HealthLeadersMedia.com - HR News & Analysis

Healthcare Costs Hit Record High, But Growth Rate Slows

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:28:00 GMT

The 2013 Milliman Medical Index pegs the annual cost of PPO coverage at 6.3% higher than last year. Physician and other professional services account for one third of annual healthcare spending.

Some unions now angry about healthcare overhaul

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:05:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- When President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters. But some unions leaders have grown frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the new law - problems that they say could jeopardize the health benefits offered to millions of their members. The issue could create a political headache next year for Democrats facing re-election if disgruntled union members believe the Obama administration and Congress aren't working to fix the problem.

Hundreds of nurses walk out at two San Jose hospitals

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:55:00 GMT

SAN JOSE (KCBS) – A large group of registered nurses walked off the job Thursday morning at two hospitals in San Jose. Instead of changing IVs and administering medication, nurses at Good Samaritan Hospital and Regional Medical Center were walking the picket line in a dispute over wages, benefits, pension and staffing levels. The union represents 1,400 members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. "What we're asking for is that the hospital has sufficient staff to staff for all patients that are coming into the hospital and also to staff for all patients that are going to be discharged, but haven't left yet," said Malinda Markowitz with the California Nurses Association.

$6.4B Henry Ford, Beaumont Merger Failed on Cultural Hurdles

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:49:00 GMT

A merger between two Michigan healthcare providers has been called off because of stark cultural differences between them, observers say. Those differences include the patient populations they each serve and the organizations' physician compensation models.

UC hospitals cancel surgeries, divert patients amid strike

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:23:00 GMT

A strike by University of California patient care workers Tuesday caused the cancellation of hundreds of surgeries, the closure of laboratory stations and the diversion of emergency room patients, officials said. The hospitals prepared for the two-day strike by postponing elective surgeries and hiring temporary workers, but services still were affected after thousands of employees took to the picket line at the medical centers in Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento, where the UC Davis facility is located.

Latest from Parkland: All the good stuff happens in executive session

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:16:00 GMT

Parkland Memorial Hospital's board of managers met Wednesday for its monthly committee meetings, an all-day affair starting at 8 a.m. and ending somewhere around 3 p.m. The agendas promised lively discussions about: – The federal Affordable Care Act, which likely will bring dramatic changes to Dallas County's lone public hospital. – Review of recent "safety events" at the hospital, which actually describe mistakes that had the potential to harm patients. And, most importantly, an update on the hospital's efforts to satisfy a System's Improvement Agreement with the federal government, Parkland's on-going effort to retain its government funding. However, none of these discussions occurred during the board’s public session. They took place behind closed doors so that the media and members of the general public could not hear what anyone said.

KY short 3,800 doctors even before Medicaid expansion

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:10:00 GMT

FRANKFORT, KY. — Kentucky needs 3,790 more doctors, including 183 additional primary care physicians, to meet current demand for care — and those numbers will grow when more Kentuckians get coverage through a Medicaid expansion and health benefit exchange under health reform. Those are some of the findings in a workforce capacity study report by Deloitte Consulting that was the subject of a briefing Wednesday held by the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The report is scheduled to be made available on the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange website next week.

Lake Erie Regional Health System cuts jobs at two hospitals

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:08:00 GMT

The parent corporation of Lake Shore Health Care Center in Irving and Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk has laid off at least 40 employees over the past two days to lower costs and eliminate overlapping services, The Buffalo News has learned. Lake Erie Regional Health System of New York laid off about 40 employees at Lake Shore Health Care across a variety of departments, with workers learning their fates late Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a current hospital employee and an employee who was laid off, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.

Uncompensated Care Faces a Double Hit in Some States

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:27:00 GMT

Hospitals in states that opt not to expand Medicaid are at a severe disadvantage to their counterparts in other states, not only because they will miss out on additional Medicaid-based reimbursement, but also because they will face the same cuts in disproportionate share funding as everyone else.

House Lawmakers Grill CMS Over Health Exchange Navigators

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:11:00 GMT

The role of navigators, expected to help millions of uninsured make their way through the health insurance market, came under fire Tuesday by members of Congress who raised questions about oversight and the role of the IRS in the implementation of healthcare reform.

