Modern Healthcare articles from March 2007

Modern Healthcare archives from March 2007

Largest for-profit hospital chains; Ranked by 2006 operating revenue (in millions), from most recent CMS Medicare cost report.(By the Numbers)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
March 5, 2007... ***** Correction: A chart ranking the largest for-profit hospital chains (March 5, p. 44) lists systems' 2006 operating revenue in thousands, not millions. A corrected version is posted at modern healthcare.com. ***** Rank and...

Past winners of the National Quality Healthcare Award.(Special Feature)(Awards list)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... 2006: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston 2005: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago 2004: Trinity Health, Novi, Mich. 2003: Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa. 2002: Carilion Health...

D.C. (not) confidential; Unless Congress steps in, HHS is content to let health data privacy wither.(Department of Health and Human Services)(Column)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Todd Sloane When will those formulating health information technology standards at the federal level get the message that privacy is a potential deal-breaker? If the recent flurry of events surrounding medical privacy doesn't...

A life of valor; Soldier's death in Iraq a reminder of what service to country is all about.(Lauer's Letter)(In memoriam)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Having served in the military, I get emotional when I hear about the death of a soldier. We are in one of those times when every day there is a feature story in the media about someone killed in the line of duty in...

PRIME EXAMPLE; A Calif. community's inability to stop a failing not-for-profit hospital from being sold, converted has national implications.(Adventist Health System selling its Paradise Valley Hospital)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Daunted by inadequate reimbursements, impending state-mandated seismic renovations, and out-of-control losses, Adventist Health announced a deal last fall to sell 102-year-old Paradise Valley Hospital in National City,...

IT use grows in urban hospitals; But gap exists for community, rural hospitals: AHA.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias While the use of high-tech gadgetry such as electronic health records, digital X-ray imaging and computerized physician order-entry systems grew among community hospitals in 2006, so too did the gap between the haves...

Hospitals deal and wheel.(St. Vincent's Health System contracts with Catholic Healthcare Partners)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker, Jennifer Lubell and Michael Romano The multisystem cooperation agreement unveiled in Maine (See story, p. 18) came amid a flurry of deal-related news. St. Vincent Health System, Erie, Pa., announced plans to affiliate...

A passport to coverage; With a practical plan, federation hopes to stimulate a national debate.(Opinions Commentary)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Chip Kahn This year one out of every six Americans will have no health coverage. For these 46.6 million people, being uninsured is a potential daily tragedy that can mean the difference between good healthcare at the right time or...

Maine systems huddle up; Joint agreement will combine supplies, IT spending.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans Three Maine health systems that give care to an estimated 65% of the state's population unveiled an agreement to collectively purchase supplies, coordinate technology investment and jointly target public health...

Disclosure deficiency; IRS finds dismaying gaps in executive-pay reporting.(Internal Revenue Service)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans A report on the initial findings of the Internal Revenue Service's probe of tax-exempt organization executive compensation highlighted troubling gaps in disclosure of perks and pay. The tax agency's findings and...

Illinois does it again; Property tax-exempt status revoked at two hospitals.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mark Taylor Twice last week the Illinois Department of Revenue revoked the property tax exemption of not-for-profit hospitals. The department rescinded the state property tax-exempt status of 90-bed Richland Memorial Hospital...

Clash on hand; CBO report concerning definition of tax arbitrage leads to spirited debate.(Congressional Budget Office )
March 5, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker Late last year in the waning days of the Republican-controlled Congress, the Congressional Budget Office completed an analysis that some experts believe could bring the not-for-profit hospital industry to its knees if...

HHS has new quality plan; Reporting system would provide performance data.(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt debuted a new quality-improvement plan that would build and establish local quality-improvement collaboratives with an eye toward a national link-up in a few years. Leavitt said the...

LETTERS.(Opinions Letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 5, 2007... A `hatchet job' on CMS leaders I was disappointed in David Burda's editorial on the ethical standards of four former CMS administrators ("I see on your resume you ran CMS, gulp,'' Feb. 19, p. 21). These four very different individuals all...

`We can overcome this'; Optimism reigns supreme at Crescent City confab.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Joseph Conn and Andis Robeznieks The Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society made a bet on New Orleans being recovered enough from Hurricane Katrina to handle its massive, annual healthcare information technology...

