Ambulatory surgery centers are trying to figure out how they’ll cope with a new Medicare payment system that threatens to drastically reduce their reimbursement rates.
Much discussion about pay-for-performance has focused on how hospitals measure up against one another clinically and how the dollars may be divvied up accordingly. So far there has been less emphasis on how patients perceive their hospital care and...
House leaders were set to introduce the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act, which includes $50 billion over five years for the federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program and a two-year Medicare payment increase for physicians.
Ambulatory surgery centers are trying to figure out how they’ll cope with a new Medicare payment system that threatens to drastically reduce their reimbursement rates.
The Internal Revenue Service and the Senate Finance Committee last week delivered a one-two punch that threatened the complacency of any not-for-profit hospital that might still believe that tax exemption is a birthright.
Hospitals in the Northeast stand to lose a lot of money if a proposal by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to establish a new hospital wage index system is implemented, according to a report from an association representing many of those...
The National Quality Forum last week endorsed seven surveys for assessing patient satisfaction and five surgical-care standards aimed at infection prevention, a move that experts said could lead to better hospital performance comparisons.
When private equity firms turned their attention to long-term care nearly five years ago, little did they know “long term” described not just a healthcare niche, but also the timeframe to receive a solid return on their investment.
Supporters of physician Anna Pou marked the first anniversary of her arrest with a rally last week in New Orleans, while a grand jury continues to hear evidence in a criminal investigation that may soon determine her future.
The medical-device market has been hot with merger and acquisition action in recent weeks, with potential buyouts of orthopedic-product makers DJO and Biomet solidifying, and a long-anticipated purchase falling apart of Abbott Laboratories’ in-vitro...
A new accusation of patient dumping by a Kaiser Permanente hospital in the Los Angeles area could put the integrated provider at risk of new penalties for violating a landmark settlement reached over a highly publicized incident, according to the...
A California state court judge has appointed a former state court judge to play the role of Solomon for Integrated Healthcare Holdings. In a recent ruling, Orange County (Calif.) Superior Court Judge Gregory Lewis appointed a former peer, Judge C.
In another sign that healthcare information technology may be eroding patient privacy, a nationally prominent physician IT expert said that some electronic health-record vendors have placed stipulations in their contracts with healthcare providers...
Seven years ago, the healthcare supply chain's electronic-exchange landscape resembled a virtual Wild West with lots of young-gun companies trying to stake their claims. Each was racing to build a cyberspace general store that would become the...
Much discussion about pay-for-performance has focused on how hospitals measure up against one another clinically and how the dollars may be divvied up accordingly. So far there has been less emphasis on how patients perceive their hospital care and...
One piece of federal legislation that we hope dies a quick death is the Surgeon General Integrity Restoration Act. There’s nothing the healthcare industry needs less than another government agency charged with making national healthcare policy. We...
We have two healthcare systems in America. People who can afford insurance get the best care in the world. But most families are one bad break, such as a lost job or a serious illness, away from going right off a cliff.
I’m very glad that someone in the media is finally saying “enough is enough” and talking truth to power on the healthcare information technology issue (“Scrap the IT plan,” July 2/9, p. 20). Perhaps this will start an avalanche of sanity. The...
If you ever find yourself rolling your eyes at all the endless reports on process improvement or the meetings devoted to business restructuring—all of it in incomprehensible business speak—you might want to take the time to sit down and read a new...
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed longtime healthcare administrator Barney Speight, 61, as executive director of the newly created seven-member Oregon Health Trust Board. The board is tasked with crafting a universal health plan for all...
As can be gleaned from our special report this issue (p. 26), hospitals are jittery about having to report patient satisfaction data to the feds. North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System found a way to make the ordeal especially rewarding for...