Henry Ford, Beaumont $6.6-billion mega merger is called off

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:14:00 GMT

After six months of planning and one delay, Henry Ford and Beaumont health systems called off their planned $6.6-billion mega merger today that would have created one of the largest hospital systems in Michigan. In a letter to employees, Henry Ford CEO Nancy Schlichting said her hospital system's 20-member Board of Trustees voted late this afternoon to allow the deal's letter of intent to expire at the end of this week. "This decision was made because it became apparent that two very different perspectives had emerged for the new organization between Henry Ford and Beaumont," Schlichting's letter says.

Tornado struck hospital but patients, staff unharmed

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:12:00 GMT

Hospital emergency department manager Nick Stremble didn't need the television to tell him the tornado would hit Moore Medical Center. All he had to do was look outside the window. "There's a big window area that faces southwest," Stremble said, recalling his final check before heading to the safe area on the first floor of the hospital in Moore, Okla., about 10 miles from Oklahoma City. "I could see the tornado in the neighborhood across the street from us. I could see the debris. It was more than obvious it was going to be there in under a minute."

18 CT hospital execs' paychecks top $1M

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:49:00 GMT

Eighteen Connecticut hospital executives received pay packages over $1 million last fiscal year, as many of the state's acute care providers saw their financial performance improve from a year earlier, a new report says. The state's two largest hospitals—Hartford Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital—each had four senior executives that received million-dollar plus pay packages last fiscal year, while Stamford Hospital had two administrators earn over $1 million, according to a new report from the state's Office of Health Care Access, which regulates hospitals. The OHCA report did not name individual administrators, but it did list the top 10 paid positions at the state's 30 acute care hospitals.

Healthcare workers set to strike CA public hospitals

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:10:00 GMT

Nearly 13,000 healthcare employees at five University of California medical centers plan to strike on Tuesday in a move that threatens to back up emergency rooms and already has forced the postponement of elective surgeries. Vocational nurses, respiratory therapists and radiology technologists say they will walk off their jobs for two days to draw attention to issues they tried unsuccessfully to address at the negotiating table - "chronic understaffing and reckless cost-cutting," said Todd Stenhouse, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Hospital Pricing Irks Nurses; More Jobs, Less Pay

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:26:00 GMT

In this week's news: Explaining hospital pricing to employees, exploring the complicated relationship between healthcare jobs and spending, and protecting staff and employers with new social media laws in several states.

69% of Employers Plan to Offer Healthcare Coverage After 2014

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:19:00 GMT

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is having little effect on workforce strategies, employer survey data shows. More than two-thirds of employers say they will continue to provide healthcare coverage when health insurance exchanges begin operation in 2014.

Primary Care Docs Average More Hospital Revenue Than Specialists

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:52:00 GMT

A survey of hospital CFOs shows primary care physicians generated a combined average of $1,566,165 for their affiliated hospitals in the last year. Other specialties generated a combined annual average of $1,424,917, the lowest average in five years, data shows.

Surgeons-in-training dislike new work hours

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:05:00 GMT

Most surgeons-in-training dislike new rules that limit how many hours they can work, according to a new study that also found the majority said they skirt the restrictions. Researchers surveyed 1,013 surgical residents - who train for years alongside more senior surgeons - and found that about two of every three said they disapproved of the 2011 regulations, which aimed to improve patient care as well as the residents' education and quality of life. "I don't think anybody wants to work 120 hours a week, but I don't think we really want medicine to necessarily have bankers' hours," said Dr. Brian Drolet, the study's lead author and a fourth-year surgical resident at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

UC hospital strikers' numbers to be decided by court

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:02:00 GMT

Patient care workers at the University of California's medical centers plan to stage a two-day strike next week, but the number taking part will be decided Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court. A judge is expected to rule on a request for a temporary restraining order limiting the number of workers who may take part in the walkout. According to UC officials, the focus is on workers considered essential for patient care. The union representing nearly 13,000 patient healthcare workers has notified UC that it plans to strike over contract issues from 4 a.m. Tuesday to 4 a.m. Thursday. Several thousand others could participate in a "sympathy strike" Tuesday.

Tavenner Confirmed as CMS Administrator

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:06:00 GMT

Marilyn Tavenner, a former nurse, hospital executive, and state health official, is the first Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services head to gain congressional approval since 2004. The full Senate confirmed her nomination with a 91-7 vote.