval promises to be more difficult.(Blue Cross and Blue Shield merger plans)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Pennsylvania's two dominant Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans said last week that two key federal agencies had given them the green light to proceed with merger plans, but the reaction at the state level portended...

Deep in the data mine; AMA sales of doc info lead to partnership questions.(The Week in Healthcare)(American Medical Association )
June 4, 2007... Byline: Joseph Conn A recently launched Web-based continuing medical education program from the American Medical Association prompted some to ask if the AMA is getting too close to its data-mining partner in the effort, IMS Health. The...

The cure is in the melting pot; Demand for skilled workers, demographic changes fuel push for diversity in the healthcare workplace.(Workforce Report 2007)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans Ana Ramirez struggled for three years after arriving in the U.S. to resume the nursing career she left behind in her native Colombia. Night schools did not offer the advanced English classes Ramirez needed to earn her...

Late news.(HealthSouth Corp. to sell head quarters)(Merit Health Systems and Mountainside Hospital merger)(Kevin Gross retires from Universal Health Services Inc.)
June 4, 2007... Universal division chief resigns Universal Health Services, King of Prussia, Pa., said the chief of its acute-care division has resigned, and two executives, including founder Alan Miller's son, were named to replace him. Kevin Gross is...

Tapping private equity; More providers hope to join the party.(Strictly Finance)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Earlier this spring David Freed, president and chief executive officer of 304-bed Nyack (N.Y.) Hospital packed an overnight bag and hopped an airplane in Newark, N.J., with the chairman of his board, William Trust Jr.,...

HMA's new CEO has big plans; Whitman to focus on raising revenue, satisfaction scores.(The Week in Healthcare)(Health Management Associates)(chief operating officer)(Burke Whitman)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Vince Galloro Burke Whitman expected the promotion, but the lack of surprise didn't seem to lessen his excitement last week. Whitman, 51, was named chief executive officer of Health Management Associates, Naples, Fla.,...

True to form; The IRS' updated reporting rules for tax-exempt organizations could require full disclosure on community benefits, charity care.
June 4, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans The Internal Revenue Service is expected to unveil by mid-June a major overhaul of its not-for-profit reporting rules, a revamp that may require not-for-profit hospitals to quantify and disclose how much they're...

Preemie Abandonment? Multidisciplinary Experts Consider How to Best Meet Preemies Needs at "Preterm Infants: A Collaborative Approach to Specialized Care" Roundtable.(Special Advertising Supplement)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Special advertising supplement and roundtable session sponsored by the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University through an unrestricted educational grant from MedImmune, Inc.

For all, just not `universal'; Business Roundtable tackles expanding coverage.(Healthcare management)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias The Business Roundtable is asking Congress, the Bush administration and a host of other healthcare stakeholders-including taxpaying citizens-to rally behind an 11-point platform that aims to expand health coverage,...

GROWTH AMID SIGNS OF STRAIN.(Special Feature)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans and Vince Galloro Health systems' strong revenue growth couldn't prevent sagging operating margins in 2006, a Modern Healthcare survey found, a sign that the hospital sector's recent strength might be ebbing. Net...

Leaving Lovelace? Docs eye making medical group private.(Lovelace Health System purchased by Ardent Health Services)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Jay Greene Facing financial losses and yearning for independence, a 225-physician medical group owned by Lovelace Health System, Albuquerque, plans to spin off into a private practice, pending negotiations with the parent company....

Don't play games with GME; CMS' bid to cut off funds for teaching docs would be a disaster for healthcare.(graduate medical education, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Kenneth Raske On May 18, the CMS issued a proposed regulation that would eliminate federal Medicaid matching payments for the costs of graduate medical education. If enacted, this regulation would severely and perhaps irrevocably...

Asides & insides.(David Colby in the lime light after resigning from WellPoint Inc.)(money raised for Lutheran Health Care Network)
June 11, 2007... WellPoint's ex-CFO's private life suddenly not so private anymore The announcement of the resignation of David Colby as CFO of the nation's largest insurer, WellPoint, on May 30 left a lot of questions. Colby, as the No. 2 officer at...

