Jessica Zigmond March 30, 2009 The money has been allocated, the principal players have been named, and the lobbying groups are in position. But the question lingers: Will a $1.1 billion, federally led, comparative-effectiveness research effort be able to change the nation’s healthcare system? ... FULL STORY
Linda Wilson March 30, 2009 Administrators at Silver Cross Hospital are so serious about pleasing patients that in 2008 they refused to sign a contract with a new neurosurgeon who wouldn’t agree to maintain a patient-satisfaction score that was at least in the 50th percentile nationally. Physicians at 245-bed Silver Cross in... ... FULL STORY
David Burda March 30, 2009 You may notice that this page looks a little different today. That’s because we decided to shake up our op-ed section a little bit to give our readers an even wider range of opinions and even more reasons to scratch their heads. ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 A San Diego health system filed a complaint in federal court, challenging procedures used by Medicare’s recovery audit contractors to reopen claims. The controversial audit program pays incentive fees to third-party auditors of Medicare reimbursement. The suit, which was filed by two-hospital... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Prince William Health System, Manassas, Va., agreed to become part of Novant Health, Winston-Salem, N.C. As part of the outline of a deal, Novant agreed to invest up to $200 million in the Manassas area. The structure and details of the partnership will be negotiated over the next several months,... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Lance Poulsen, the former chairman and CEO of collapsed healthcare finance company National Century Financial Enterprises, was sentenced to 30 years in a federal prison for directing an estimated $1.9 billion fraud on investors. Rebecca Parrett, who was the company’s chief operating officer and... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Former Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Howard Koh, 57, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be HHS’ assistant secretary for health. Koh, an associate dean for public health practice and director of the division of public health practice at the Harvard School of Public Health,... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 California officials determined that the state will not receive enough federal stimulus funds to reverse $54 million in cuts to public hospitals and some benefits to 3 million adult Medicaid patients. On Feb. 20, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a budget bill that allowed for certain healthcare,... ... FULL STORY
Jessica Zigmond March 30, 2009 The money has been allocated, the principal players have been named, and the lobbying groups are in position. But the question lingers: Will a $1.1 billion, federally led, comparative-effectiveness research effort be able to change the nation’s healthcare system? ... FULL STORY
Jessica Zigmond March 30, 2009 HHS announced the members of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research, a 15-member group authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to coordinate research and guide investments in comparative effectiveness. ... FULL STORY
Shawn Rhea March 30, 2009 In late February, the Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Gurgaon, India-based pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Laboratories, one of the largest exporters of generic drugs, halting review of any applications the company has made to ship drugs manufactured at its Paonta Sahib plant to the U.S. ... FULL STORY
Linda Wilson March 30, 2009 Administrators at Silver Cross Hospital are so serious about pleasing patients that in 2008 they refused to sign a contract with a new neurosurgeon who wouldn’t agree to maintain a patient-satisfaction score that was at least in the 50th percentile nationally. Physicians at 245-bed Silver Cross in... ... FULL STORY
David Burda March 30, 2009 You may notice that this page looks a little different today. That’s because we decided to shake up our op-ed section a little bit to give our readers an even wider range of opinions and even more reasons to scratch their heads. ... FULL STORY
Sister Carol Keehan March 30, 2009 The Catholic Health Association has long campaigned for health reform that will give real health security to everyone in our country. Until this is a reality, CHA members spend billions of dollars each year to provide care to the millions of uninsured in our country. ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Richard Pettingill is right on in his commentary (“More access isn’t enough,” March 16, p. 18), especially in regard to suggesting that health promotion be one of his “six areas of initial focus.” ... FULL STORY
William Atkinson March 30, 2009 Emergency departments have traditionally been viewed as the backdoor of the hospital. With sparse primary care and migration to ambulatory services, EDs across the country have become healthcare’s front door. Knowing it is not feasible to put a hospital in every community, WakeMed sought options to... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 A list of the nation's largest behavioral health providers, ranked by net-patient revenue. Source: Billian's HealthDATA. Published March 30, 2009. This list includes the following data points:Company nameLocationSystem type ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 LifePoint Hospitals, Brentwood, Tenn., said it hired Jeffrey Sherman as its CFO. Sherman, 43, is leaving Tenet Healthcare Corp., Dallas, where he was vice president and treasurer. Sherman first joined one of Tenet’s predecessor companies in 1990. Sherman will replace David Dill, who... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Dennis Kain was promoted to the position of president of Tyler & Co., Chadds Ford, Pa., taking the role from founder J. Larry Tyler. Tyler, 60, will continue as chairman and CEO. Kain, 57, previously was executive vice president and COO. ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 President Barack Obama nominated primary-care physician Yvette Roubideaux to head the Indian Health Service. Roubideaux, 46, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, has focused primarily on diabetes and chronic illness among American Indians and Alaska... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Mark Watson was named executive director of the Radiological Society of North America, effective April 1. Watson, who turns 45 that day, filled the position on an interim basis after his predecessor, Dave Fellers, left in September 2008 and became president of EthnoMetrics, a... ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Spectrum Health Partners, Franklin, Tenn., hired Phil Shaw as a principal. Shaw, 58, most recently served as interim CEO for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, Colo. ... FULL STORY
Andis Robeznieks March 30, 2009 In seeking to prevent the leading cause of preventable hospital deaths, some orthopedic surgeons say the CMS is elevating the potential for other negative outcomes to increase in number. ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 Academy Award nominee Toni Collette usually only has to worry about reviews from critics. But her latest project, “The United States of Tara,” also has the medical community weighing in. ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 The slimming physique of House Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Steve Holland has inspired other Mississippi lawmakers to do more than just marvel at his weight loss—they want to share the joy. ... FULL STORY
March 30, 2009 “Most doctors do not see why this is such an imperative and how this would be a big money saver. We fear that this is just a further means for insurance companies to intrude on records and to spy on patients for pre-existing conditions.” ... FULL STORY
