HealthLeaders Media HR - November 30, 2009 | Highmark Joins On-Site Clinic Movement
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Highmark Joins On-Site Clinic Movement
John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media
When health insurance companies adopt for their own employees the cost-effective healthcare delivery strategies of other large businesses, this is a good indication that the trend is more than a passing fad. Highmark Inc., for example, is following the lead of companies like Toyota, Disney, and Harrah's and this month opened on-site healthcare clinics and pharmacies for its 10,000 or so employees at its two main operations centers in Pittsburgh and Camp Hill, PA. [Read More] |
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November 30, 2009 |
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Editor's Picks
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Road to recovery will be bumpy for the healthcare sector
Last week I wrote about what I believe is a "V-shaped" recession within the healthcare sector—that is, a quick decline followed by a quick recovery that includes improved balance sheets and job growth. I still think that is the case, and there is plenty of evidence out there to back up the argument. However, that doesn't mean that all is well in the healthcare sector or that there won't be a few bumps on the road to recovery, as these recent posts suggest. A new Ohio Hospital Association survey found that 18% of 75 responding hospitals plan additional layoffs, half say they'll leave future vacancies unfilled, and nearly 40% plan to reduce or eliminate services. Hospital layoffs are still making news, although thankfully not at the rate we saw earlier this year. Not even the health insurance sector is immune from the faltering economy, as Hartford-based Aetna announced this month that it will cut 625 jobs this quarter, and expects a similar number of job cuts in the first quarter of 2010. We're not out of the woods, clearly. But I believe that November employment statistics, to be issued this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, will give us a clearer idea of hiring trends within the healthcare sector. Stay tuned.
10 Years After To Err is Human: Are Hospitals Safer?
Has it been 10 years already? Remember when "To Err is Human" came out? In blunt language, the report stated that U.S. hospitals were inadvertently killing the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers every day. That was a particularly vivid image and the report proved to be a staggering indictment that—I believe—created a fundamental and adverse shift in the way the general public views hospitals. You can argue that the nearly 100,000 preventable hospital deaths each year is a suspiciously media-savvy number designed to gin up publicity. Perhaps, but I haven't heard anyone effectively dispute the number. And if they do, that begs the question: What is an acceptable number for preventable deaths? Even if it's one-third that total, or one 10th, that's still too high. Have things improved? My colleague Cheryl Clark finds that the issue of patient safety has certainly come to the fore nationally, but not all hospitals embrace the concept with the same sense of urgency. [Read More] |
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Executives on the Move
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SAN DIEGO: Jackiewicz named CEO at UCSD Medical Center
Thomas E. Jackiewicz has been named CEO of UC San Diego Medical Center, which includes Hillcrest Medical Center, Thornton Hospital, Moores UCSD Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Center, and the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center that is scheduled for completion in 2011. Jackiewicz previously served as associate vice chancellor and CFO for Health Sciences at the UCSD. During his career, he served as COO of Columbia University Medical Center, senior associate chair for finance and administration at the Stanford University School of Medicine, director of finance and administration for Oregon Health Sciences University, and director of business and financial operations at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. [Read More]
NASHVILLE: Sowell named CDO at HCA
HCA has named Joseph A. Sowell, III, as senior vice president/chief development officer, effective Dec. 1. Currently a senior partner at Nashville-based healthcare law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, Sowell, 53, will be responsible for all activities related to mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures for HCA, which operates 163 hospitals and 105 ambulatory surgery centers in 20 states and England. [Read More]
CHANDLER, AZ: White named CEO of Chandler RMC
Patty White, RN, has been named the new president/CEO of Chandler Regional Medical Center, a Catholic Healthcare West hospital. White will begin the transition immediately from her role as COO at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, and took on the new role at Chandler Regional full-time today. She replaces David Covert, who went to Charlotte, NC-based MedCath Corp. as senior vice president in May. Mark Kem, CFO of Chandler Regional, has served as interim president for the past six months. [Read More]
TAMPA: Utterback named CEO at Moffitt's M2Gen subsidiary
James Utterback has been named CEO of M2Gen, a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of Moffitt Cancer Center, effective Dec. 7. Utterback will be responsible for developing and implementing effective growth strategies, determining commercialization opportunities, and establishing and executing pharmaceutical company-funded clinical trials. [Read More]
ST. LOUIS: Hirsch steps down as Forest Park Hospital CEO
John Hirsch, MD, resigned this week as CEO of Forest Park Hospital after less than a year on the job. The stint as CEO was Hirsch's second at the hospital, having also served in the role from December 2004 to August 2005. Prior to his first run as CEO, Hirsch failed in an attempt with other physicians to purchase the hospital. Success Healthcare LLC of Boca Raton, FL, purchased Forest Park and St. Alexius hospitals of St. Louis last December from Envision Hospital Corp. of Arizona. The company named Jim O'Keefe as interim CEO of Forest Park. O'Keefe previously worked as an executive at BH1 and Baptist Hospital in Nashville, TN. Most recently O'Keefe served as interim CFO of Cape Cod Healthcare in Massachusetts. [Read More]
DALLAS: Tenet names CEOs for Hilton Head Costal Carolina hospitals
Tenet Healthcare Corp. and its affiliates Hilton Head Hospital and Coastal Carolina Hospital announced the appointment of new CEOs. Mark O'Neil Jr. became market CEO of Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, which includes Hilton Head Hospital, Coastal Carolina Hospital, and associated outpatient centers, effective today. William J. Masterton joins Coastal Carolina Hospital as its CEO and report directly to O'Neil. [Read More]
KINGSPORT, TN: Ward named CFO at Wellmont Health System
A CPA with more than 25 years experience in healthcare finance has been named CFO for Wellmont Health System. Elizabeth Ward will join Wellmont's executive leadership team Jan. 11. She will succeed Truman Esmond, who served as the health system's interim CFO since November 2008. [Read More]
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Harnessing effective asset management in an uncertain economy from IBM
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| From HealthLeaders Magazine |
Carving Out a New CEO Model
Responding to heightened scrutiny and reimbursement cuts, healthcare CEOs are becoming increasingly interactive with a growing list of constituents. [Read More]
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