high profile

With FTC against deal, No. VA system gives up on acquisition

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

With the Federal Trade Commission coming out against the deal on antitrust grounds, Northern Virginia's five-hospital Inova Health System has given up on its plans to acquire Prince William Health System. The non-profit Inova system said it was giving up because the FTC challenge could easily have delayed the merger by as much as two years, a delay it apparently found unacceptable. In early May, the FTC filed an administrative complaint contending that adding Prince William Hospital would allow the Falls Church, VA-based Inova system to gain too much control of the region's hospital market, giving it enough leverage to force up managed-care reimbursement for inpatient services.

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

Related Articles:
FTC works to stop VA hospital merger
FTC scrutinizes PA hospital merger
FTC resolves high-profile IL hospital antitrust dispute
FTC uses leverage to step up antitrust scrutiny
Economists call FTC's Evanston solution flawed

ALSO NOTED: Russian healthcare system in crisis; Dallas hospital deal falls though; and much more...

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Think the U.S. healthcare system is in trouble? Take a look at Russia's troubles. Article

> A high-profile deal which would have turned over management of two Dallas hospitals to an out-of-state firm seems to have fallen through. Article

> A North Carolina hospital has temporarily lost permission to receive Medicaid and Medicare payments after an inspection found that the facility was placing patients in "immediate jeopardy." Article

> In a study that may change the way that cancer drugs are developed and prescribed, scientists have determined that genetic mutations are different in every cancer patient, suggesting that drugs will need to be "tailored" for small groups. FierceBioResearcher

And Finally... Bet you didn't think it was possible to slap graffiti on a glacier. Article

ALSO NOTED: The future of "retainer medicine" worth considering; Hospitalists are here to stay; and much more...

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> An academic medical center dean explains why putting primary care physicians on retainer can be more cost-effective than fee for service. Blog

> Physicians are chewing over the recent New England Journal study concluding that hospitalists can save on healthcare costs. One physician concludes that studies aside, hospitalists are here to stay. Blog

> Here's yet another in a series of recent blog posts suggesting that there's some deep concern over the future of medical education. Blog

> One healthcare economist offers his view on what California's high-profile universal healthcare model is flawed. Blog

And Finally... Do you believe in these medical myths? Apparently, many physicians do. Article

ALSO NOTED: Stents may not be so bad; Maryland MDs fight for more Medicaid dollars; and much more...

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> Doctors are now saying that they may have overreacted to possible problems with drug-coated stents. Article

> Maryland doctors are fighting to get higher Medicaid payments. Article

> Ouch. A Boston hospital is accused of being a major financial drag on the chain to which it belongs. Article

> A Dallas hospital is defending its VIP list, which targets high-profile patients for special treatment. Article

And Finally... It's twins everywhere in this African town--but nobody knows why. Article

LA sets fines for homeless patient dumping

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:59:58 -0400

A new proposed Los Angeles ordinance would charge hospitals $25,000 in fines if they dump homeless patients on Skid Row. The measure, which would make it a misdemeanor for hospitals to move patients anywhere but their homes without written consent, follows a string of high-profile cases in which homeless patients were left on Skid Row by several area hospitals. (California legislators are also considering legislation which would make patient dumping a crime.)

These include a recent case in which a surveillance video captured a homeless 63-year old patient discharged from Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower hospital wandering in the street on Skid Row in a hospital gown. After that incident, city attorneys filed false imprisonment and dependent care endangerment charges against the hospital. Kaiser settled with the city, agreeing to adopt new discharge rules, better train employees and submit to monitoring by a former U.S. attorney.

To find out more about the measure:
- read this Associated Press article

Related Articles:
Police consider L.A. patient dumping charges. Report
Kaiser faces patient dumping charges. Report
Kaiser settles patient-dumping charges. Report
CA law would ban patient dumping. Report
Hospitals accused of dumping homeless. Report
L.A. hospital investigated for patient dumping. Report

Case study: Swedish Medical markets to medical tourists

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:59:54 -0400

Hospitals across the U.S. are beginning to realize that India and other foreign markets may soon begin to drain away meaningful amounts of their business. Fortunately, medical tourism can move in the other direction too, bringing cash-bearing foreign visitors over to our shores for treatment here.

At Seattle's Swedish Medical Center, execs are particularly focused on capturing the attention of potential medical tourists. The hospital has launched a program designed specifically to grow its roster of foreign patients, particularly full-charge self-pay patients from Japan and China. In so doing, it's competing with high-profile providers like the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital, both of which have international marketing programs in place.