HEALTH Act, take five; Bipartisanship could aid malpractice-cap legislation.(Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Health Care Act )
June 11, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives is trying once again to get a bill through Congress that seeks to reform the medical liability system by placing caps on pain and suffering damages. The Help...

Brailer resigns from HHS panel; Decision comes on heels of his firm's CalPERS deal.(The Week in Healthcare)(David Brailer, Department of Health and Human Services, Health Evolution Partners contract with California Public Employees' Retirement System)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Joseph Conn Physician entrepreneur David Brailer, the first national coordinator for health information technology, resigned as co-chairman of a key HHS policy advisory panel Friday, just four days after announcing a venture...

Consent decrees; Patient control over access to their medical data often just a mouse-click away.(Information Edge)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Minnesota is typically in the "vanguard'' when it comes to healthcare advances, says David Feinwachs, general counsel for the Minnesota Hospital Association, and the state recently took a couple of leaps forward in...

Reinhardt joins another board; IT company adds economist to its advisory panel.(The Week in Healthcare)(appointment of Uwe Reinhardt at Hx Technologies)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans Economist Uwe Reinhardt, a corporate director to a cross section of healthcare companies, was named last week as an adviser to a privately held healthcare information technology business. Reinhardt, 69, an...

FDA feels heat over Avandia; Rep. Waxman faults agency's drug oversight process.(The Week in Healthcare)(Food and Drug Administration, Henry Waxman)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias Lawmakers skewered the Food and Drug Administration last week over its lax post-market surveillance of the diabetes drug Avandia, which independent studies indicate can increase the risk of heart attack in patients...

IN THE SPOTLIGHT.(Spencer Foreman retires from Montefiore Medical Center and gets award from Greater New York Hospital Association)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Accolades have been accumulating for Spencer "Spike'' Foreman, president of 1,002-bed Montefiore Medical Center in New York, who earlier this year announced he will be retiring after 20 years with the academic medical...

On the move...(On the Move)
June 11, 2007... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS MedCath Corp., Charlotte, N.C., said it has hired a new general counsel and also an executive to be in charge of its quality and compliance efforts. Blair Todt was named the company's vice president and general counsel....

Welcome to accountability; Long sheltered from tough scrutiny, hospitals are learning about transparency.(Editorial)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Neil Mclaughlin Too many years ago, when I was a reporter in the Illinois capital of Springfield, the governor and leading lawmakers concluded they needed to raise the state income tax. A prolonged economic recession and...

New quality measures OK'd; Standards cover cancer, hospital-acquired infections.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement-a group led by the American Medical Association-recently approved 10 new quality performance measures that their designers say could go a long way in helping...

Mississippi lacks discipline: study; Alaska board led in admonitions over 3-year period.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Mississippi's state medical board is the least effective at disciplining physicians and Alaska's is the best, according to the Public Citizen Health Research Group's annual state rankings released last week. ...

Stay focused; In business, never let success go to your head.(Column)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer It seems almost contradictory but it's true: Success can sometimes work against you. Talk to entrepreneurs and executives and many will tell you that success in any business can be a mixed blessing, as motivation...

Waiting on SCHIP; Congress mulls array of bills to keep program afloat.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell It's a crapshoot as to whether the Senate Finance Committee will be able to get its act together and vote on a bill this week to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Finance Committee...

Two surveys are under way.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 11, 2007... Modern Healthcare is conducting its fourth annual Group Purchasing Survey as well as its second annual Healthcare Management Consultant Survey. To participate, please visit modernhealthcare.com/surveys for an electronic copy of the...

Broad IT push begins; Former politicos Johnson, Breaux lead charge.(Nancy Johnson, John Breaux )
June 11, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias Current and former lawmakers last week set out to do some old-fashioned arm-twisting in order to persuade Congress to consider, draft and then pass a comprehensive health information technology bill. The House...

Money matters ... ... but not when it comes to improving quality: study.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services partnership with Premier HealthCare)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Less than one year after the CMS renewed a demonstration pay-for-performance project for another three years, a new study suggests it may not be working as hoped. Financial incentives did not appear to make all...

