Jean DerGurahian July 20, 2009 In the past year, Wellmont Health System has taken a hard look at its operating numbers, and decided things aren't adding up. After conducting audits and restating some previous financial reports, the health system is initiating cost-saving measures to improve performance. ... FULL STORY
Joe Carlson July 20, 2009 As a wave of reform legislation threatens to upend many certainties in healthcare, the industry's largest single workforce—nursing—already finds itself at the cusp of significant change. ... FULL STORY
David Burda July 20, 2009 As lawmakers and lobbyists in Washington publicly plot the future of the healthcare delivery system in the U.S., a number of private-sector initiatives already have set the industry on a course toward self-improvement. This issue of Modern Healthcare takes an in-depth look at two of those... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 Calling it “a merger of equals” with neither organization bought or sold, Sanford Health and MeritCare Health System have announced that their boards have signed a nonbinding letter of intent signaling their aim to become one organization. The system will be called the Sanford MeritCare... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 A Massachusetts commission charged with finding ways to reduce healthcare costs unanimously recommended that the state’s public and private insurers abandon the current fee-for-service system in favor of a global payments system. In a set of recommendations, the Massachusetts Special... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 The White House issued draft legislation that explores the concept of using an independent advisory panel to make recommendations on annual Medicare payment rates. The draft bill, issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget, is similar to a bill introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 Linda Kloss, CEO of the American Health Information Management Association since 1995, announced that she will retire March 31, 2010. A longtime advocate for the U.S. healthcare system to switch to ICD-10 codes, Kloss said in a news release that she intends to continue her careerlong commitment to... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 The Pennsylvania insurance commissioner launched an investigation into possible anti-competitive or unfair trade practices among the Blues plans operating in the state. The department said that the probe will examine business practices at Capital Blue Cross, Independence Blue Cross, Highmark and... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 Providers looking to make decisions about technology will find the revised “meaningful use” definition helpful, but the implementation timeline might still be challenging, professionals say. The federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee approved updated recommendations from... ... FULL STORY
Joe Carlson July 20, 2009 As a wave of reform legislation threatens to upend many certainties in healthcare, the industry's largest single workforce—nursing—already finds itself at the cusp of significant change. ... FULL STORY
Jessica Zigmond July 20, 2009 Anticipating a potential resurgence of the H1N1 influenza virus this fall, HHS in the past few weeks has invested more federal dollars to try to ensure the nation is well-prepared to manage the disease. ... FULL STORY
Jessica Zigmond July 20, 2009 Since President Barack Obama nominated Regina Benjamin for U.S. surgeon general last week, a horde of healthcare organizations have issued statements praising the 52-year-old family physician as a solid choice to become the nation’s doctor. ... FULL STORY
Vince Galloro July 20, 2009 The same factors that are making some leery of the hospital business—lack of capital access and the uncertainty of healthcare reform—are what’s drawing Martin Rash back into the business. ... FULL STORY
Shawn Rhea July 20, 2009 A growing dispute between several Florida healthcare providers, a medical travel coordinator and the Turks and Caicos Islands government suggest providers diving into the burgeoning medical tourism field could face some unanticipated reimbursement challenges. ... FULL STORY
Jennifer Lubell July 20, 2009 It was a less than stellar week for a healthcare reform bill under the oversight of three House Committees. ... FULL STORY
Matthew DoBias July 20, 2009 Two major health reform bills advanced on Capitol Hill last week while most eyes turned to an as-yet-unwritten bill that could ultimately trump the others. ... FULL STORY
Melanie Evans July 20, 2009 Healthcare not-for-profit borrowers are seeing mounting risk and rising debt costs from continued distress among banks. ... FULL STORY
Jean DerGurahian July 20, 2009 The newly added readmission data to the CMS’ Hospital Compare Web site might help hospitals tracking that information, but the consumers targeted by the site still might not find much use for the data, some say. ... FULL STORY
