hospital industry

President Bush joined the national debate on universal healthcare last night with two proposals outlined in his State of the Union speech. In a previous radio address, Bush had revealed his plan to control healthcare costs by tax breaks to help low-income people buy insurance and a tax boost for employees whose health coverage costs more than average. Last night he also announced a policy to support the universal health efforts of several states. The so-called "Affordable Choices …

Over the past year, regulators kept up the pressure on voluntary hospitals to prove that they were providing a reasonable level of charity care. Not only did the IRS continue to scrutinize tax-exempt hospitals, state tax authorities and federal legislators got their licks in, too. Overall, over the …

According to several sources in the know, a New York state commission will recommend closing nine hospitals across the state and force several others to merge or cut beds. In addition to the nine that would be closed outright, others would be forced to become clinics or outpatient centers, effectively being closed as acute care centers. Ultimately, the panel's recommendations would call for cutting about 4,100 of the state's hospital beds, though they would also allow the addition of some …

If the threat of closing a single community hospital mobilizes neighborhoods, polarizes physicians and puts local politicians on the hot seat, imagine what the next five years will look like for New York state officials. In a long-negotiated deal, the state of New York has accepted $1.5 billion from the federal government to assist New York in shoring up its ailing hospital …

> Pheonix, AZ-based Maricopa Medical Center is planning a $500 million hospital to replace its currently outdated 621-bed facility. Administrators say that the design of the old building is in need of change because it offers patients little privacy as well as several safety concerns. The hospital industry is in the midst of an ongoing building boom--they're projected to spend $20 billion on construction …

The hospital industry is blasting Oxford Health Plans--and owner UnitedHealth--over what it sees as unethical billing practices. In New York, one woman decided to use an out-of-network surgeon that practiced at an in-network hospital. She was prepared to pay the difference for the surgeon but was shocked when she received a bill for her entire stay, despite the fact that she used an in-network hospital. Oxford claims that it did nothing wrong and that its policies were clearly …

All in all, it was a big-ish week for healthcare news. On Thursday, after three years of study, a congressional-backed committee led by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) issued a report concluding that a system of universal coverage may be the most effective way of solving the nation's healthcare crisis. It's a little early to suggest that anything will come of the …

The Hospital industry is running a full court press in California to convince Sacramento that tough seismic retrofitting rules aren't really necessary. Industry lobbyists are arguing that a computer simulation developed by FEMA is a more effective way of predicting possible seismic risks than simple inspections. FEMA's program takes into account variables such as soil conditions, proximity to earthquake faults and the area's history of seismic activity. If the move succeeds, many …

Hospital Corporation of America said developing a plan to let patients know up front how much they will have to pay for medical treatment is a "top priority." While the HCA has yet to work out details, CEO Jack Bovender said getting the information through to patients is critical "so they can better understand their responsibilities and make more informed decisions about their health care." The transparency issue has assumed center stage in the hospital industry this year alongside …

A group of senators investigating the specialty hospital industry wants to know if a hospital in Oregon was allowed to open despite a moratorium on new facilities put in place in 2003. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Max Baucus (D-MT) say CMS should not have permitted the new facility to open. HHS Sec Mike Leavitt recently conceded that the hospital in question opened and received federal funding in the form of Medicare and Medicaid payments. Grassley and Baucus said they want a list of …