healthcare system

Study: Majority of patients want EMRs

Anne Zieger — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:44:56 -0400

A new study from the Commonwealth Fund suggests that the majority of patients would like to see doctors move to electronic medical records, with many suggesting that EMRs would help to improve care quality and improve care coordination within the healthcare system as a whole. The study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive, found that almost 90 percent of respondents want their doctors to be able to share data electronically with other practices or hospitals. Meanwhile, another 71 percent of patients responding said that they want their doctors to be able to use e-prescribing technology to order their prescriptions.

While patients came out strongly in favor of physicians using technology for their care, they were less emphatic when it came to their own part in the process. A comparatively modest 44 percent said that they'd access their own medical records over the internet if available. Forty-eight percent said they'd book appointments and e-mail their doctors if they could. (Right now, only 8 percent were able to book appointments online, and 18 percent had e-mail access to their doctors.)

To learn more about this study:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)

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NY hospital, nursing home closure plans progress

Anne Zieger — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:17:18 -0400

The state of New York continues to make progress in its plan to merger or restructure more than 50 hospitals and nursing homes. The plan, which is design to cut down on duplication of services and eliminate excess capacity, has already had an impact at almost 80 facilities. The process began when a commission, the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, made a sweeping set of recommendations designed to trim waste from the state's healthcare system.

As part of the process, nine hospitals with almost 1,700 beds will close by January of next year. Meanwhile, another 1,700 hospitals beds will be removed from the market by 2010, through a combination of hospital and nursing home mergers, cooperative agreements and other measures. Meanwhile, seven nursing homes with 1,100 beds will have closed--and the state expects to cut another 1,600 such beds by the end of 2010.

To learn more about the commission's work:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (reg. req.)

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PA hospitals' overall financial health improves

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:59:55 -0400

A new report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council concluded that while the overall financial health of the state's hospitals improved, small community hospitals in rural areas didn't perform as well. The agency concluded that many of the state's 170 hospitals improved their performance in fiscal 2007, though the rising cost of uncompensated care was a big issue. Uncompensated care was up $74 million this year, or 12.2 percent, to $678 million.

Among the best performances were the University of Pennsylvania Health System, whose dominant hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, made almost $215 million from patient care last year, along with another $55 million in investment and endowment income. The hospital's operating margin was a whopping 14.28 percent in an area where 4 to 5 percent margin is considered a reasonable result. At the other end, Tenet-owned Hahnemann University Hospital had an operating margin of 18 percent, a loss of $65 million.

To find out more about the state's hospital market:
- read this article from The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Colonoscopies increase in New York City

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:59:54 -0400

A new study suggests that the number of New York City residents 50 and older who have had colonoscopies has risen sharply--by about 50 percent--over the last five years. The survey, which was conducted by the city's Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, was based on a survey conducted by the city from 2003 through 2007. It showed that 1.25 million people were screened in 2007, a significant increase from the 826,000 in 2003, with the biggest rates of increases among minority communities.

Much of the increase seems to have been generated by a group of stakeholders including doctors, hospital administrators, union workers, insurers and city health officials called the New York Citywide Colon Cancer Control Coalition. The group's efforts focused simply on getting colonoscopies performed every 10 years for anyone 50 or older without a family history or higher risk for colon cancer, and more often for those who do have risk factors. The group helped foster this goal in several ways, including the use of so-called "patient navigators" who call people over 50 and encourage them to make an appointment.

To learn more about the program:
- read this New York Times article (reg. req.)

ALSO NOTED: For-profits see bad debt drop during first quarter of '08; Bayer fined $16.2 million for price-fixing; and much mor

Thu, 29 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> As it turns out, for-profits actually saw bad debt expense go down during the first quarter of this year despite nasty market conditions. FierceHealthFinance

> Bayer has been fined $16.2 million for fixing prices on aspirin and other over-the-counter meds in Germany. FiercePharma

> Think health IT will cut big costs from the healthcare system? Don't count on it, says the Congressional Budget Office. FierceHealthIT

> Studies suggest that a new vaccine and chemotherapy combo could significantly prolong the survival of patients with glioblastoma, the aggressive brain cancer afflicting Senator Ted Kennedy. FierceVaccine

And Finally... Why bother creating it? Well, why not? Article

Case study: Henry Ford offers high-touch amenities

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Henry Ford Health System has become the latest provider to ramp up hospital amenities to hotel-like levels. The idea, at Henry Ford and elsewhere, is that if you make patients and families more comfortable, not only will they be more likely to return, they'll also get better more quickly.

