Healthcare has found religion. It’s a church of reform, and a devout congregation can be found at practically any association, hospital, union, health plan, governor’s mansion or legislature where healthcare is on the agenda—in short, everywhere.
For the first time since the list was introduced six years ago, a woman tops the ranking of the most powerful people in healthcare: Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association. Three women—Keehan, Deborah...
Three years ago, a group of medical supplies and services vendors got together with hospitals in an effort to tackle some of the problems that have long dogged the healthcare supply chain. What resulted was the creation of the not-for-profit trade...
Arizona is the latest target in the Senate Finance Committee’s battle against specialty hospitals. In a form letter dated Aug. 23, Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the committee, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the committee’s ranking member,...
Healthcare has found religion. It’s a church of reform, and a devout congregation can be found at practically any association, hospital, union, health plan, governor’s mansion or legislature where healthcare is on the agenda—in short, everywhere.
Modern Healthcare announced this year’s 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare recognition program—our sixth annual—in the April 9 issue of the magazine. From April 9 through May 11, readers nominated candidates via the magazine’s Web site,...
For the first time since the list was introduced six years ago, a woman tops the ranking of the most powerful people in healthcare: Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association. Three women—Keehan, Deborah...
The Internal Revenue Services’ push to swiftly set sweeping new criteria for how tax-exempt hospitals disclose aid to their communities has met stiff opposition from the industry, which contends hospitals need more time and greater leeway to report...
Federal spending growth on the Medicare and Medicaid programs is continuing on a path toward bankrupting the country, according to a new budget analysis released last week by the Congressional Budget Office.
Former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney debuted a six-point plan that aims to reform healthcare using federal incentives to boost competition and expand the private health insurance markets on a state-by-state basis.
The American Medical Association’s plan to cover the uninsured that was touted last week in a new advertising campaign was criticized by some for not going far enough to expand coverage.
The CMS’ final rule on Medicare’s home health prospective payment system was described by the agency as a 3% increase for 2008. But home healthcare providers argue that policy changes also in the rule mean they’re actually in line for devastating...
Joint Commission officials say the decision by its affiliate, Joint Commission Resources, to sell consulting services for infection prevention does not pose a conflict of interest for the accreditation organization.
Hospitals throughout Illinois are now required to screen patients in intensive-care units for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infection under legislation signed Aug. 20 by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Twelve states are out in front when it comes to adopting health information technology in their statewide Medicaid programs and another two dozen are close behind, according to a just-released government report. But the level of progress and the...
The results of a Joint Commission study that highlights the detrimental impact of the use of abbreviations on patient safety were lauded by hospital industry representatives, despite the study’s reliance on a small sample size.
The departure last week of two key executives at UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest commercial insurer, has the industry buzzing about what it means for the company’s future.
LifeCare Holdings, Plano, Texas, said W. Earl Reed III has resigned as chairman and chief executive officer to rejoin the Allegro Group, a Louisville, Ky.-based healthcare advisory firm.
As wrangling over a nursing-care industry-sponsored advertising campaign continued in Washington last week, some advocates praised a recent study that supports transforming the U.S. nursing home industry.
Two companies well-known outside of healthcare—J.D. Power and Associates and the Nielsen Co.—are taking steps to raise their respective profiles among providers.
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt says that he hopes to find the modern-day equivalent of the founding fathers to run a successor to the American Health Information Community, which is charged with advising the government on how to implement electronic...
Three years ago, a group of medical supplies and services vendors got together with hospitals in an effort to tackle some of the problems that have long dogged the healthcare supply chain. What resulted was the creation of the not-for-profit trade...
NAPERVILLE, Ill.—Edward Hospital is asking the state for a certificate of need to build in Plainfield, about 13 miles south of its 236-bed home in the Chicago suburb of Naperville—again.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly quietly made a play for a change in the way Medicaid is administered statewide, drawing opposition from the Illinois Hospital Association.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—With just three weeks left in the California legislative session, the prospect of meaningful change to the state’s healthcare system may seem unlikely—but an eleventh-hour deal could happen, some in the state’s capital...
MOCKSVILLE, N.C.—With 25-bed Davie County Hospital, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is going beyond its usual efforts to expand beyond its base in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Healthcare has to be the most studied U.S. industry; even the most avid reader of reports, journals and books can’t keep up with this constant stream of analysis. Much of it describes in similar terms the many shortcomings of the care delivery...
Affordable healthcare is a fading dream for many families, who all too often are waking to the nightmare of a sick child or parent whose care they cannot afford.
One of the most encouraging developments of the past few years in the healthcare industry has been the active participation of hospital and medical group leaders in quality-improvement initiatives. Some of these initiatives have been focused on...
While on vacation recently in Detroit Lakes, Minn., I read a piece by New York Times columnist Jane Brody. It talked about the bright side of having cancer. That sounds like a macabre joke, but it isn’t.
Vicki Briggs has resigned as CEO of Trinity Medical Center, Birmingham, Ala. Tim McManus, COO, is serving as interim CEO while the hospital conducts a national search for a new executive, the hospital said. Briggs, 53, a former Modern...
Cardinal Health System, Muncie, Ind., saw an abrupt change in leadership. Robert Curtis, 60, president and CEO since 1998, resigned on the afternoon of Aug. 15. By the end of that day, the two-hospital system’s board replaced Curtis with...
Stung by two failed partnerships yet buoyed by nearly half a billion dollars in donations, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston broke ground in May on a teaching hospital and clinic that will feature such cutting-edge technology as an integrated...
What does HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt have in common with your kids? The nation’s top healthcare chief, like so many young adults before him, has started a blog.