She's in charge of WellPoint; Angela Braly brings acquisition expertise to top job at Blues consolidator.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Laura B. Benko Over the years, mergers and buyouts have played a central role in WellPoint's rapid rise to the top of the health insurance industry food chain. And if its choice of a new chief executive officer is any indication,...

Chicago exec tapped by Wayport; Source says conflict of interest for Yablonka unlikely.(The Week in Healthcare)(Eric Yablonka)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond A hospital chief information officer's acceptance of a position on a company's healthcare advisory council does not necessarily pose a conflict of interest, mainly because the CIO does not have a fiduciary duty to...

MedPAC tackles growth rate; Repeal current formula or find new system: report.(The Week in Healthcare)(Medicare Payment Advisory Commission )
March 5, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Whatever direction Congress takes on revamping Medicare's physician payment system this year, the solution is unlikely to be cheap, and it won't be implemented overnight. Last week, the Medicare Payment Advisory...

THE NASHVILLE NETWORK; Cross-pollination among firms, companies has helped the town's healthcare family tree branch out well beyond Music City.(Special Report)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Vince Galloro It was just one measly little hospital transaction-one Nashville businessman contacting a local lawyer to complete a purchase agreement for a small hospital that a group of doctors wanted to buy in 1968. George...

Asides & insides.(Outliers)(Mayo Clinic markets subscription-only cell phone service)(Medtronic launches campaign for cardiac defibrillator)
March 5, 2007... Mayo, Medtronic ramp up direct-to-consumer marketing The latest splash from two Minnesota medical pioneers, the Mayo Clinic and Medtronic, isn't a breakthrough cure or cutting-edge device. Instead, the pair separately launched high-profile...

CMS threatens termination; Patient death spurs inquiry of doc-owned hospital.(Physician Ownership)(West Texas Hospital)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Controversy over hospital ownership reared its head in other ways last week. In a situation that must feel like deja vu for Sens. Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley, a recent inquiry into patient death in Texas has led...

Still waiting for a turnaround; Tenet keeps struggling toward return to profitability.(The Week in Healthcare)(Tenet Healthcare Corp.)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Vince Galloro Tenet Healthcare Corp. continues to leave investors wondering if "someday'' will ever come. When the Dallas-based company announced its $900 million settlement with the federal government last year (July 3/10, 2006,...

National Quality Forum Award Jurors.(Special Feature)
March 5, 2007... Gary Gottlieb, M.D., (jury chairman), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Paul Barach, M.D., University of Miami Cindy Brenneman, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Steve Findlay, Consumers Union, Yonkers,...

On the move...(News Makers)(Joseph Carey to resign from Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.)(Visiting Nurse Associations of America apponts Andy Carter)(Centura Health appoints Terry Forde at Parker (Colo.) Adventist Hospital)
March 5, 2007... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS Centura Health, a 12-hospital, Englewood, Colo.-based system, has named Terry Forde, 35, as CEO of its Parker (Colo.) Adventist Hospital. He took over that post on March 1. He replaced Ken Bacon, 41, who was appointed...

Late news.(Triad Hospitals Inc. records low profit)(West Penn Allegheny Health System to refinance debt)(inspection of Walter Reed Army Medical Center)
March 5, 2007... Joint Commission inspects Reed Joint Commission inspectors made a surprise inspection "for cause'' of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington last week, in an effort to scrutinize the hospital's discharge practices that have led...

Eslyn in as CEO at Okla. center.(News Makers)(University of Oklahoma Medical Center)(Cole Eslyn )(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond The University of Oklahoma Medical Center, Oklahoma City, named Cole Eslyn president and chief executive officer, effective April 15. Eslyn, 55, will succeed Jerry Maier, 62, who recently announced his...

HIGH-QUALITY INFORMATION; HealthPartners wins annual NQF award for efforts putting data to work-cutting complications and improving outcomes.(Special Feature)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth Gardner George Isham was visiting last year at one of the ophthalmology practices that contracts with HealthPartners, the Minnesota integrated health system where he is the chief health officer and plan medical director....

