proposal

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama describe their proposal to make patient safety a key to medical malpractice reform in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. The proposal envisions the creation of an Office of Patient Safety and Health Care Quality within the Department of Health and Human Services. A National Medical Error Disclosure and Compensation (MEDiC) program would encourage providers to report errors promptly and push claimants to settle cases quickly. Article

The Boston Globe reports that Jon Kingsdale, an executive with Tufts Health Plan, is the most likely candidate to lead the organization charged with heading insurance reform in Massachusetts. Kingsdale is currently a senior vice president of policy development at Tufts. Kingsdale would head the Health Insurance Connector, the state-run organization charged with implementing Gov. Mitt Romney's reform plan. Under Romney's widely-praised proposal, all residents would be required to …

After an internal review, the Cleveland Clinic said it will no longer allow doctors and administrators to make investment decisions. The inquiry followed on the heels of controversy over investments made by key figures at the hospital, including CEO Delos 'Toby' Cosgrove. Long regarded as "one of the most entrepreneurial" providers in the country, the Cleveland Clinic hopes that the step will allow innovation and entrepreneurship to continue while resolving troubling questions. Clinic …

CMS is expected to approve a "innovative" healthcare proposal that would extend limited benefits to about 80,000 people in Arkansas. The plan, which is expected to serve as a model for other states, will loosen Medicaid eligibility requirements to allow some low-income workers to participate in the program. In return, recipients will be eligible for a "scaled-down" set of benefits. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) is expected to run for the presidency in 2008 on a healthcare platform.

- see this article from The New York Times

Illinois hospitals are continuing their fight against a proposal by the state's attorney general that would require them to spend at least 8 percent of their operating budget on care for the needy. The Illinois Hospital Association released data on Tuesday that it says shows that non-profit hospitals provided $3 billion worth of benefits to their communities. Individual hospitals like St. Francis Hospital and Health Center defended their records of providing charitable care and said the …

A new proposal would expand the nation's largest pay for performance plan to reward doctors who do better in patient satisfaction surveys and quality reviews. The California Pay for Performance Program was launched five years ago by a consortium of employers, health plans and physician groups. About half of the physician groups in California have signed up to participate in the program so far, the Los Angeles Times reports. Under the group's latest proposal, bonuses would …

Tenet Healthcare said it is considering building a new hospital on the site of heavily-damaged Memorial Hospital in New Orleans. The company has hired an architect and is developing a proposal for a 200-bed facility. The plans were announced at a closed-door meeting attended by about 90 doctors. Memorial remains the focus of an investigation by the Louisiana attorney general's office into reports of possible mercy killings during the week following Hurricane Katrina. The Dallas-based …

Voters in California rejected a closely watched series of ballot proposals that could have led to major changes for the nation's pharmaceutical industry. Despite spending a record $80 million on advertising, the pharmaceutical lobby was unable to pass Prop. 78, an industry-backed program that would have offered some discounts on prescription drugs. Voters also rejected the much harsher Prop. 79, a proposal that would have given the state the power to negotiate drug prices. Cynics may …

A plan to trim Medicaid and Medicare spending proposed by the Senate Finance Committee last week could help hospital companies significantly, some are arguing. The proposal, crafted by Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), would give hospitals some relief from specialty competition and also defer the planned 4.3 percent cut in physician Medicare reimbursement rates planned for 2006. The plan asks for $5.8 billion in cuts to Medicare and a $4.3 billion decrease in …

Is it possible that the pharmaceutical industry could be dealt a major setback in California come November? It's beginning to look like that once unthinkable prospect is now a distinct possibility. Support appears to be growing for Proposition 79, the consumer-group backed ballot initiative which would require drug companies to offer discounts to the poor and allow the state more control over drug pricing for MediCal. Californians seem to like the drug industry-backed proposal as well, …