Hurricane Katrina

A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the far-reaching effects of Hurricane Katrina on the state of healthcare in the Gulf Cost region. Uninsured patients were particularly hard-hit by the problems. Mental health workers and nursing staff are in short supply and nursing homes are struggling. Officials say the overall situation in the affected areas has gone from bad to worse in recent months. Report

Last week Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses were arrested in connection with the deaths of patients at Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina. Since then the arrests have drawn a public outcry from many in the medical community who feel the three health workers are victims of a witch hunt that seeks to blame them for other's mistakes. Pou's supporters argue that, despite terrible …

A GAO report has found that the National Disaster Medical System doesn't adequately plan for transporting nursing home patients. Though it's a task that's left primarily to local officials, federal aid may be needed if they become overwhelmed. It's an issue that arose following Hurricane Katrina last year, when nursing home operators were unsure whether to evacuate patients who were already in fragile condition.

"This report outlines gaps in our disaster response system which may …

Though arrests have been made in connection with possible euthanizing of critically ill hospital patients during Hurricane Katrina, medical ethicists say the issues involved make it unlikely that the cases were the "simple homicide" that the state attorney general alleges. Experts quoted in today's The New York Times say the deaths may have been due to painkillers given as palliative care. Article

A doctor and two nurses have been arrested in New Orleans in connection with the deaths of patients at Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina. All three have been charged with second degree murder. The arrests are the result of a months-long investigation by Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, Jr., to establish whether some patients were euthanized after the hurricane hit. Dr. Anna Pou, Lori L. Budo and Cheri Landry were arrested late Monday and have been booked and …

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the hospital system in New Orleans remains short-staffed and overworked. But employees at four area hospitals can look forward to some relief as the Department of Veterans Affairs sends over 180 healthcare workers to the region. Nurses, radiology technicians and other workers will be sent to Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, New Orleans; East Jefferson General Hospital, Metairie; West Jefferson General Hospital, Marrero; and Meadowcrest Hospital, …

Tenet's insurers have paid the hospital system $340 million for damages resulting from Hurricane Katrina. Tenet said that five hospitals, five outpatient radiology centers and other properties suffered substantial damage during the storm and two hospitals have yet to reopen.

By settling with the insurer, Tenet has avoided a legal battle that could have dragged on for years. "Instead of engaging in a protracted resolution process with our insurers, we sat down with them and worked …

Louisiana State University and the Department of Veteran's Affairs announced a plan to build a new $1.2 billion medical center in New Orleans. The hospital will probably take over the role played by historic Charity Hospital, although no official announcement has been made yet on the older hospital. Construction is slated for October 2008. Some doctors groups have criticized the plan as unnecessary, arguing that damage to the first floor and basement of the hospital could be repaired …

The non-profit Markle Foundation released a report today that assesses the impact e-prescribing had during the response to Hurricane Katrina. In the days after the storm struck, a group of non-profits and tech companies pooled their resources to launch KatrinaHealth.org, a Web site that gave authorized medical professionals online access to medical information gathered from a number of sources. Organizers were able to gain access to prescription data from government databases, private …

A number of major issues still face Tenet, including criminal prosecution threats and a federal anti-kickback case. For one thing, an inquiry into possible criminal wrongdoing at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina is still a possibility. Next week, San Diego prosecutors are expected to announce if there will be a new trial in the federal anti-kickback case against Tenet-owned Alvarado Medical Center. In a separate review, Tenet also faces the …