Modern Healthcare articles from October 2008

Modern Healthcare archives from October 2008

Outliers; Asides & insides.
October 6, 2008... If you need advice on gyrating market, Dr. Knabe has an Rx Brian Knabe has some advice for investors worried about surviving the current financial meltdown: Talk to a doctor. Evidence-based medicine allows doctors to apply standards of...

Uneven results.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias A new report from the National Committee for Quality Assurance indicating that the quality of care provided through health plans varies widely shouldn't overshadow the fact that quality is improving overall, some in...

Surveying the damage; Financial collapse has systems dealing with debt.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans In Houston last month, one hurricane followed another, says Melissa Williams, director of debt and investments for Christus Health. The first crashed into Texas in the early hours of Sept. 13 with destructive and...

Let our coverage help you cope; The current financial crisis will create trying times for healthcare industry.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)
October 6, 2008... Byline: David Burda A few years ago, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel of distinguished patient-safety experts at a Joint Commission conference in Chicago. During the question-and-answer session, one of the attendees asked me what...

Watching reimbursement; '09 workplan seeks valid quality information.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch HHS' inspector general's office posted its to-do list for the next year, providing hospitals and physicians a 115-page guide to what the watchdog intends to watch. Lewis Morris, the inspector general's chief...

Squashing reforms; Schwarzenegger vetoes healthcare bills in Calif.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely The pen is mightier than the sword, as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger showed last week when vetoing many of the healthcare reform provisions he championed last year during his energetic push for comprehensive...

Wanted: a new COO; That's chief outsourcing officer, or at least someone who has those duties if not the official title. More often, that role is being handed off to GPOs.(Group purchasing organizations)(Special Feature)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea Outsourcing some services was hardly a new practice at Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals & Clinics when Sarah Charai came on as manager of purchased services in 2003. What was new, however, was the 11-hospital...

Local victory; Universal access program wins appeal.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely A federal appellate court ruling last week in favor of San Francisco's universal healthcare access program could energize efforts to enact healthcare reform on a local or statewide basis should the decision hold,...

Back to retirement; Bracken to take over for Bovender at HCA.(executive Richard Bracken, CEO Jack Bovender Jr.)(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Joe Carlson Longtime HCA executive Richard Bracken is inheriting control of a company that appears unlikely to stray from its present path as it uses healthy revenue to pay down debt from its massive 2006 privatization. ...

Newsome takes charge.(chief executive officer Gary Newsome)(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Vince Galloro For Gary Newsome, a decade at Community Health Systems was something like a finishing school for his new job as president and chief executive officer of Health Management Associates, Naples, Fla. Newsome was a...

More from Medicare; Some rural hospitals could be overlooking a way to boost their bottom lines.(Strictly Finance)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans In rural communities, an aging and dwindling population compound the challenges hospitals face in the sector's unending pursuit to raise revenue. For tiny and large rural hospitals alike, taking advantage of...

They're not giving up; Despite bailout's price, reform advocates see hope.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias and Jennifer Lubell Even in an industry where more than $2 trillion is spent annually, the $700 billion price tag attached to the federal bailout of Wall Street raised eyebrows among health policy analysts. The...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
October 6, 2008... "It hasn't been easy, but San Francisco's pioneering health coverage for the uninsured is picking up momentum. A... three-judge appeals court panel upheld the Healthy San Francisco program, which requires businesses with 20 workers or more to...

Behavioral modification; With the historic enactment of mental health parity legislation, providers may see themselves freed from treatment limitations.(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond In its massive plan intended to alleviate the nation's financial crisis late last week, Congress also made history by mandating that mental health coverage be equal to medical-surgical benefits when employers...

High standards; Skewed survey nails nursing homes.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch A recent alarming tally of nursing home deficiencies is skewed by a flawed survey process that the CMS may be moving away from, according to the industry's largest trade group and other experts on long-term care. ...

Late news.
October 6, 2008... Commonwealth Fund report says Obama's health plan better Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have "fundamentally different visions'' of how they would reform healthcare as president, and Obama's is better, according to a new comparison by...