CONNECTING THE DOTS; In east Tennessee, Wellmont Health System, Mountain States Health Alliance look for masterstroke deals as they expand.
June 11, 2007... Byline: Vince Galloro The way Richard Salluzzo assembles a hospital's operations is analogous to the way an artist composes a pointillist painting. Pointillism uses thousands of paint dots in the primary colors to produce an image. To...

MedAssets' Colo. connection; State group creates regional GPO to reap savings.(Colorado Hospital Association's group purchasing program)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Shawn Rhea The Colorado Hospital Association has become the latest state association to launch a regional group purchasing program intended to provide value-added services, such as clinical and operational improvement programs, to...

Doc pay flatlining: report; Specialists' increases outpace primary-care physicians'.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Faculty physicians at academic medical centers are putting more hours into clinical practice to help medical schools keep up financially, while 10-year trends also show relatively flat increases in physician...

Late news.
June 11, 2007... L.A. hospital put on notice The CMS will give Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles 23 days to clean up its act or lose Medicare certification. Michael Wilson, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Health...

All Salluzzo, all the time.(Wellmont's Richard Salluzzo announces partnerhsip with HealthSouth Rehabilitation and acquisition of 2 hospitals)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Wellmont's public-relations team makes sure every strategic move is told to local and national media Richard Salluzzo, left, poses with Tenn. Gov. Phil Bredesen and a small-business owner, regarding CoverTN, March 9. Salluzzo announces...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
June 11, 2007... "The term "universal healthcare' must be popular in the focus groups since all the Democratic candidates for governor are using the term. Promising it, actually. Fortunately for Kentucky, they won't be able to deliver on that promise; it would...

Asides & insides.(Outliers)
June 18, 2007... Moore emerges as unlikely guru of a single-payer health system The single-payer movement, which hasn't gained much traction for its plan to nationalize health coverage, has a new star in Michael Moore. After lying low for more than a...

Late news.
June 18, 2007... Medicare Advantage pay options The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in its June report to Congress outlined options for bringing Medicare Advantage payment levels more in line with those of traditional Medicare fee-for-service...

THE EVANSTON NORTHWESTERN CASE FILE.(Federal Trade Commission )(Chronology)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... January 2000: Two-hospital Evanston (Ill.) Northwestern Healthcare merges with Highland Park (Ill.) Hospital. February 2004: The Federal Trade Commission files antitrust complaint against Evanston, alleging the deal is anti-competitive. The...

AMA, NQF square off; Docs seek to curb influence of quality group.(American Medical Association , National Quality Forum)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Among the resolutions on the agenda for the American Medical Association House of Delegates, which is scheduled to meet June 23-27 in Chicago, is a proposal to try to limit the influence of the National Quality...

AHIC privatization plan criticized; Rep. Stark claims `blind to lead the blind' on EHR panel.(American Health Information Community, electronic health records)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The unveiling of the federal government's plan to privatize an HHS panel charged with managing the industry's shift into electronic records invited harsh criticism from a key member of Congress, Rep. Pete Stark...

Healthcare quality all over the map; Commonwealth Fund report shows even those states that perform the best on healthcare quality have lots of work to do.
June 18, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Good healthcare, like good real estate, depends largely on three things: location, location, location. That conclusion should hit home for healthcare providers operating in states found to be lagging in what has...

South.(Regional News)
June 18, 2007... KERNERSVILLE, N.C.-High Point (N.C.) Regional Health System agreed to drop its opposition to Novant Health's proposal to build a 50-bed hospital in Kernersville, Novant said. North Carolina regulators denied Novant's application last year. When...

Universal coverage's new allies; Employers' group proposes new benefits administrator.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell A proposal from a large employers' group to institute universal coverage for retirement and health security benefits has some experts wondering if it's a ploy to allow employers to rid themselves of the...

Northeast.(Regional News)
June 18, 2007... RENSSELAER, N.Y.-Federal reimbursement favors insurance companies over hospitals and health systems, according to a new report released by the Healthcare Association of New York State. According to the report, Falling Behind: Medicare Hospital...

