Northeast Region news and information

NEW YORK—Cigarettes would have to be kept out of sight in New York City stores under a first-in-the-nation plan unveiled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg last week, igniting complaints from retailers and smokers who said they've had enough with the city's crackdowns. Shops from corner stores...
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Pittsburgh's mayor said UPMC should pay property and payroll taxes because the hospital operator fails to meet state criteria for tax exemption, citing legal counsel that found the UPMC system likely spends too little on free care for low-income patients and too much on executive compensation to...
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Funding cuts from the state of New York are expected to sock publicly funded hospitals, particularly SUNY Downstate Medical Center, which has less than five months before it could face insolvency.
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PITTSBURGH—Insurer Highmark closed on a deal for its first hospital under a costly plan to diversify and compete with the region's well-financed and largest health system. Jefferson Regional Medical Center, in Jefferson Hills, Pa., will receive $100 million for capital projects under...
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PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced that LifeSolutions, its not-for-profit organization that specializes in employee assistance programs, has acquired Erie, Pa.-based Northwest Beacon EAP. Though financial details of the agreement are not being released,...
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NEW YORK—Bellevue Hospital Center in New York announced it has started to admit patients again after damage from superstorm Sandy in October forced the hospital to evacuate more than 700 patients and close. The hospital is one of two owned by New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.
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North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System is facing a widening legal battle over allegations that it failed to notify hundreds of patients—including a doctor working at the system—that an identity-theft ring had stolen their unprotected confidential information.
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HARTFORD, Conn.—One of Connecticut's largest hospitals could be the first hospital to join Ascension Health Care Network, a private equity-backed effort to launch a for-profit Catholic health system. St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, signed an exclusive letter of...
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The CMS denied New York state's request for emergency cash relief for healthcare providers that lost revenue or saw expenses soar as superstorm Sandy forced the evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes.
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PORTLAND, Maine—Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mercy Hospital, a 168-bed hospital in Portland, that is part of Catholic Health East. As part of the deal, EMHS will acquire Mercy and its service units, including VNA Home Health & Hospice in...
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