Spirit deadline is extended.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 6, 2008... The nomination deadline has been extended for Modern Healthcare's 16th annual Spirit of Excellence awards. Submission nomination information is due Oct. 24. All awardees will be contacted prior to the Dec. 15 issue of Modern Healthcare, which...

With AHIC about to bid adieu ... ... AHIC Successor set to take over, but Stark has other ideas.(The Week in Healthcare)(American Health Information Community)(Report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Joseph Conn It is a tale of three committees: one fading into history, a second forming to take its place and a proposed third that might supplant the first and render the second moot. On Nov. 12, the American Health...

Who's peeking? As the federal government continues to wage the war on terror, electronic medical records could be fair game.(Special Report)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Joseph Conn Is the government looking for terrorists in Americans' electronic medical records? Admittedly, it's an astonishing question, but for many months, this year and last, Congress was roiled in a contentious debate over...

Corrections & clarifications.(Correction notice)
October 13, 2008... An Oct. 6 article, "With AHIC about to bid adieu...," (p. 10), incorrectly identified John Glaser, vice president and chief information officer of Partners HealthCare System, as a physician. Glaser holds a Ph.D. in healthcare information...

Special Report extra: Podcast series.(Special Report)(Interview)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... In an exclusive interview, Modern Healthcare reporter Joseph Conn talks with Twila Brase, president of the not-for-profit Citizens' Council on Health Care, a patient-privacy advocacy organization based in St. Paul, Minn. Brase discusses the...

Exchanging innovations; New AHRQ site helps spread the word on best practices.(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)(Information Edge)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian If healthcare facilities want to know whether standardized documentation and action reports can help reduce their pressure ulcer rates, they can turn to research available on the Health Care Innovations Exchange...

Late news.
October 13, 2008... AHRQ, HHS ready guidelines for patient-safety organizations The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published interim guidelines for creating a patient-safety organization while HHS continues to hammer out a final rule governing how...

Borrowers wait for relief.(The Week in Healthcare)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans Healthcare borrowers continued to wait for relief last week after the United States' massive financial rescue package failed to deliver a confidence boost to investors as hoped. Tax-exempt hospitals and health...

East meets West; Funding may slow for some ventures.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea The healthcare market is birthing an increasing number of partnerships between Asian and U.S. providers, but global healthcare experts are questioning whether the arrangements, which seek to modernize healthcare services...

Turmoil at the top; Boca Raton hospital gets third CEO in a year.(News Makers)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Joe Carlson Boca Raton (Fla.) Community Hospital has given control to its third chief executive officer in less than a year as the 394-bed Florida hospital struggles to contain financial losses that topped $100 million in the past...

Work on the little things; Earning patient loyalty doesn't have to be a tough task.(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Charles S. Lauer I was at a meeting with a young hospital executive recently when the topic turned to patient loyalty. Just how is it earned? And is it really a rarity these days? I could tell she was concerned about the subject...

Quality measures standardized.(The Week in Healthcare)(Standards)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian The pressure is on for providers to demonstrate they are adhering to best infection-control practices as several leading quality and professional organizations throw their support behind uniform implementation of...

Short-handed; Orthopedic surgeons leaving Hawaii.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely A sudden exodus of four surgeons from the Hawaiian islands has local providers concerned about stemming the loss of qualified physicians. Just last week, three of the Big Island's five orthopedic surgeons said...

CFOs try to hold down the fort; Volatile market forces industry to look for savings.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans In the first eight months of the year, unstable markets delivered deep losses for Riverview Hospital's investments. Then came September, and losses doubled. An already difficult year for healthcare investors got...

RAC opinion-steering; While the CMS touts the benefits of the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program, some call it 'bounty hunting'.(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Gotcha! That's the word that Gerald Worrick, president and chief executive officer of 25-bed Door County Memorial Hospital, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., uses to describe the new federal Medicare Recovery Audit...

