medical centers
Review boards conflicts of interest are common
If a new survey is any indication, hospital review boards supervising patient experiments aren't nearly as independent as they should be. The study, which was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, surveyed the 575 members of review boards at 100 university medical centers. Researchers found that one in three hospital review board members had taken money from the makers of drugs and devices that are studied by their institutions. About 15 percent of the …
... Read more...Hospitals offer free preventative care
One way or the other, you're going to end up treating the uninsured. So why not cut your losses, and along the way, salvage your bottom line? That seems to be the thinking behind an emerging practice in which some forward-thinking hospitals are providing free preventative care to uninsured working poor patients who don't qualify for public medical funding. One proponent of this approach is the Seton Family of Hospitals, an Austin, TX-based Roman Catholic hospital network. Through its …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: States play important role in health IT; NJ physician cheats Medicare; and much more...
> In Los Angeles, many residents are concerned about the potential loss of King/Drew Medical Center. But an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times explains why everyone should be more than happy to see the hospital go. Op-Ed
> State governments are playing an …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: SmartCare opens clinics in Wal-Marts; Medicare reimbursement cuts draw near; and much more...
> SmartCare Family Medical Centers will open clinics in a number of Denver-area Wal-Mart stores. The firm plans to open 1,050 clinics within the next five years. Report
> The AMA is running out of time to prevent the proposed Medicare reimbursement cuts from becoming a reality next year. …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: Clinics picking up rural care slack; Hospital supply costs rise; and much more...
> When medical centers close in rural areas, clinics often step in to pick up the slack. Article
> Hospital and health system supply costs are expected to rise 5.1 percent during fiscal year 2006, according to Moody's Investors Service. Article
> U.S.-based healthcare quality and accreditation group Joint …
... Read more...Kaiser transplant exec sues for wrongful termination
The former administrator of Kaiser Permanente's troubled Northern California kidney-transplant unit, David Merlin, has filed a $5 million wrongful termination lawsuit. Merlin alleges he was terminated after two months on the job for raising concerns about the transplant program. Kaiser had brought kidney transplant services in-house in late 2004, and Merlin started his job in December 2005. The suit states that he "discovered that the program was so poorly organized and unprofessionally …
... Read more...Study examines end-of-life care
A new study finds significant differences in the way that top medical centers treat the sickest patients. Researchers at Dartmouth compared the care delivered over the last six months of life at highly regarded facilities across the country. Patients at NYU Medical Center were in the hospital the longest, on average 32.1 days. Those at UCLA Medical Center were not far behind, averaging 19.2 days. In contrast, patients at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center were in the hospital on average …
... Read more...Universal's decision to close New Orleans hospitals provokes anger
Universal Health Systems is drawing heavy fire for its plan to shut three hospitals in the New Orleans area and lay off workers. Health care workers at Chalmette Medical Centers stayed with patients for nearly a week during Hurricane Katrina. They've now been told by administrators that they will receive pay for two weeks and will receive health benefits through the end of the month. Nearly 3,000 health care workers at three hospitals in the area are affected. Dr Lee Domangue, the …
... Read more...FEMA goes into action as Katrina strikes New Orleans
One of the most powerful hurricanes in recent memory makes its way past New Orleans, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials raced to put disaster response plans into action. Authorities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama were placed on their highest state of alert. Medical teams, army troops and rescue squads arrived in large numbers as the storm struck. Although initial estimates are that the damage from Katrina may not be quite as severe as some worst-case …
... Read more...Senate votes $1.5B in extra funds for VA
Facing a major budget shortfall, the Senate approved an extra $1.5 billion for the Veteran's Affairs administration yesterday. The added money will largely go to fund medical centers operated by the agency. Over the past two years, the VA has been hard hit by the increased costs of providing healthcare to veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After first suggesting that they didn't need the money, the Bush Administration asked for it in the face of strong pressure from …
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