At Swedish, only $7 million to $8 million of its annual $1.2 billion in revenue comes from international patients at present. However, it has much bigger hopes. To grow that base, Swedish hopes to set up consulting relationships with Chinese and Japanese providers, largely as a means of establishing credibility in those markets.

To learn more about Swedish's medical tourism marketing:
- read this Modern Healthcare article

Related Articles:
Florida public hospital goes five-star route. Report
It's the price, stupid. Editorial
Trend: Mexican nursing homes see U.S. influx. Report
Texas patients choosing Mexican hospitals. Article
Critics won over by medical tourism options. Article
Patients, employers choose overseas care. Report
Medical tourism or global healthcare? Report
Indian Hospital uses YouTube to sell medical tourists. Report

Mandated coverage: A smart idea?

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Following the high-profile lead of Massachusetts, states like California are considering legislation requiring that citizens have health coverage. And in theory, that's good for providers, who theoretically end up carrying less bad debt created by uninsured patients.

However, as the Massachusetts example shows, it's easy to be seduced by the idea of seeing only insured patients--then finding out that the reality isn't as rosy as you'd hoped. I realize that I'm stating the obvious here, but I think it's worth noting that all coverage isn't made equal.

In Massachusetts, as they will elsewhere, reforms have relied heavily on high-deductible health plans. While high-deductible plans may work for some, it's clear from current data that consumers aren't funding them fully from the get-go. And that means that even insured patients are uninsured when it comes to receiving routine care.

To me, this suggests that the industry's leading lights ought to be very careful when throwing their weight behind any "coverage" proposal. Using up political capital to protect your interests is fine, but if you don't like the results when you're done, well, then, where are you? - Anne

Trend: Number of P4P programs increasing rapidly

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Despite complaints from some providers, it looks like the volume of pay-for-performance programs emerging in the U.S. is increasing rapidly. However, research suggests that such programs may have significant flaws, largely related to inconsistencies in the data they measure.

Payors are embracing this model enthusiastically. Research from the Leapfrog Group and health IT vendor Med-Vantage has projected that there will be 155 P4P programs in place during 2007, as compared with only 39 in 2003. This also includes Medicare, which has been running a high-profile P4P pilot. However, few payors were offering a large enough incentive payment to motivate physicians, observers suggest.

Worse, insurers aren't using the same playbook when it comes to measurement. A recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers looking at 10 P4P programs found that they used almost 60 different performance indicators for physicians, but that no one indicator was used by all. What's more, no two of the programs structured their rewards the same however. Observers suggest that until payors are more in sync, physicians will be in no position to meet everyone's goals.

To get more information on this trend:
- read this Modern Physician piece

Related Articles:
Study: P4P definitions, incentives still 'incomplete.' Report
Physicians question CMS P4P effort. Report
CMS extends pay-for-performance program. Report
Health IT not playing key role in P4P. Report
Trend: Medicaid programs offer P4P incentives. Report
Exclusive: How to make P4P work. Interview

Avandia slammed by more studies

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Two more studies have come out which raise further questions about the safety of diabetes drug Avandia. The first of the two studies, which were published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that Avandia doubled the risk of heart failure and raised the risk of heart attack by 42 percent. Like the high-profile research published in May, the first in recent times to slam Avandia, this research involved a combined analysis of other Avandia studies. The second JAMA study found that Actos, a similar drug, lowered the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death, though it also raised risks of heart failure. Avandia maker GlaxoSmithKline continues to contest the results of such research; in this case, it argued that the studies were flawed.

To learn more about the studies:
- read this piece from The New York Times

Related Articles:
FDA panel votes to keep Avandia on the market. Report
Avandia risks exposed under deal to post data. Report
Avandia controversy sparks FDA criticism. Report
Glaxo: Avandia critic should pay for stock drop. Report
Diabetes expert issued harsh Avandia critique in 2000. Report

Cardiologist investigated for allegedly striking patient

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:59:55 -0400

A high-profile San Diego cardiologist is under CMS investigation for allegedly hitting a patient several times during a cardiac catheterization. The physician, Dr. Maurice Buchbinder, is a controversial figure who's been up against federal authorities before, last time for using an unapproved device developed by a company in which he had a financial interest. Buchbinder practices within the Scripps hospital system, which performs more heart procedures than any other in the U.S.

Dr. Buchbinder was targeted after lab technicians filed complaints with state licensing officials alleging that he had struck an unruly patient several times during a cath procedure done on August 31st. The complaints triggered the CMS investigation. Scripps has since announced that Buchbinder has been suspended indefinitely from practicing at any Scripps facility nationwide.

To learn more about the investigation:
- read this San Diego Union-Tribune article