Hospital looking to move on; Former execs: Urciuoli convicted; Driscoll acquitted.(The Week in Healthcare)(Former President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Urciuoli, senior vice president Frances Driscoll)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch The top executive of Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, R.I., said he and his colleagues have been looking toward the future even while legal events have dragged public attention back through an ugly chapter...

Time for answers; Miller and executives from Virgin Islands charged.(hospital executive Rodney Miller)(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch Trouble continues to brew this week for Rodney Miller as the young hospital executive is set to answer charges that he conspired with his management team to steal from the Virgin Islands hospital where he was chief...

CMS leaves PRG out as RAC; Controversial auditor had rep for denying claims.(Recovery Audit Contractor)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Though the CMS didn't necessarily address all provider concerns with its Recovery Audit Contractor program rollout, one change that brought relief to California providers was the exclusion of PRG-Schultz...

First, do no harm; Patient welfare should come first in flight and legislation.(Opinions Editorials)(Editorial)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Neil McLaughlin Notes on the news: A few months ago, this magazine published a cover story on the alarming number of U.S. air ambulance crashes in the first half of 2008 (July 7, p. 6). At that time the death toll from such...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
October 13, 2008... "No industry in our region escaped the blow from Hurricane Katrina, but some of the area's largest hospitals were really turned upside down.... That's why federal and state officials should use a substantial portion of a new $600 million...

On the move ...(News Makers)
October 13, 2008... HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS Terika Richardson was named COO and Sean Thomson was named CFO of Spotsylvania (Va.) Regional Medical Center, an HCA hospital under construction. Richardson, 31, was associate administrator at HCA's Reston (Va.) Hospital...

Outliers; Asides & Insides.
October 13, 2008... Matchbooks light a fire under New York's anti-smoking drive New York City health officials want smokers to pause (and cringe) before lighting up. Gotham's campaign against the deadly habit has plastered matchbooks with graphic, disgusting...

Economics lessons needed; Physicians not schooled in consumer-driven plans.(The Week in Healthcare)(Report)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Andis Robeznieks A new report that says primary-care physicians are not prepared to provide the financial information that their patients with high-deductible, consumer-driven health plans and health savings accounts require got...

Feeling right at home; Small-town physicians group puts medical-home concept into practice.(Special Report)(Prime Care Medical Center (Selmer, Tennessee))
October 20, 2008... Byline: Andis Robeznieks Common wisdom would say that significant innovations in healthcare delivery typically get their start in big cities or at major academic medical centers. Likewise, Selmer, Tenn., with a population of about...

Corrections & Clarifications.(Correction notice)
October 20, 2008... * RehabCare Group incorrectly identified its primary business in the 2008 Post-Acute-Care Survey, which was used to rank the "Largest skilled-nursing companies" in the Sept. 29 issue (By the Numbers, p. 34). A revised list is available in the...

ON THE TABLE; A selection of state healthcare ballot initiatives scheduled for Nov. 4.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 20, 2008... California: Proposition 3, the Children's Hospital Bond Act A bond initiative that would allot $980 million to fund the construction, expansion and equipping of eight not-for-profit children's hospitals and five University of California...

Minn. nurses exiting ANA; Midwest.(Regional News)(Minnesota; American Nurses Association; Minnesota Nurses Association)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Joe Carlson The Minnesota Nurses Association has voted to pull its membership of 20,000 nurses out of the American Nurses Association, following six other states that have recently pulled out of the national professional...

Managed care's roller coaster; Recession could lead to another premium increase.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Health insurers will likely see falling medical cost claims in the coming months and minimal exposure to the credit crisis gripping Wall Street, but a wider recession could hurt employer-sponsored enrollment, leading...

Novation taps Hatcher.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea In addition to Premier, another of the country's largest group-purchasing organizations announced a leadership change last week. Novation said on Oct. 17 that it had appointed Jody Hatcher, 42, interim president of the...

Patient satisfaction firms.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 20, 2008... Modern Healthcare is conducting its third annual Patient Satisfaction Measurement Firms Survey. The survey will identify companies that hold the highest number of engagements and those with the most fee revenue related to healthcare. To...