The system's new 300-bed community hospital and wellness complex, which cost $350 million, will include not only standard clinical services, but also comfort options like private rooms with couches, flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, laptop computer tables and security safes for valuables. What's more, the rooms have been designed to meet "feng shui" design standards. The complex also offers wellness options like health coaches, holistic therapies and personal trainers, along with a mall-like retail corridor offering health products for sale.

Perhaps the most unusual element is Henry Ford's plan to dramatically improve food service at the hospital. It's partnering with a Detroit restaurateur, a college culinary department and an Ohio organic farm that sells largely to exclusive restaurants to boost its nutritional offerings. The new food program will allow patients to order nutritious, restaurant-quality meals 24 hours a day. Even more unusual, the food will be cooked fresh, using natural and/or organic ingredients where possible. The notion is that such food not only soothes patients, it aids in their recovery.

To get an in-depth look at Henry Ford's program:
- read this Detroit Free Press piece

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CO seeks review power for nonprofit hospital deals

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The Colorado legislature is considering a bill that would give the state's attorney general the right to review nonprofit hospital deals that would results in a "material change" of services. The bill was written in response to one specific deal in which a Catholic healthcare system, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, hopes to gain full ownership of the Wheat Ridge, CO-based Lutheran Medical Center and Lafayette, CO-based Good Samaritan Center. Some members of the community have objected to the deal, which would result in Lutheran and Good Samaritan having to restructure their services to meet Catholic medical directives regarding reproductive procedures and services and end-of-life care. Previously, the state's attorney general decided not to block the deal, saying it was out of his jurisdiction. However, the bill would give the AG such an option in the future when nonprofits ponder M&A transactions.

To learn more about the pending bill:
- read this Denver Business Journal piece

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MI sets strict limits on building costly cancer centers

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Working to avoid a costly healthcare "arms race," a commission in Michigan has ruled that it will allow the construction of only one costly proton beam therapy center for cancer treatment. It's ordering the state's hospitals collaborate on a single center, rather than attempting to each raise the $100 million or more needed to build proton beam centers, the newest form of radiation treatment for cancer. Proton therapy, which uses nuclear particle accelerators to deliver radiation, are more precise than X-rays, but critics say that their advantage over X-rays hasn't yet been proved. Some observers suggest that hospitals are opting to build them largely because such a center adds to their prestige.

Prior to the announcement, Michigan healthcare system Beaumont Hospitals had planned to build its own $159 million proton therapy center in collaboration with ProCure Treatment Centers. After the announcement by Beaumont, other hospitals submitted their own proposals for such a center. Now, they'll have to work together. The commission is demanding a business plan from at least five hospitals, which would have to contribute a collective $13 million.

To learn more about Michigan's plans:
- read this article from The New York Times

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GA minorities suffer big health disparities

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

A new report concludes that Georgia's minorities suffer significantly worse health than non-minority citizens, with the report awarding an "F" to 16 Georgia counties on scores of minority care. The grades, which were issued by the state's Department of Community Health, reflect the serious differences found in death rates before age 75. (Another report, by the United health Foundation, ranked Georgia 40th in health status overall, with African-Americans there experiencing 44 percent more premature deaths than whites.)

The disparities come, in part, from structural problems faced by the state's healthcare system as a whole. Of the state's 159 counties, 118 are rural, and have roughly half as many doctors per capita as, say, metro Atlanta, in addition to major shortages of nurses, therapists and nutritionists, the report said. However, minorities generally seem to face bigger obstacles to getting care than non-minority citizens.

To learn more about Georgia's health disparities:
- read this Atlanta Journal-Constitution article
- read this Community Health press release

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Nevada ASC forced to stop doing procedures

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Following the discovery that six cases of hepatitis C were linked to a Nevada ambulatory surgery center--the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada--the state responded by inspecting all of the its 48 ASCs. CMS then did follow-up inspections at 20 of the sites. Now, this inspection program has turned up another ASC with questionable practices.

The state health division's Bureau of Licensure and Certification has ordered the Lake Tahoe Surgery Center of Zephyr Cove, NV to stop doing all patient-care procedures, after CMS inspectors observed "unsafe infection control practices." According to the state, inspectors found similar problems during a March 13 inspection. Unlike the prior case, it doesn't appear that there have been any cases of disease transmission to patients.

Barton HealthCare System, which owns 67 percent of the ASC, sent out a press release noting that it had put a corrective action plan in place after an inspection by the Joint Commission a few years ago. However, the Joint Commission hasn't announced the results of its recent unscheduled visit in late February.

To learn more about the ASC investigation:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (reg. req.)

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