Daily news & Analysis

• Half of U.S. Hospitals Violate Law By Not Reporting Disciplined Doctors
• Large EDs Bear Brunt of Crowding
• Targeted Tax Hikes Would Raise Billions for Health Reforms
• UnitedHealth Tells Medicare How to Look for More Savings
• Mass Healthcare Reform's Success Comes From 'Shared Responsibility'
• Three Cost Centers in Planning for a Pandemic

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Half of U.S. Hospitals Violate Law By Not Reporting Disciplined Doctors

By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, May 27, 2009

Half of the 6,500 hospitals in the U.S. have never reported any physicians they disciplined for medical competency or conduct problems to a national database in nearly two decades. Many other hospitals exploit loopholes to avoid the requirement, according to a Public Citizen report.

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Large EDs Bear Brunt of Crowding

By: John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, May 27, 2009

Large, metropolitan emergency departments that serve more than 50,000 patients each year represent just 17.7% of all emergency departments in the nation, but they accounted for 44% of all ED visits in 2007, according to a new survey.

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Targeted Tax Hikes Would Raise Billions for Health Reforms

By: John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, May 27, 2009

Three studies released by the Centers for Budget and Policy Priorities say that billions of dollars could be generated to help pay for healthcare reform by raising taxes on alcohol and high-sugar soft drinks, and rolling back or eliminating healthcare flexible spending accounts.

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UnitedHealth Tells Medicare How to Look for More Savings

By: Janice Simmons, for HealthLeaders Media, May 28, 2009

UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest insurers, said in a working paper released Wednesday that if many of its currently used cost-saving programs and methods were adapted by Medicare over the next decade, roughly $540 billion could be saved by the federal program. The new UnitedHealth paper provides "building blocks" that Medicare could build on to save money and promote quality, according to UnitedHealth Executive Vice President Simon Stevens, who heads the company's new Center for Health Reform.

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Mass Healthcare Reform's Success Comes From 'Shared Responsibility'

By: Les Masterson, for HealthLeaders Media, May 27, 2009

Massachusetts healthcare reform's "shared participation" has reduced the number of uninsured residents, while having "a marginal impact on state spending," according to the new report.

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Three Cost Centers in Planning for a Pandemic

By: Michelle Ponte, for HealthLeaders Media, May 27, 2009

Bruce Cadwallender with the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers shares lessons learned from the swine flu, some of which have ramifications for those focused on balance sheets.

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