community hospitals

Getting new executives fully up to speed is tough. But if you've recruited a chief medical officer, it's a particularly trying process for both the candidate and the organization, says David Shabot, managing director with executive search firm …

A new report by the American Hospital Association says that uncompensated care at community hospitals held steady in 2005 at 5.6 percent of expenses, rather than continuing to climb as it had in past year. The total cost of uncompensated care, including free or discounted services and bad debt, climbed 7.1 percent to $28.8 billion last year. This was boosted by growing Medicare and Medicaid shortfalls, which jumped 14.5 percent to $25.3 billion.

The hospitals had previously posted …

Community hospitals in Massachusetts are alarmed by the current trend of well-known Boston hospitals extending their services into the suburbs. Tufts-New England Medical Center, New England Baptist Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have all planned to open suburban offices or have done so already. This could spell big trouble for lesser-known community hospitals. "With their strong brand names and reputations for excellence, many expect they …

Community hospitals around the country have jumped on a new trend: Launching their own research projects, competing for grant money and publishing their results in peer-reviewed publications in order to supplement their budget. It offers a chance for hospitals to burnish their reputation while gaining a new source of revenue as their Medicare reimbursements fall. For example, Henry Ford Health System in Detroit has a $56 million budget to research such topics as the use of gene therapy …

Charging patients a higher copayment for more expensive prescription drugs is an established practice. Now, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is taking things a step further.  If their plans are approved by the state insurance authorities, BCBS will charge patients more if they go to prestigious, expensive hospitals or to hospitals and doctors with bad records. These hospitals will be ranked on "tier two," while the rest will be on the less expensive "tier one." The …

> In Singapore, a program designed to promote disease management has proved very successful for those with diabetes. Article

> UnitedHealthcare may drop Florida's Blake Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Sarasota from their plan if the hospitals and the insurer can't agree on a contract before August 29. …

Less expensive equipment and partnerships with larger facilities are allowing smaller community hospitals to offer treatments once limited to the big city. But city hospitals may suffer as significant numbers of patients decide to stick closer to home. This story in The Flint Journal of Flint, MI analyzes the impact on larger providers as services like radiation therapy, angioplasty and cardiac rehab move out into rural areas. Patients sometimes drive an hour or more each way to …

A new program at Mass General that allows neurologists at the hospital to examine patients at other facilities is gaining ground. The program uses video conferencing and the Internet to provide remote access to CT scans. The hospital has reached agreements with 14 community hospitals in the Boston area, according to officials. Mass General says its "telestroke" program may soon be offered to hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont. The Boston Globe looks at similar programs that …

Report suggests specialty hospitals add to costs
A new report from HSC finds that purchasers in three local markets where there are plenty of specialty hospitals believe that the controversial hospitals add to overall healthcare costs without improving quality. While purchasers may get lower prices from the new hospitals, they perceive that more procedures are recommended by physicians driving up overall costs. In addition, traditional community hospitals have been …

Officials at NewYork-Presbyterian hospital said they are planning a new $254 million cardiovascular center at its NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Washington Heights campus. The provider also intends to complete a $169 million upgrade to the New York Weill Cornell Center on the Upper East Side. Coming at a time when many community hospitals in New York are struggling to remain profitable, critics say the expansion highlights the competitive advantage that major academic …