Grady Memorial Hospital board members and business leaders are days away from striking a deal on a sweeping leadership change at the Atlanta facility. The change is a vital step in saving the financially strapped medical center, according to a lead negotiator.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services has released a request for proposals for a plan designed to provide health insurance for as little as $75 a month and as much as $250 for those earning higher incomes. The request moves Connecticut one step closer to offering affordable healthcare coverage to uninsured residents who don't qualify for public assistance.
The Massachusetts subsidiary of an international surgical device manufacturer is under federal investigation for allegedly paying kickbacks to doctors to use its equipment. The federal case against Blackstone Medical of Springfield got a boost yesterday when an Arkansas neurosurgeon pleaded guilty to soliciting and accepting kickbacks from a salesman who worked for Blackstone's parent company, Orthofix International.
The Bush administration is imposing restrictions on the ability of states to expand eligibility for Medicaid. The move is in an effort to prevent states from offering coverage to families of modest incomes who, the administration argues, may have access to private health insurance. The restrictions mirror those the administration placed on the State Children's Health Insurance Program after states tried to broaden eligibility for it as well.
Almost half of Chicago internists say they have prescribed a placebo to a patient during their years of practice, according to researchers at the University of Chicago. In addition, a majority of doctors in the study also said they believed in the power of placebos, which indicates that doctors do accept a mind-body relationship that can affect health.
Children with severe pneumonia can be treated just as effectively at home as in a hospital, according to a study. Researchers found that children taking antibiotics at home were as likely to survive serious pneumonia as those treated in hospitals. Under current World Health Organization guidelines, health workers refer children with severe pneumonia to hospitals to receive antibiotics. But in many poor countries, children referred to hospitals often don't receive care if their parents cannot afford it or if there is no nearby hospital.