hospital officials
Beth Israel, union fight war of words
To hear CEO Paul Levy tell it, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is being as reasonable as possible in dealing with organizing efforts by the Service Employees International Union. To the... Read more...
CA hospital fined $100K for patient's death
A San Francisco long-term care hospital has been fined $100,000 for the death of an elderly woman suffering from dementia, having been cited for serious lapses in care. State officials said Laguna Honda Hospital "failed to review, evaluate, update and implement the care plan" for 82-year-old Hui Su, who died from blunt force injuries. Police reports seem to suggest that Su fell from a third-story window, though hospital officials dispute this account. A hospital staffer was supposed to …
... Read more...PA hospital invites student-engineers to OR
Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital has kicked off a new program inviting engineering students into the operating room and teaches them how to use biomedical technology. The idea behind the course, which involves students at the city's Carnegie Mellon University, is to prepare them to develop the next wave of surgical technology. The course has proven popular, with enrollment leaping from 12 students to 44 over the first three semesters it was offered. Working with surgeons, the …
... Read more...Babies infected at CA hospital
A Los Angeles hospital has been forced to close its neonatal and pediatric intensive care units to new admissions after detecting cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in seven babies, including one who appears to have died as a result of the infection. P. aeruginosa infections are particularly virulent among premature, underweight newborns, who face significant odds of dying from other causes already. Officials at White Memorial Medical Center believe the infection was spread by …
... Read more...Aggressive care may not prolong lives
No one wants to let a critically ill patient die. But in many cases, aggressive treatments intended to prolong the lives of dying patients don't have any effect, according to a recent study of Medicare claims by a Dartmouth researcher. In fact, the death rate for patients with heart attack and colon cancer was five percent higher in hospitals that provide intense end-of-life care. Examples of such ineffective care included cholesterol-lowering drugs for dying patients and …
... Read more...NLRB ruling stops PA contract talks
Only a week after the National Labor Relations Board issued a ruling broadening the definition of the term "supervisor," the decision has already thrown a wrench into contract talks between a Pennsylvania hospital and its nurses. The NLRB decision held that health care institutions can classify nurses as supervisors, denying them the right to union representation, if their duties …
... Read more...Biotech sues Phila. hospital over research
Five Children's Hospital of Philadelphia employees are facing a lawsuit from Iceland-based DeCode Genetics. The employees, who previously worked for the biotech company, are accused of stealing trade secrets and breach of contract. The point of contention is the hospital's plan to collect DNA from 100,000 children. "The hospital…intends to use the database of DNA profiles to find links between genes and common conditions like obesity. Publicly traded DeCode operates a similar …
... Read more...GA to revamp CON system
Hospital officials in Georgia are debating how best to revamp the state's certificate of need (CON) appeals process. Hospitals often spend millions in legal expenses on CON battles and many feel that the money could be better spent elsewhere--like on patient services. "Those [legal] expenditures haven't helped one person get well," Rep. Austin Scott told the Atlanta Business Journal. Critics of the program say it has also created healthcare monopolies in the state. The eight-member …
... Read more...Hospitals passing up federal funding
Hospitals aren't exactly falling all over themselves to claim their share of a $1 billion fund designed to alleviate hospital spending on immigrants' unpaid hospital costs. The controversial federal program allows hospitals to reclaim some of the money they spend on providing care for uninsured immigrants but only 15 percent of the money has been claimed by hospitals thus far. There are several theories as to why hospitals are reluctant to help themselves to the money. For one thing, …
... Read more...Regulators may pull TN hospital funding
Regional Medical Center in Memphis, TN (also known as "The Med") is in danger of losing its federal funding in two weeks if hospital officials can't prove to regulators that they have fixed numerous problems at the hospital. Approximately $35 million of the hospital's annual income comes from Medicare payments. The threat is a response to several complaints, including suggestions of poor radiological services, the assaults of three patients and surgical mistakes. A spokesperson for the …
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