Midwest.(Regional News)(Akron General Health System)(Hennepin County Medical Center)
June 18, 2007... STOW, Ohio-Akron (Ohio) General Health System has opened a health and wellness center in Stow, a suburb about 10 miles northeast of Akron General Medical Center. The $32 million project, financed with tax-exempt bonds, offers three pools,...

Shelton nears free agency; What will the future hold for Triad's CEO?(Triad Hospitals Inc. acquired Triad Hospitals Inc.)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Vince Galloro As Community Health Systems closes in on its acquisition of Triad Hospitals, a question remains unanswered: What will Denny Shelton do? Shelton, chairman and chief executive officer of Triad, will be out of a job...

ANTITRUST ANGST; Providers continue to seek clarity from feds on what types of deals and clinical affiliations would run afoul of the law.(Special Report)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Gregg Blesch Hospitals and physicians say they're still unclear about what types of dealmaking raise the hackles of the federal government's antitrust watchdogs. Lawyers and academics disagree whether everyone genuinely paying...

Cincinnati split; Health Alliance told to pay legal fees, appeal planned.(Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Gregg Blesch CINCINNATI-A judge in Hamilton County, Ohio, mapped out how three hospitals will be cut loose from the six-hospital Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati. The hospitals-470-bed Christ Hospital in Cincinnati;...

Not satisfied; Hospitals say proposed limits on cuts aren't enough.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Recently released Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommendations to the CMS to refine its new inpatient hospital payment system don't go far enough in limiting proposed payment reductions to the industry,...

Overtime ruling applauded; SEIU taking home-care workers' case to states.(Service Employees International Union)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Gregg Blesch The U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld a Labor Department rule that exempts home-care workers from federal minimum-wage and overtime standards. But the Service Employees International Union, which backed the plaintiff...

Marketing groups merge; Rx communications pros get national organization.(The Week in Healthcare)(Medical Marketing Association)(Midwest Healthcare Marketing Association)(Healthcare Marketing and Communications Council)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Three associations for pharmaceutical marketing and communications professionals-each representing a different region of the country-have merged to form the Healthcare Communication & Marketing Association in a...

On the move...(NewsMakers)(Louisiana State University Hospitals Health Care Services division)(appointments)(briefs)
June 18, 2007... CONSULTING Robert Erra was named president of Clark Consulting's Healthcare Group, Minneapolis, effective July 1. The group's current president, F. Kenneth Ackerman Jr., was named chairman. Erra, 64, has been president of the Management...

HHS report targets QIOs; Agency mulls classifications of concerns, corrections.(Department of Health and Human Services, quality improvement organizations)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias A decade-long effort by quality improvement organizations, or QIOs, to transform themselves from punitive to preventive organizations may have worked too well, leaving gaps in their oversight, a new report from HHS'...

Another diocese opts out; Newark selling two hospitals to Catholic Health East.(Cathedral Healthcare System)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans The Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., last week became the second diocese since February to unveil plans to exit the acute-care hospital business. Executives announced June 11 that Catholic Health East, based in...

West.(Regional News)
June 18, 2007... AURORA, Colo.-Last week, the 455-bed University of Colorado Hospital moved some 150 patients and about 8,100 pieces of equipment from its 42-year-old Denver location to its new Anschutz Medical Campus six miles away in Aurora. The transition...

75% rule ready to jump; Congress' effort to freeze rate unlikely to come in time.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias Hospital industry lobbyists continue to fight the gradual implementation of the so-called "75% rule,'' but it appears to be a losing battle. Two influential groups-the CMS and the Medicare Payment Advisory...

End of life-not end of story; With the number of seniors rising, hospice care needs greater attention.(Column)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Patricia Ahern Our society is growing older by the day, and the number of aging adults will soon reach an all-time high. By 2030, about 20% of Americans will be 65 or older, up from the current 12%, the Census Bureau reported last...

More than business cards; Learning how to network while staying genuine.
June 18, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I peruse a number of magazines and newspapers every day to get a feel about what's going on in the world. Oftentimes, however, the most interesting things I read are not necessarily on the front page of a newspaper...

Parity? What parity? Studies show behavioral health coverage still lags, but legislation holds promise.(Payers and Purchasers)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond The issue of parity in behavioral health coverage continues to vex the American healthcare system, new studies show, but a growing consensus on Capitol Hill and even among payers and healthcare buyers indicates that...

