The release of new Census Bureau data last week showing that the ranks of the uninsured had swelled by more than 2 million people in 2006 carries with it both short-term and long-term implications for federal and state politics.
At first glance, Modern Healthcare’s 2007 Group Purchasing Survey might appear to reveal little in the way of market-trend surprises. But as any good statistician would tell you, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that numbers always tell a...
The CMS proposed 10 mostly process-oriented quality measures and is seeking comment on another 30 that hospital outpatient departments must report on beginning next year or face a financial penalty. In its proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective...
The release of new Census Bureau data last week showing that the ranks of the uninsured had swelled by more than 2 million people in 2006 carries with it both short-term and long-term implications for federal and state politics.
Bolstered by the Census Bureau statistics released last week, organized labor last week joined the push for national healthcare reform, and warned the Bush administration that it is falling short of its job to provide insurance.
There’s more than one way to measure the nation’s slipping health insurance coverage. Homestead (Fla.) Hospital has seen the percentage of patients who pay for their own care inch upward year after year.
Healthcare lawyers are bracing for changes in the way the CMS bars doctors from referring patients for government-paid services at facilities in which the doctors have a financial stake, either through ownership interest or any of a myriad...
The Internal Revenue Service is ramping up pressure on hospitals and other tax-exempt organizations to prove that they’re not abusing their ability to borrow money in the tax-free bond market.
The number of physician pay-for-performance programs has almost quadrupled in the past five years, data released last week show, though some in the industry are questioning the value of pay-for-performance programs’ rapid growth.
A long-rumored move by MedAssets to become the first publicly traded company with roots in the group purchasing industry raises big questions for GPOs and their members. Industry executives are asking if shareholders’ desire to earn money will...
The National Center for Healthcare Leadership and GE Healthcare have inked an unusual deal that its architects say will boost exposure for their respective management products and services and lead to the launch of new jointly developed training...
A newly founded group focused on medical tourism says it hopes to represent the interest of reputable healthcare providers and other businesses working in the burgeoning field while also providing interested patients with the information they need...
Some executives in the ambulatory surgery center industry say they are skeptical that new proposed conditions for Medicare coverage announced last week will do much to improve patient care, though hospital industry executives support the CMS’...
The inspector general’s office of HHS wants healthcare executives to know it will go after them for the sins of their organizations and spend whatever time and resources are needed to investigate allegations and litigate the penalties imposed.
The CMS’ decision to end Medicare payments for preventable errors, injuries and infections is likely only the first phase in an industrywide change in how these conditions are reimbursed. That’s because many major insurers said they would likely...
Although UnitedHealth Group got a green light from the Nevada Insurance Commissioner last week to acquire Sierra Health Services, the $2.6 billion deal could still be blocked by other regulatory officials or consumer groups.
The deadline for Modern Healthcare’s 29th annual Outsourcing Survey is Wednesday, Sept. 5. Those looking to participate should visit modernhealthcare.com/surveys for a copy of the questionnaire. Results of the survey will appear in our Oct. 1...
Ernst & Young hired Bruce Vladeck, former interim president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, as an executive director in its health sciences advisory services division.
A former chief financial officer of George L. Mee Memorial Hospital in King City, Calif., paid his personal credit card account with hospital funds for at least a year before he was fired in 2004, according to federal prosecutors who charged him...
Ascension Health named five of its executives to oversee regional operations in a half-dozen states as part of a reorganization of the 64-hospital system unveiled in December 2006.
Louisiana will soon have a new official to oversee its healthcare system. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco appointed Roxane Townsend as secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals, effective Sept. 15.
After considering two for-profit hospital companies as a possible partner, Baptist Health System of East Tennessee plans to remain in the not-for-profit Knoxville family.
Maybe I’ve simply been lucky because after having both hips and a knee replaced over a period of three years at a Chicago hospital, I came away impressed with the quality of the care I received. I didn’t end up with any infections or other...
The analyst who rocked Tenet Healthcare Corp. five years ago with reports on the company’s reliance on Medicare outlier payments was making Tenet uncomfortable again last week. Another analyst, however, suggested that Tenet has hit rock bottom and...
Hospitals are plagued with sore subjects that have nothing to do with clinical care, and perhaps the sorest subject of all surrounds billing practices.
At first glance, Modern Healthcare’s 2007 Group Purchasing Survey might appear to reveal little in the way of market-trend surprises. But as any good statistician would tell you, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that numbers always tell a...
News story: The Census Bureau reports that the number of Americans lacking health insurance rose to a record total of 47 million in 2006. The increase of 2.2 million—a jump of 4.9%—is the largest one-year hike since 2002, the second year of the...
In a way and with an emphasis never before seen in political discourse and debate in the U.S., the issue of healthcare reform has taken center stage as one of the top priorities among Democratic presidential candidates.
Your article on the process of becoming board certified in healthcare management as a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives misses a very significant point (“Paying dues by doing less,” Aug. 20, p. 6). The current credentialing...
With annual sales of about $9 billion a year, Lipitor is said to be the best-selling drug in history and Pfizer—its manufacturer—warns patients to tell their doctor if they experience any new pain or weakness. But according to a study by University...
Outliers wouldn’t dare accuse anyone of wasting time on the Internet at work. But then, perhaps whoever used an HHS computer to tweak the Wikipedia entry on ’80s rock bad girl Joan Jett thought the activity was job-related.