Shawn Rhea July 20, 2009 Appropriations committees for both the House and Senate have introduced legislation aimed at addressing the worldwide shortage of molybedenum-99, a nuclear isotope used to produce an imaging procedure agent. ... FULL STORY
Joseph Conn July 20, 2009 A little over a year after the merger of the two largest electronic prescribing exchanges, SureScripts and RxHub, the merged for-profit company is in line to benefit from the federal government’s financial push for physicians to e-prescribe. ... FULL STORY
Rebecca Vesely July 20, 2009 At a nationally televised town hall meeting on healthcare reform last month, President Barack Obama was asked whether he would pay out-of-pocket for care if a close family member was extremely ill and the treatment was not covered by insurance. ... FULL STORY
Jean DerGurahian July 20, 2009 In the past year, Wellmont Health System has taken a hard look at its operating numbers, and decided things aren't adding up. After conducting audits and restating some previous financial reports, the health system is initiating cost-saving measures to improve performance. ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 No. 1 on the list, EHRs are being considered the most critical technology for improving safety and care delivery, and federal legislation is trumpeting the need to have electronic information implemented across the health system. But most providers remain skeptical—barely 2% of hospitals have... ... FULL STORY
David Burda July 20, 2009 As lawmakers and lobbyists in Washington publicly plot the future of the healthcare delivery system in the U.S., a number of private-sector initiatives already have set the industry on a course toward self-improvement. This issue of Modern Healthcare takes an in-depth look at two of those... ... FULL STORY
Eileen Lake and Thelma Patrick July 20, 2009 HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently called nurses critical in the fight against lethal hospital-acquired infections, or HAIs. Sebelius has urged hospitals to reduce HAIs and has promised $50 million in stimulus money to achieve that goal. ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 Looking at the logos of the six organizations mentioned on p. 7 of the “Promises and threats” article (June 8, p. 6) made me even more skeptical regarding the likelihood of an improved healthcare system. Specifically, the thought that came to mind: It may now be illegal to use with... ... FULL STORY
Tom Langston July 20, 2009 When SSM Health Care decided to move ahead with the electronic health record back in 2005, we had a number of critical decisions to make, not the least of which was who would be the primary supplier for the EHR. A year or so later with the partner selected, we also had to begin making decisions... ... FULL STORY
Gregg Blesch July 20, 2009 ProMedica Health System, Toledo, Ohio, reorganized its leadership team as part of a continuous process of succession planning. A reorganization effective July 13 gives 21 executives and managers either new roles or new responsibilities in the system, which has seven hospitals in Ohio and Southeast... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 The Cleveland Clinic Health System promoted two of its executives to expanded roles that will absorb most of the responsibilities of departing COO David Strand. Physician Marc Harrison was named chief medical operations officer. Harrison, 45, previously was director of medical... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 President Barack Obama nominated physician Alexander Garza as assistant secretary for health affairs and chief medical officer. If confirmed by the Senate, Garza—who serves currently as a staff physician for the Level I trauma center at the Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center—would... ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 “It either sends the message that healthcare reform cannot be done, period, or it opens the door to doing it halfway and excluding immigrants from the process.” ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 “To tell you honestly, health is not our national priority. It is very unfortunate. And now, with this crisis, every smaller hospital is overloaded with displaced people, and our district hospital in Mardan is collapsing.” ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 Consider the insurance broker. Is there any profession (besides journalist and used car salesman) that ranks so low on the public opinion scale? ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 As a medical invention, ReWalk might best be described as a cousin of the futuristic technology that powered fictional bionic crime fighters Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers in the 1970s TV series “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman.” ... FULL STORY
July 20, 2009 With the Food and Drug Administration warning the public to limit use of acetaminophen, Darvon and Darvocet, physicians may be scrambling for new pain-relief medications to prescribe. Fortunately, researchers at the Keele University School of Psychology in the U.K. may have found an answer that's... ... FULL STORY