Late news.(Medicaid spending; financial relationships between research physicians and medical devices companies; safety of medical services helicopter)(Cardiovascular Research Foundation)
October 20, 2008... Medicaid spending set to double by 2017 Spending on Medicaid is expected to increase 7.3% from 2007 to 2008 and continue to climb over the next decade, topping $339 billion this year and nearly doubling to $674 billion by 2017, according to...

Ready ... set ... punch; Healthcare stars on several states' ballots this year.(The Week in Healthcare)(healthcare ballot initiatives for 2008)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias Nearly a dozen healthcare measures are expected to make their way onto ballots next month as everyday citizens, associations, labor unions and businesses try to use one of the purest forms of democracy to set state...

Barriers for e-Rx; High costs hamper effort: report.(Physician Affairs)(electronic prescribing of drugs)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Joseph Conn The not-for-profit e-Health Initiative released A Clinician's Guide to Electronic Prescribing at a Boston e-prescribing conference sponsored by the CMS with the clear aim of boosting the use of e-prescribing. But the...

Northeast.(Regional News)(employment and financing issues in the health care industry; St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center (Hartford, Connecticut))
October 20, 2008... HARRISBURG, Pa.-Pennsylvania hospitals, ambulatory-surgery centers and long-term-care providers cannot require nurses and other clinical-care workers to work overtime under a bill that cleared the state's Legislature and was signed into law by...

South.(Regional News)(new hospital of Baylor Health Care System; Baylor Medical Center (McKinney, Texas))
October 20, 2008... McKINNEY, Texas-Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, said it broke ground to build a $212 million, 95-bed hospital on 58 acres. The new Baylor Medical Center at McKinney-which will be four stories high and include a medical office complex-is...

Unlocking the community chest; In 2009, the community benefits debate will again be front and center as Sen. Grassley seeks to nail down its definition.(Senator Chuck Grassley; legislation for not-for-profit hospitals)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Joe Carlson A new federal study finding wide variation in how not-for-profit hospitals report free care they provide to their communities could set up another showdown next year between reform-minded lawmakers and tax-exempt...

Global project; Joint Commission International starts quality, safety demo in three locations.(The Week in Healthcare)(program for financially strapped, low-performing hospitals; Joint Commission International)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea Joint Commission International will conduct a three-location demonstration project to measure the effectiveness of its new quality- and safety-improvement program aimed at nonaccredited hospitals, group officials said....

Trustee nominations.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 20, 2008... Nominations are now being accepted for Modern Healthcare's 2009 Trustee of the Year competition. The awards, co-sponsored by executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, honor two outstanding trustees for their contributions to healthcare governance,...

Back in the market; Trio of systems find luck in issuing bonds.(The Week in Healthcare)(nonprofit health systems; CoxHealth)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans A few healthcare bond issuers that had deals delayed by investor panic have returned to the market to find willing buyers and affordable interest rates. Last week, two solidly rated not-for-profit health systems...

Gain-sharing could have staying power; Two inspector general advisories show openness to multiyear arrangement.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Gregg Blesch Hospitals that want to reward physicians for their help saving money and meeting pay-for-performance goals have more positive signals from the federal government that carefully designed deals won't be viewed as...

Cooperating in N.D. 'Innovative' deal helps bolster hospitals' bottom line.(Regional News)(North Dakota; Richardton Memorial Hospital and Health Center (Richardton, North Dakota) and St. Joseph's Hospital and Health Center (Dickinson, North Dakota))
October 20, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond A creative bargain-and nearly $1 million in federal funding-is expected to help two North Dakota hospitals improve their bottom line. Earlier this month, Richardton (N.D.) Memorial Hospital and Health Center and...