Conflicts of interest targeted.(Physician Affairs)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano A consumer-advocacy group has launched a national campaign to try to reduce conflicts of interest between doctors and the pharmaceutical companies that ply their physician-customers with everything from boxfuls of...

Docs support info ban: poll.(Physician Affairs)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano About 54% of physicians support a ban on the collection of personal drug-prescribing information, saying tougher restrictions should apply to their privacy with patients, according to a new poll. Despite those...

In the spotlight.(News Makers)(Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals appoints Philip Fasano)(Gayle Simkin to retire form Catholic Healthcare West)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Philip Fasano, 48, has been named senior vice president and CIO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, replacing Bruce Turkstra, who has been serving as interim CIO since J. Clifford Dodd resigned from that post on...

SALE TIMELINE.(Adventist Health System's sale of Pardise Valley)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... The backdrop for Adventist Health's sale of Paradise Valley: Mid-2006: After repeated annual losses and estimated $61 million in seismic renovation costs, Adventist decides to sell or close the hospital within five years. Sept. 19,...

By the numbers.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 5, 2007... By a substantial margin, respondents to an online poll expect hospitals to bear the brunt of any budget reductions once the final fiscal 2008 budget is approved. President Bush is seeking $100 billion in savings from Medicare and Medicaid over...

Angela Braly.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)(Biography)
March 5, 2007... Angela Braly Age: 45 Birthplace: Dallas Family status: Married, with three school-age children Education: Bachelor's degree in finance, Texas Tech University; law degree, Southern Methodist University Jobs: Executive vice...

Other voices.(medical mistakes)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... "Disclosing their mistakes may cause some hospitals embarrassment. Some may even lose patients, at least for a while. But the requirement to report "serious adverse events" to state government and, ultimately, to us, the patients, is a...

Asides & Insides.(Outliers)(doctor participation in carrying out executions)(dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School serving on the board of PepsiAmericas)(information technology in health care)
March 12, 2007... Call it Y2K lite: Time change may mess up e-scheduling No one is suggesting buying firewood, propane, generators and the rest of the assorted items that helped make households Y2K ready and many vendors financially sound back in late 1999....

Putting quality into practice; Annual 100 Top Hospitals roster shows organizations can reduce expenses without sacrificing quality, level of service.(Special Feature)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Jay Greene Having a positive culture of mutual trust, focusing on best practices to improve clinical quality and expanding specialty services contributed to 178-bed Holland (Mich.) Hospital's steady improvement in meeting community...

'Medical home' guide.(Physician Affairs)(patient-centered medical home)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano Four doctors' groups that provide the majority of primary care to patients in the U.S. have released a set of principles to guide the establishment of a so-called "patient-centered medical home.'' The model of a...

Don't sweat them; Leaders need to know how to provide workers with 'good stress'.(Lauer's Letter)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer There are times when I agree to fulfill some request and then quickly realize I have overcommitted myself. I have done this so many times over the years that I must like it this way at some level. Most recently, I...

CEO IT Awards.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 12, 2007... Modern Healthcare is seeking nominations for its fifth annual CEO IT Achievement Award competition. The award, co-sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, honors healthcare industry chief executive officers who...

Many docs still flying solo, HHS study reveals; But data contradict many executives' view about perks of multispecialty groups.(Physician Affairs)(Health and Human Services )
March 12, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano The vast majority of America's physicians still work alone or in small group practices, according to a new HHS survey of office-based doctors. Even though industry observers say trends suggest many doctors are...

Hard to bloom in Bloomington; New Ind. hospital finds difficulty gaining market share.(The Week in Healthcare)(Monroe Hospital )
March 12, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano After more than a century as a single-hospital town, Bloomington, Ind., witnessed the opening of 32-bed Monroe Hospital in mid-October 2006. The $35 million hospital with all-private rooms was designed to give...

Five states put coverage in play.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Laura B. Benko With little sign of federal action to address the needs of the nation's uninsured, five states last week made strides toward putting health insurance within reach for millions of Americans. Comprehensive...

