The announcement of a $311 million settlement to end a long-running physician-kickback case may have garnered impressive headlines for federal prosecutors, but some critics of vendor-marketing practices are questioning whether the punitive deal will...
The American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and FASA agreed to merge, the groups announced. The two largest ASC trade groups will become one organization effective Jan. 1, 2008—the same date a new payment system for ASCs will kick in...
The announcement of a $311 million settlement to end a long-running physician-kickback case may have garnered impressive headlines for federal prosecutors, but some critics of vendor-marketing practices are questioning whether the punitive deal will...
The healthcare industry is putting pressure on the White House and Congress to work up a new compromise to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program after last week’s veto of a bill that President Bush deemed too costly.
The watchdogs for HHS have unveiled their agenda for the fiscal year that started last week, leaving providers and their lawyers to sort out which items are new and then guess which ones are likely to generate imminent knocks on their doors.
The number of malpractice claims filed has decreased in recent years, a trend that likely will continue thanks to changes in what claims can be tried and how much juries are allowed to award plaintiffs, according to a new report.
The nation’s manufacturers, struggling with the high cost of healthcare, are taking matters into their own hands by working directly with hospitals on a possible collaboration to improve efficiencies and reduce waste.
Patient-safety advocates greeted a new law giving the Food and Drug Administration broader drug-safety authority with underwhelming support, saying the law doesn’t go nearly far enough in actually promoting safe, effective drug use.
An estimated 1.6 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries nationwide will have to switch prescription drug plans in January because their insurers, most notably UnitedHealth Group and Humana, bid too high to retain the business.
Just four months into her tenure as WellPoint’s president and chief executive officer, Angela Braly is already shaking things up at the top with an organizational restructuring and management reshuffling.
Mary Pittman, president of the Health Research & Educational Trust, has resigned to lead the Oakland, Calif.-based Public Health Institute. The jump will put Pittman in charge of an operation with
Not-for-profit hospitals reaped high returns on their investments in ’06 while the going was good, but they can thank the robust markets of the past several years—not their investing prowess.
When you’re out shopping for bargains, free is as good as it gets—except in healthcare information technology, where for many physicians, even free hasn’t been good enough.
The Stark and anti-kickback waivers were spelled out in a pair of documents released Aug. 8, 2006, by the CMS and the HHS inspector general’s office. According to these rules, there are two routes to interoperability through which a...
Don’t look at the cartoon above this editorial. Don’t read that tinted “Other Voices” box to the upper right. And whatever you do, skip the “Quotables” section in Outliers on p. 36 of this issue. They’re all wrong. President Bush was right.
You report that under Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s reform plan, individuals would be allowed to keep their current health insurance policies if they want to (“Clinton health plan, take two” Sept. 24, p. 12). Though Clinton has made that statement...
Have you ever heard of the “Next!” phenomenon? It goes like this: A person leaves his or her job, either to retire or go with a competitor. A few days later the position is filled (hence the “Next!”) and the former occupant is promptly forgotten by...
Lee Domanico resigned as president and CEO of Legacy Health System, Portland, Ore. Maggie Huffman, a spokeswoman for the five-hospital system, said Domanico’s resignation was effective immediately. Domanico, 54, who became Legacy’s top...