Norling announces retirement; Controversial Premier chief plans to leave next June.(The Week in Healthcare)(Richard Norling)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Shawn Rhea During his decade at the helm of one the nation's largest healthcare group-purchasing organizations, Premier President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Norling, 62, has been a sometimes controversial figure who will...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)(formation of Friedell Committee for Health System Transformation in Kentucky)
October 20, 2008... "Regular citizens can design workable systems of healthcare better than medical professionals or financiers. Around that premise a new blue-ribbon citizens group is organizing in Kentucky.... The Friedell Committee for Health System...

FOLLOWING THE RULES; Some do's and don'ts of the new Medicare Advantage marketing provisions.(Payers and Purchasers)
October 20, 2008... Required: * All products must be offered upfront. * Recorded line must be used in booking personal appointments over the phone. * Disclosure form from beneficiary is necessary if a call confirming a home appointment isn't...

Leapfrog finds CPOE flaws.(The Week in Healthcare)(computerized physician order-entry systems)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely Computerized physician order-entry systems adopted by hospitals unexpectedly are failing to catch serious drug interactions and medication errors, according to a recent assessment by the Leapfrog Group. The CPOE...

Midwest.(Regional News)(new facilities and research initiatives in the health care industry; Schneck Medical Center (Seymour, Indiana); ProCure Treatment Centers; Central DuPage Hospital (Chicago, Illinois); Wisconsin Genomics Initiative)
October 20, 2008... SEYMOUR, Ind.-Schneck Medical Center finished construction of 84,000 square feet of new space, nearly doubling the size of the facility. The expansion is part of a $65 million project, funded with bonds and cash reserves, that includes ongoing...

Outliers; Asides & insides.(use of hydrogen-fueled buses by Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network; Pacific Medical Center's search for new tenants )
October 20, 2008... Lehigh Valley system gets its green on with new hydrogen bus No one wants to inhale grit and unhealthy fumes, and for those with pulmonary ailments, pollution can be doubly troubling. With an eye for keeping one more smog-producing vehicle...

No unfair advantage; Medicare plans say they're ready for the new rules.(Payers and Purchasers)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Medicare Advantage plans say they're ready to comply with the CMS' new marketing rules, although some are concerned the requirements will stifle their relationship with beneficiaries. Plus, it's going to require...

West.(Regional News)(closure and opening of hospital facilities)(Kaiser Permanente; Modesto Medical Center (Modesto, California); Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center (Irvine, California); UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco, California))
October 20, 2008... MODESTO, Calif.-Kaiser Permanente opened the new Modesto Medical Center on Oct. 1. The 670,000 square-foot, $430 million hospital incorporates environmentally friendly design to reduce energy costs and improve patients' and staff's well-being....

On the move...(News Makers)(employment changes in health care and other industries)(Physician Hospitals of America)
October 20, 2008... ASSOCIATIONS Brett Gosney, 49, CEO of the Animas Surgical Hospital in Durango, Colo., took over as president of Physician Hospitals of America, a Sioux Falls, S.D.-based trade group that represents physician-owned hospitals, during the...

Join Modern Healthcare at clinical informatics conference in Nashville.(The Week in Healthcare)(Tennessee; Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems)(Conference news)
October 20, 2008... Modern Healthcare is pleased to announce the first of its new Leadership Forum series of events: Transforming Healthcare through Clinical Informatics. The annual clinical informatics conference and trade show will be held Feb. 16-18, 2009,...

On the wisdom of RAC; Maybe Medicare should hire more auditors, not depend on private contractors.(Opinions Editorials)(Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program)(Editorial)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Neil McLaughlin Notes on the news: The hospital industry hasn't exactly covered itself in fiduciary glory since the inception of Medicare. Over the succeeding decades, providers have creatively gamed the system in ways that...

In search of answers; La. Supreme Court hears arguments on unsealing Katrina investigation.(Regional News)(Louisiana; Hurricane Katrina; patient deaths at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans)
October 20, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond Louisiana's Attorney General said evidence from a previous investigation into four patient deaths at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 should be kept secret. CNN and the...

Med school attendance up ... ... but experts say shortage still needs to be addressed.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 27, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Lubell Enrollment at the nation's medical schools may be up, but more needs to be done to draw students to a field that's losing its appeal and attracting fewer applicants, experts from the medical community claim. ...