Ingenix acquires Lewin Group; `Go to' consultancy boosts UnitedHealth's portfolio.(The Week in Healthcare)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Managed care co-opted the protected space of providers last week when health IT company Ingenix announced that it had acquired the Lewin Group, a national healthcare and human services consulting firm. Financial...

990 changes looming; IRS seeks more extensive disclosure for fiscal '08 returns.(Internal Revenue Service)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans The Internal Revenue Service last week moved to sharply expand public reporting of what not-for-profit hospitals do for their communities to justify federal tax breaks. The proposed disclosure rules were unveiled...

A train that hasn't left the station; Studies give lie to notion that healthcare is well on the way toward higher quality.(Column)
June 18, 2007... Byline: Todd Sloane One of the most perplexing questions in healthcare is whether quality of care is a national movement, exists only in silos of excellence or merely amounts to good public relations. Despite a multitude of quality...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
June 18, 2007... "How many more uninsured Wisconsinites must die before our politicians get out of the pockets of the insurance industry and fix our healthcare crisis?... Over $1.4 million per year in campaign contributions flows from the healthcare and...

Midwest.(Howard Regional Health System opens new emergency unit)(Good Samaritan Hospital starts construction work)(Rod Blagojevich extends certificate of need law )
June 25, 2007... KOKOMO, Ind.-Howard Regional Health System has opened a new 28,000-square-foot emergency department. The 149-bed hospital, operated by Howard County, planned the space to better accommodate the `persistent use of the emergency room for primary...

Triumph sells two LTACs; System will continue to run Houston-based hospitals.(Regional News)(long term acute care, NNN Healthcare/Office REIT acquires Triumph Hospital)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond HOUSTON-NNN Healthcare/Office REIT has acquired the real estate associated with two long-term-care hospitals in Texas: 115-bed Triumph Hospital Northwest in Houston and 118 bed Triumph Hospital Southwest in Sugar...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
June 25, 2007... "Iowa is one of the best places in the country when it comes to health services, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund.... But the truth is no matter which state Americans reside in, they'll still be living in the United States, where...

Medicare spending growth tied to volume, CBO says.(Congressional Budget Office)
June 25, 2007... The recent growth in Medicare expenditures for physician services has more to do with the increases in the volume and intensity of services provided than changes to Medicare's payment rates, the Congressional Budget Office reported in a...

Still in the market; Psychiatric Solutions says it's still in mood to buy.(Horizon Health Corp.)
June 25, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Closing a $426 million deal to eliminate a competitor is reason to celebrate, but a spokesman for Psychiatric Solutions told investors last week that the acquisition party for the Franklin, Tenn.-based behavioral...

Three trailblazers; Aviles, Ferguson, Murphy championed technology.(Alan Aviles, John Ferguson and Michael Murphy)
June 25, 2007... Byline: Fawn Lopez The winners of the fifth annual Modern Healthcare CEO IT Achievement Award, co-sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, are true leaders and innovators. As a publication, Modern Healthcare...

Latest recruit; HMA signs up Marine vet Whitman as CEO.(Burke Whitman joins Health Management Associates Inc.)
June 25, 2007... Byline: Vince Galloro The Marine Corps and hospital management don't seem to have a lot in common, but to Burke Whitman, they share the same values and sense of mission. Whitman, who was promoted to chief executive officer of Health...

Pointed commitment; Sharp HealthCare's Murphy has made IT advancement a 'personal obligation'.(Michael Murphy of Sharp Community Medical Group)
June 25, 2007... Byline: Linda Wilson While the 700-plus members of Sharp Community Medical Group, an independent practice association, spent nine months evaluating electronic medical record products, Michael Murphy, president and chief executive officer...

Shopping close to home; Illinois Hospital Association's regional GPO is off and running, but it's already facing competition from locals and nationals.(Supply Chain)(group purchasing organization)
June 25, 2007... Byline: Shawn Rhea When the Illinois Hospital Association launched its for-profit, statewide group purchasing organization in May 2006, 20 of the association's 208 member hospitals signed on to buy supplies and services through the...