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CMS reports lower error rate for 2008
Apparently, having Recovery Audit Contractors in the news frequently has pushed some providers to change their coding practices. CMS has reported that the 2008 error rate for fee-for-service payments... Read more...
SC court says uninsured not guaranteed discounts
A high court in South Carolina has ruled that state law doesn't force hospitals to give uninsured patients the same discounts offered insured patients. A lower court had held that a loophole in... Read more...
Study: Tests for drug-resistant infections cut deaths
Testing hospitalized patients for drug-resistant infections can cut mortality rates and lengths of stay and can lower costs of care, according to new research by the Advanced Medical Technology... Read more...
Trend: Urgent care clinic industry expanding again
It's beginning to look like convenient care is on the rise--and not just in the retail clinic sector. While the retail clinic market expansion has gotten most of the attention, the urgent care... Read more...
SPOTLIGHT: Colo. health reform could cost $1B
State or federal reform proposals have one thing in common; they come with a hefty price tag. In this case, the big-dollar estimates comes from Colorado, where it's estimated proposals in play could... Read more...
Far fewer blood donors available than expected
It looks like health administrators have had far too rosy a view of how much blood is available to help injured or surgical patients. A new study suggests current estimates of the population eligible... Read more...
PA bill would forgive med school loans
Hoping to keep newly-minted physicians in the state, a Pennsylvania state legislator has introduced a bill under which the state would pay off med school loans for physicians who stay there for 10 years or more. Right now, only about 8 percent of physicians who train at the state's medical schools end up practicing there. Meanwhile, the state's physician population is aging, with only 3 percent of its physicians under age 35. To slow this exodus, the state would pay the loans off at a …
... Read more...Countries swap debt for healthcare
According to some estimates, it would take $50 billion to fund healthcare needs in developing countries. To close this gap, one international health organization proposes that developing countries get the chance to cancel portions of their debt if they spend on approved health projects. Backers say the Debt2Health plan is a "win-win"--cutting the risk creditors face while giving needy countries more money to deal with health crises. Indonesia, Pakistan, Peru and Kenya will become the …
... Read more...Group says illegal immigrants boost ED costs
According to this activist group, it's an open-and-shut case: illegal immigrants are substantially increasing the volume of uncompensated costs hospitals must bear each year. The vast majority of the costs come from immigrants' use of the emergency department, especially for births, according to the Washington, DC-based Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Emergency care costs for immigrants have hit $1.4 billion per year in California, $700 million in New York, and more …
... Read more...Kaiser controversy fells top exec
Kaiser Permanente executives are making money for now, but they may not have time to enjoy it. On the one hand, the health system just announced that it had a nicely profitable quarter, posting third-quarter profits of $417 million on operating revenue of $8.7 billion. On the other, it seems likely that a brewing IT management controversy has pushed one its senior executives out the door. This week, …
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