Three years ago, the cardiovascular program at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, was abruptly shut down because its mortality rate was twice what the state thought it ought to be. Though the rate was close to the...
Seventeen chief executive officers from some of the largest safety net hospitals in the country appealed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to increase funding for the nation’s healthcare safety net in crafting an economic stimulus package.
The National Priorities Partnership, a partnership of 28 groups, planned to release the specific goals it will strive to meet in improving targeted areas of healthcare on Nov. 17. The partnership—convened by the National Quality Forum—explains the...
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt released a second report on an extensive effort to develop hyperpersonalized care, putting the patient at the center of a movement to capitalize on advances in genomic medicine to improve quality and costs. The report...
Measures used by the federal agencies under HHS for reporting, payment and quality improvement are now available in one location on a new Web site. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released the National Quality Measures Clearinghouse,...
WellCare Health Plans said in regulatory filings that it will not be able to file past quarterly financial reports and that medical costs were up significantly while investment income fell sharply. The Tampa, Fla.-based managed-care company said...
The worsening economy has put financial performance at risk for hospitals and nearly every other healthcare sector, one major ratings agency said last week.
Despite early praise from providers, it’s likely that Sen. Max Baucus’ (D-Mont.) comprehensive plan to cover all Americans through public and private reforms is bound to face some resistance from certain sectors of the healthcare industry.
Plans under way on Capitol Hill to redirect payments away from Medicare Advantage to pay for broad healthcare reform could signal the beginning of the end for a program that has frustrated many lawmakers since its inception, analysts say.
If some financial soothsayer could have told Eric Cauble a few months back that his organization’s investments would lose 10% of their value before Election Day, the chief operating officer at the Medical Group Management Association would have been...
The University of Texas System’s announcement last week that it will cut 3,800 jobs at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston marked the second time this year the system will have laid off workers at its island institution. The hospital...
Major health insurers are ramping up an array of wellness programs to meet growing demand from large employers and to help members lower their medical costs, with some of the biggest health plans rolling out new programs in recent months.
Three years ago, the cardiovascular program at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, was abruptly shut down because its mortality rate was twice what the state thought it ought to be. Though the rate was close to the...
Many healthcare providers in the U.S. are going through a rough financial patch right now. Reports of lower earnings, layoffs, bankruptcies and closures are commonplace. Adding to providers’ stress level is the growing oversight and compliance...
The only thing missing in either presidential campaign is “experience.” We were forced to vote for the “best of the worst” and, in such a situation, no one wins. As stated by many during the presidential race, President-elect Barack Obama has no...
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has delivered stellar clinical and financial performance for many years and has been widely recognized as one of the premier pediatric healthcare institutions in the country, recently earning its sixth No. 1...
Riga, the ancient Baltic seaport and Latvian capital, has become “one of the trendiest cities in Europe,” according to MSNBC. So naturally they need some theme restaurants to keep the tourists flocking there amused and fed.
And if your restaurant doesn’t make you feel ill, maybe your job does. Or makes you prefer to be sick. While experiencing high fever, headache, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, and possibly diarrhea and...
The University of Chicago Medical Center is about to lose its vice president for community and external relations, who in January plans to move to Washington with her husband, President-elect Barack Obama.
“We’re at one of those rare moments that come every 15 years when you have a chance to accomplish major change. But a lot of things have to break right for it to happen.”