Late news.(St. Clare's Health System to be a part of Catholic Health Initiative)(replacing of retiring Joint Commission President Dennis O'Leary)(Spencer Foreman to retire from Montefiore Medical Center)
March 12, 2007... St. Clare's joining CHI St. Clare's Health System, a four-hospital system based in northwest New Jersey, said it will become a member organization of Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives in June pending regulatory approval and due...

Direct to consumer; N.Y. gov., opponents make pitches on budget cuts.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker This budget season in New York, the healthcare lobby has been responding to a proposed $1.3 billion cut in Medicaid, including $1 billion in cuts for hospitals and nursing homes, in its traditional fashion with a...

On the move...(News Makers)(Jeptha Dalston dies)(Antoinette Gawin named chief marketing officer at GE Healthcare Financial Services)(Mercy Health System of Oklahoma appoints Diana Smalley)
March 12, 2007... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS Mercy Health System of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, named Diana Smalley president and CEO, effective April 2. She will also serve as president and CEO of Mercy Health Center. Smalley, 55, succeeds Michael Packnett, who left...

FIGHTING FOR THEIR SHARE; As Congress ponders how to fix the sustainable growth-rate formula for physicians, hospitals are wary they'll be a target.(Medicare Payment Advisory Commission )
March 12, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell With no tangible solution in sight to fix, repeal or replace Medicare's sustainable growth-rate formula for paying physicians, hospital executives are worried their own payment system will be put on the chopping...

Squaring off; Labor, hospitals do battle over union election rules.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Melanie Evans Healthcare unions and hospitals are gearing up to turn the nation's nascent presidential race into a battleground over organized labor's push to relax oversight of union elections. Unions, including healthcare...

Options cut United profits.(The Week in Healthcare)(UnitedHealth Group Inc.)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Laura B. Benko UnitedHealth Group, Minnetonka, Minn., said charges to correct for backdated stock-option grants will cut previously reported profits by a combined $1.56 billion pretax. The nation's second-largest health insurer...

Not all hounds at bay; IRS still pushing to ensure that not-for-profits earn their tax exemptions.(Opinions Editorials)(Internal Revenue Service)(Editorial)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Todd Sloane That giant whooshing sound you could hear in Washington in January was the collective exhale of the not-for-profit healthcare world as the Democrats took control of Congress. It meant that Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep....

Premera cedes for-profit dream; Blues ends long fight to convert in Washington state.(The Week in Healthcare)(Premera Blue Cross)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Laura B. Benko Premera Blue Cross has decided to officially abandon its years-long conversion bid in an effort to bury the hatchet with Washington state providers. The Mountlake Terrace, Wash.-based insurer announced last week...

Joint Commission under fire; Questions arise after Walter Reed, West Texas scandals.(The Week in Healthcare)(Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare )
March 12, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks The high-profile problems uncovered at two hospitals that were accredited by the Joint Commission have led to renewed criticism from congressional healthcare leaders about the value of the commission's...

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS.(modern healthcare.com)(Correction notice)
March 12, 2007... A chart ranking the largest for-profit hospital chains (March 5, p. 44) lists systems' 2006 operating revenue in thousands, not millions. A corrected version is posted at modern healthcare.com.

By the numbers.(The Week in Healthcare)(general internists financial incentives survey report)(Survey)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... General internists mostly agree with the idea of receiving financial incentives for quality -- known as pay-for-performance -- if the measures are accurate, according to recently published survey results. Strongly agree - 32% Somewhat...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... "A new National Institute on Aging study found that baby boomers are approaching retirement in worse health than their counterparts 12 years ago.... An entire generation reporting worse health than a previous generation portends substantially...

Where are they now? Modern Healthcare announces 20th anniversary Up & Comers yearbook.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)
March 19, 2007... Byline: David Burda The American College of Healthcare Executives' annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership gives attendees more than just an opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills through dozens of education sessions over the...

Midwest.(Regional News)(Monroe Hospital's new president Mike Soisson)(Indiana State Department of Health's preliminary report)(St. Luke's Hospital and RehabCare Group Inc.'s joint venture)
March 19, 2007... BLOOMINGTON, Ind.-Monroe Hospital has replaced its president with an executive from a hospital group that is among the investors in the financially ailing facility. The 32-bed hospital replaced former President and Chief Executive Officer Dean...

