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By: Les Masterson, for HealthLeaders Media, July 23, 2009
During a prime-time news conference focused on healthcare reform Wednesday, President Obama spoke about the need to change the healthcare system while decreasing costs and not adding to the national debt. In response to the news conference, HealthLeaders Media reached out to a number of our trusted sources to ask them for comments about Obama's news conference and healthcare reform.
By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, July 23, 2009
If Sen. Charles Grassley has his way, nonprofit hospitals will have to prove they spend at least 5% of expenses on charity care if they are to keep their tax-exempt status. But a review of what's happened in Maryland suggests such a rule would be unrealistic and largely inappropriate.
By: Janice Simmons, for HealthLeaders Media, July 23, 2009
Mayo Clinic and more than a dozen co-signers took a more conciliatory tone in a statement issued on Wednesday than its previous letter about healthcare reform, but still underscores Mayo's continued concern: Reform legislation needs to include methods that reflect pay for value and quality—not quantity.
By: John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, July 23, 2009
Small businesses—particularly those with 10 employees or fewer—stand to be the big winners if a public health insurance option like the one now before the House of Representatives becomes a reality, according to a new issue brief by the Economic Policy Institute. The study estimates that small businesses with 10 or fewer employees could save about $3,500 per worker annually under a public plan similar to the House Tri-Committee's proposal.
By: Ben Amirault, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
The Obama administration has made it clear that cracking down on healthcare fraud and abuse is a priority, and that increase in enforcement may be essential if more people are covered under a government system.
By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
As policymakers look to reduce healthcare costs, they might look closely at ways to prevent osteoporosis, the culprit that led to 1 million hospitalizations in 2006, 254,000 of which were because of fractures stemming from the gradual loss of bone, according to a new report.
By: Keri Mucci, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
Nurse salaries are climbing considerably across the nation, according to recently released employer survey data.
By: John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
The legal fisticuffs between Bayonne (NJ) Hospital Center and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey went to the second round today when for-profit BHC filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the Garden State's largest health insurer is using "egregious and unethical business practices" in a campaign to scare emergency patients away from the out-of-network hospital.
By: Andrea Kraynak, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
RAC technical denials can have a large impact on a hospital's bottom line and many times they are completely avoidable.
By: Les Masterson, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
In the near future, health insurers will need to create a platform that will allow insurers to promote products across various market segments.
By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
This week, five top Obama Administration officials conducted what many said was the first rural health tour of its kind.
By: Gienna Shaw, for HealthLeaders Media, July 22, 2009
A survey suggests that CEOs are rethinking the importance of improving the patient experience and other studies show that consumerism in healthcare might really be coming after all.