regional medical center

> In a recent journal article, researchers argue that drug-coated stents cause 2,000 needless deaths per year. Editorial

> Disease management company Healthways has agreed to acquire preventative-health firm Axia Health Management for $450 million. Article

> The South …

UnitedHealthcare can't seem to get along with anyone these days. The insurer has warned some patients that it might not be able to negotiate a contract with Tennessee-based Sumner Regional Medical Center before the September 30th deadline. And there's a twist: Sumner Regional employees have UnitedHealthcare coverage, which means if the contract isn't renegotiated, hospital employees will have to receive non-emergency care at another in-network facility. This is only the latest in a series …

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 …

At Modern Healthcare, Natasha Nicol and Leanne Huminski examine how South Carolina's 460-bed McLeod Regional Medical Center cut its medical error rate by focusing on culture, automation and process. A 1999 IOM report on hospital errors shed light on the problem and McLeod took steps to prevent errors where it could. "The goal of the culture change was to create a sense of urgency regarding medication practices that lead to harm, and to engage employees to create a safer …

Yesterday we reported hospital construction costs are skyrocketing in the midst of an industry-wide building boom. Today The Tennessean reports HCA is moving forward with several hospital construction projects despite the fact the hospital chain is in the midst of a $33 billion buyout. HCA has spent an …

Lafayette, LA-based Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center said will be charged $3.8 million for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. However, the hospital says it didn't knowingly defraud the program. The charges relate to Dr. Mehmood Patel, a doctor who allegedly performed hundreds of unnecessary heart procedures at the hospital until a whistleblower filed suit against him. Lourdes revoked Patel's hospital privileges in 2004 and turned him over to authorities, but prosecutors say the …

> In Missouri, State Representative Dr. Rob Schaaf is calling for more competition in St. Joseph, a town with only one hospital: Heartland Regional Medical Center. He claims that HRMC's monopoly has artificially inflated medical costs, but hospital administrators say the facility makes only a small profit. Article

> California Pacific Medical Center workers say that the hospital has violated an …

In June, a botched gallbladder surgery at Massachusetts's Milford Regional medical Center cost a woman her kidney. Since then, the five members of Surgical Associates of Milford have publicly distanced themselves from the hospital because the hospital's CEO has declined to name the doctor who made the mistake. The Surgical Associates of Milford say that since the incident, several patients have canceled surgery because they were concerned about the error. "This surgeon who was involved in …

Less expensive equipment and partnerships with larger facilities are allowing smaller community hospitals to offer treatments once limited to the big city. But city hospitals may suffer as significant numbers of patients decide to stick closer to home. This story in The Flint Journal of Flint, MI analyzes the impact on larger providers as services like radiation therapy, angioplasty and cardiac rehab move out into rural areas. Patients sometimes drive an hour or more each way to …

> Medical tourism is a hot--but controversial--topic. Patients who find they can't afford high deductibles for expensive surgeries are looking abroad for their healthcare. But health officials worry about the safety of going abroad for unregulated care. Article

> Walgreens is jumping on the in-store health clinic bandwagon by opening clinics in Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas stores later this …