West.(Regional News)(Phoenix Memorial Hospital's plan for care center )(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... PHOENIX-Phoenix Memorial Hospital said it will close its emergency room and convert to a campus that offers urgent care and other services such as long-term care and rehabilitation, effective June 1. The 159-bed hospital, owned by Vanguard...

The personal touch; Don't let technology end face-to-face meetings.(Column)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer There's a whole new world out there, and I am beginning to realize I have missed something along the way. I have always believed the best way to deal with colleagues or clients-or anybody for that matter-is in...

Bush won't budge; Citizens' group report on improving coverage rejected.(George W. Bush)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Matthew DoBias The White House last week stood firmly behind its focus on consumer-directed healthcare amid growing pressure to adopt universal health coverage and questions about whether President Bush's agenda has grown outdated....

On the Move...(Adventist Health System's Donald Ammon retiring )(Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania appointed Kenneth Braithwaite II )(New York's Commission on Health Care Facilities appointed David Sandman)
March 19, 2007... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS Adventist Health, Roseville, Calif., said Donald Ammon will retire as president and CEO at year-end, capping a 42-year career with the not-for-profit healthcare system. Ammon, 65, has held the top spot since January...

Northeast.(Regional News)(hospital admission survey)(Virtua West Jersey Hospital's expansion)(Massachusetts acute-care hospital's expenses)(Survey)
March 19, 2007... NEW YORK-New York City hospitals do not appear to have lost any market share of nonresident patients seeking complex specialty care even though suburban hospitals began acquiring and expanding technologies to better compete with city hospitals...

South.(Regional News)(North Carolina Baptist Hospital got the certificate of approval for expansion)(case against NorthEast Medical Center by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)(increase in the payment of physicians providing pediatric services )
March 19, 2007... NEW ORLEANS-The Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division last month said patients would be moved from the temporary trauma center at Ochsner Health System's Elmwood Hospital in the Jefferson Parish area of New Orleans to LSU...

Congress' plans endorsed; Commonwealth Fund: Bills trump Bush proposals.(The Week in Healthcare)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Leading healthcare bills on Capitol Hill would do more to cover uninsured Americans than the Bush administration's current proposal, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund concluded. The conclusions come as...

Cleveland Clinic in another deal; Proposed telemedicine partnership raises conflict-of-interest concerns.(Glengary)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano The Cleveland Clinic, which came under fire late last year over ethics issues involving its top executive, is putting its new conflict-of-interest policy to use in the early stages of a plan to create a telemedicine...

Help from the outside; States use variety of contractors to provide healthcare for prisoner population.(Special Report)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Jessica Zigmond A recent public-safety project of the Pew Charitable Trusts estimates that between 2007 and 2011 the number of state and federal prisoners will grow by about 192,000 inmates-a nearly 13% increase that would be...

Access varies with income: JAMA; Study shows many patients squeezed on paying for care.(Journal of the American Medical Association)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Cinda Becker In a special themed issue, the Journal of the American Medical Association last week weighed in on the emotional debate on access to care with studies that found predictable holes in the safety net, and offered...

Friends go to bat for AHRQ.(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Andis Robeznieks A lobbying effort is under way to increase federal spending on researching healthcare quality improvement, cost reduction, patient safety and disparity elimination. According to a letter signed by 47...

Keeping her word; Brinker's breast cancer foundation started 25 years ago with a sisterly promise.(Health Care Hall of Fame)
March 19, 2007... Nancy Brinker's mother would often take her and her late sister, Susan Komen, volunteering in homeless shelters, for the Red Cross or elsewhere when they were young girls. "I want you girls to be stewards of our country,'' Brinker...

Satisfied customers; Survey gives not-for-profits good grades.(Insurers)(Survey)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Michael Romano Consumers don't usually have much choice in health insurers, but one national customer-satisfaction survey says that those who do would be better off with privately held companies than publicly traded juggernauts...

Visionary founder; Cardwell helped pioneer School of Health Administration at Va. university.(Charles P. Cardwell Jr., Medical College of Virginia Hospitals )
March 19, 2007... Byline: Ed Finkel While Charles P. Cardwell Jr. was working for a short period as director of the department of buildings and grounds at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond, the story goes that he walked into the...