MEET THE EDITORIAL STAFF.(News)(Brief article)
October 27, 2008... Name: Shawn Rhea Title: Reporter Duties: Covers medical technology, medical suppliers, group purchasing organizations and healthcare news in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Age: 44 Joined Modern...

Not Doing So Well; Employers focusing more on outcomes as they work to reinvigorate their wellness programs.(Special Report)
October 27, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Vesely A midsize paper-supply company offers three extra vacation days to employees at whichever of its branches collectively loses the most weight in seven weeks. Workers at one branch in Scranton, Pa., take extreme...

Wellness: Where Are We Headed?(Special Report)(Brief article)
October 27, 2008... This story is the first in a three-part series on the evolution of wellness programs in corporate America. Two more installments in the coming months will take a look at other approaches to wellness as employers try to rein in healthcare...

Late news.
October 27, 2008... UPMC laying off 500, or 1% of its workforce The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center laid off 500 workers, joining other healthcare systems that are adjusting to recent economic discomfort. "These are difficult times, and we need to...

DNV setting new standard; Watch out Joint Commission. There's a new accreditor in town, and some hospitals say they're willing to give it a try.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian West Shore Medical Center doesn't look like an automaker but it runs its operations the way a manufacturing plant might. The 54-bed hospital in Manistee, Mich., is certified as ISO 9001-compliant, a quality...

Focusing on the patient; Planetree guide touts patient-centered care model.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Jean DerGurahian While accrediting organizations look at different ways to ensure hospitals are complying with Medicare regulations, a comprehensive approach to hospital quality and safety must include patient-centered care,...

Holding the bag; Bond buyback could hit health systems hard.(The Week in Healthcare)
October 27, 2008... Byline: Melanie Evans Even well-funded, financially strong health systems braced for what amounts to a run on the bank in recent weeks. The investor panic in the credit markets has made once unlikely events possible, increasing the...

A bid for time; Some need an extra year for ICD-10 transition.(The Week in Healthcare)(International Classification of Diseases)
October 27, 2008... Byline: Matthew DoBias Hospitals, physician groups, payers and the coders who link them together are calling on HHS to delay an industrywide move to a new set of diagnosis codes that has been more than a decade in the making. In...

Economic uncertainty; Jessee predicts less spending on capital investment.(The Week in Healthcare)(Conference news)
October 27, 2008... Byline: Andis Robeznieks As with seemingly every other event going on these days, political and economic themes dominated discussions at the Medical Group Management Association's 82nd annual conference held Oct. 19-22 at the San Diego...

Outliers; Asides & insides.
October 27, 2008... Well you can tell by the way I do CPR, I practice to 'Stayin' Alive' In conjuring up images of CPR, Outliers doesn't usually think of disco balls, leisure suits or the Bee Gees. But according to a new study, `Stayin' Alive:' A Pilot...

Best of the best; For the first time, we rank Best Places to Work.(2008 Best Places to Work)(Editorial)(Survey)
October 27, 2008... Byline: David Burda Welcome to Modern Healthcare's first Best Places to Work in Healthcare supplement. In this issue, readers will learn the rank order of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare. Our new awards and honors program, which...

Hurricane's havoc; UTMB at Galveston jobs up in the air.(The Week in Healthcare)(University of Texas Medical Branch)
October 27, 2008... Byline: Jessica Zigmond More than 1,000 students returned to classes at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston on Oct. 20, five weeks after Hurricane Ike caused most to flee the Gulf Coast island. Now the question remains if...

Other voices.(Opinions Editorials)
October 27, 2008... "Our nation has just experienced something that seemed unimaginable a few weeks ago: the near-collapse of our financial and banking industry.... Although there are substantial differences between our financial industry and our healthcare...

On the move...(News Makers)
October 27, 2008... ASSOCIATIONS Maulik Joshi was named the next president of the American Hospital Association's research affiliate, the Health Research and Educational Trust. Joshi, 40, also becomes senior vice president for research at the AHA, with the...