The end of `fair share'? With Maryland law struck down, states work to protect coverage mandates.(Payers and Purchasers)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Laura B. Benko When Maryland legislators passed a first-of-its-kind law in January 2006 forcing retail giant Wal-Mart to pick up a greater share of its workers' health insurance costs, the measure was hailed as a model for other...

Never alone at the wheel; Warden's team-oriented leadership drove Ford's growth over 15-year tenure.(Gail L. Warden, Henry Ford Health System)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Ed Finkel When Gail L. Warden became president and chief executive officer for Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System in 1988, he brought with him a range of experience that has contributed to the success of both Henry Ford and the...

Asides & Insides.(mnemonics)
March 19, 2007... If your doc mumbles something about French tarts, don't worry The use of mnemonics has long been an aid for doctors and medical students in learning the long strings of complicated information needed to assess the patient before them....

Other voices.(providing insurance for uninsures americans)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... "At a time when the nation is pondering how to provide medical coverage to some 47 million uninsured Americans, it is logical... to start with the country's 9 million uninsured children.... Democratic leaders in Congress are planning to...

Late news.(Baptist Health Systems Inc. hires Thomas Reitinger and Peter Betts)(Rep. Richard Neal and Rep. Phil English urge government not to cut medical care budget)(not for profit hospitals score better than profit hospitals)
March 19, 2007... For-profits' credit scores lagging Not-for-profit hospitals are "looking hale and hearty,'' while "the for-profit sector could soon be heading to the emergency room,'' according to a new report by Standard & Poor's examining the credit...

By the numbers.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... The top issues facing the nursing profession are workload and the aging workforce, according to a Modern Healthcare online poll. Workload - 40.7% Aging workforce - 32.4% Nurse-physician relations - 14.8% Compensation - 5.6%...

Congress works to save SCHIP; Hospitals don't want to be targeted to offset new funds.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Congress stepped up efforts last week to find funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but partisan differences remain on how much money the program should receive to stay afloat over the long...

BIGGER, YES, BUT BETTER? UnitedHealth Group's planned acquisition of Sierra Health leaves some wary of a trend that could disrupt service, payment.(Sierra Health Services Inc.)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Laura B. Benko News of UnitedHealth Group's plans to acquire Sierra Health Services has given Kathleen Silver a bad case of deja vu. The interim chief executive officer of University Medical Center in Las Vegas says her staff is...

Fostering ethics; How developing individual, group expectations make for a better organization.(Opinions Commentary)(Column)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Alyson Pitman Giles For hospitals and healthcare organizations to thrive in today's environment, executives and medical staff must strive to develop a guiding framework for the entire organization to follow. Every decision we make...

Making a difference; Brinker, Cardwell, Warden used their careers to help build a better world.(Nancy Brinker, Charles P. Cardwell Jr. and Gail L. Warden)(Column)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Neil McLaughlin The French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery is best known to Americans as the author of the children's story The Little Prince. But he recounts some of his adventures as a pilot and states his philosophy...

Judges.(Richard Clarke, Thomas Dolan and Charles S. Lauer awarded for their services)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... A distinguished panel of judges selected the 2007 inductees to the Health Care Hall of Fame. The seven people who participated in the deliberations represent a variety of organizations associated with the healthcare industry. Richard...

HEALTHCARE BEHIND BARS; SECOND OF A SERIES.(Special Report)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... This story, second of a three-part series, explores the growing niche of outsourcing prison healthcare services, both to not-for-profit healthcare organizations and for-profit companies specializing in this sector. Part I (published Feb....

Largest behavioral health providers; Ranked by behavioral health net patient revenue.(By the Numbers)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... Universal Health Services - King of Prussia, Pa. Psychiatric Solutions - Franklin, Tenn. Devereux - Villanova, Pa Massachusetts Department of Mental Health - Boston Horizon Health Corp. - Lewisville, Texas Texas Department...

Tracking laughs; Studies find a socialization role for humor.
March 26, 2007... Byline: Charles S. Lauer Everybody I know likes a good laugh. Healthcare may be a serious business, but people in the field have a good sense of humor. I know, having endured my share of ribbing and practical jokes. So here is a joke...