HealthLeadersMedia.com - Leadership News & Analysis

Leading Change is Tough from the Back of a Limo

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:33:00 GMT

As a senior leader, you can be bold and visionary, you can make huge investments, and you can even remake your hospital as an accountable care organization. But none of it will work if your colleagues don't trust you.

What to do with an empty hospital?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Kaleida Health is offering $1 million to whoever can do some major medicine on the soon-to-be-vacant Millard Fillmore Hospital. The hospital system announced Thursday that it will award the prize to the developer or design team that submits a winning proposal for redevelopment of the hospital at Gates Circle, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city. The developer would not receive the prize until it has completed purchase of the property. By dangling the money, Kaleida hopes to generate interest in the project. But this won't exactly be like winning the lottery.

Union launches effort to cap pay of hospital executives

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:59:00 GMT

The union that represents 1,200 El Camino Hospital workers formally kicked off an effort Wednesday to qualify a measure for the November ballot that would slash the pay of the health care provider's top brass. The proposed measure stands to affect as many as nine executives who each make more than $200,000 a year, not counting bonuses. One of the top earners is recently appointed CEO Tomi Ryba, who is to be paid at least $695,000.

Hospital exec charged in $116M Medicare scam

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:55:00 GMT

An executive of Riverside General Hospital was arrested and charged Wednesday in a $116 million Medicare scheme involving kickbacks to patient recruiters and the owners of homes for the elderly and disabled in exchange for steering residents to Riverside's mental health clinics.

Parkland Keeping Consultant's Analysis Under Wraps

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:44:00 GMT

Citing legal concerns, Parkland Memorial Hospital's board has decided not to release a consultant's report that details ongoing problems at the Dallas facility. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expected to decide whether the gap analysis will be released to the public.

NH hospital officials blast for-profit cancer center bill

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:54:00 GMT

Representatives of New Hampshire's major hospitals fought a proposal that could pave the way for a for-profit cancer facility to come to the state at a hearing Tuesday that was notable for the absence of the company that was the impetus for the legislation: Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). The bill would create a special "destination cancer hospital" classification, which would be exempt from the state's Certification of Need review process for new hospitals, as well as the Medicaid Enhancement Tax on the grounds that it wouldn't accept Medicaid patients.

Inside Steward's plans for Landmark

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:50:00 GMT

A document about Steward Health Care System shows rough plans for Landmark Medical Center if Steward eventually gets permission to buy the struggling Woonsocket, RI hospital. The document is an application sent to the Department of Health's "Office of Health Systems Development".

LSU criticized for hospital cuts

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:50:00 GMT

Louisiana's health chief Bruce Greenstein on Tuesday blasted LSU for "irresponsible" cuts to its hospital operations and lack of planning to offset their impact. Greenstein also said LSU overspending—not Gov. Bobby Jindal's midyear budget cuts—is responsible for the reductions. "They got their budget and a whole lot more money," Greenstein said. "They were spending at a rate that would have put them above it." LSU's top officials refused Tuesday to respond to Greenstein's accusations.

Expect more insurance drama in Pittsburgh

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:44:00 GMT

If you think Pittsburgh's health insurance landscape has changed dramatically in the last year, you ain't seen nothing yet, according to six of the region's top insurance executives. Expect more friction between physicians and health plans as insurers try to wring what they call unnecessary procedures, scans and surgeries out of the system.

For sale: Wyckoff Heights Medical Center's $33K limo, bought for ousted CEO

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:42:00 GMT

The ousted CEO of beleaguered Wyckoff Heights Medical Center had the hospital buy a $33,000 stretch limo for his use and expensed multiple $300 staff dinners, the man brought in to replace him revealed. "My predecessor spent an enormous amount of money," Ramon Rodriguez, interim CEO of the debt-burdened Bushwick hospital, told the Daily News Wednesday.

Jackson Health System, SEIU agree on $52M in concessions

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:08:00 GMT

Negotiators for Jackson Health System and SEIU Local 1991 agreed Tuesday to a contract that calls for $52 million in concessions for each of the next three years, but workers could get some of that money back if they find ways of saving the hospitals money or gaining new revenue. The tentative agreement will be voted on next week by the bargaining units covering nurses and other healthcare professionals. A third unit, covering physicians, was still in discussions with management late Tuesday afternoon.

Opponents of scuttled Christ Hospital sale seek role in hospital's future

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:06:00 GMT

The group formed to oppose the now-scuttled acquisition of Christ Hospital in Jersey City by Prime Healthcare Services met in front of the hospital Tuesday urging hospital officials to seek input from the community on its pending reorganization. Monday night, hospital officials announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in the wake of last week's news that Prime had withdrawn its bid to purchase the Palisade Avenue medical facility.

Opinion: Medicare payment formula must be repealed

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:59:00 GMT

Unless Congress acts, access to health care for seniors and military families will be placed in jeopardy. On March 1, physicians who treat patients with Medicare and TRICARE (the health care program for service members, retirees and their families) face an across-the-board cut of 27 percent due to a flawed formula created by Congress, writes AMA president Peter W. Carmel, MD.

Hahnemann boosts use of RNs in bid to improve care

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:55:00 GMT

In a move that defies conventional wisdom, Hahnemann University Hospital is replacing less expensive workers with people who are paid more. Michael Halter, the hospital's chief executive officer, believes that ultimately the change will earn Hahnemann more money and customers, and create a more loyal staff when the labor market becomes competitive again.

$1.5M New West deal before insurance commissioner

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:15:00 GMT

State regulators are examining a $1.5 million proposal by an Oregon insurer to take over a portion of Montana's third-largest health insurance company as part of a government anti-trust settlement. Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica Lindeen has scheduled a hearing Tuesday on the proposal by PacificSource Health Plans to buy New West Health Service's commercial business. The hearing will examine whether the deal is fair and protects the estimated 9,000 New West policyholders who will be affected, said Lindeen spokesman Lucas Hamilton. The hearing will include a public comment period.

Obama blocks CA from charging for care in Medicaid

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:12:00 GMT

The Obama administration blocked an effort by California to charge Medicaid patients for emergency room visits and hospital stays and allow healthcare providers to turn away those who couldn't pay. A law signed by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown in March would have assessed co-payments in Medicaid for a variety of medical services, including prescription drugs. The co-payments were expected to save California $575 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1, said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the Department of Finance. The administration was "unable to identify the legal and policy support" for California's request, Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote in a letter today to Toby Douglas, chief deputy director of health-care programs for the California Department of Health and Care Services.

Health secretary to Mayor Landrieu: LSU at fault for hospital cuts

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:56:00 GMT

State Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein responded Monday to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's call for state leaders to rescind major cuts to mental health services for the poor and uninsured. The Louisiana State University System approved the changes Friday. In his letter and in public statements since LSU's decision, Greenstein puts responsibility for the bed closures and layoffs squarely on LSU. The university points to Jindal administration budget maneuvers earlier this year that, according to LSU, limited its access to federal money intended to cover "uncompensated care," the cost of treating patients who are under-insured or have no insurance.

Hospitals say $9M CEO pay isn’t a sign they can help Taveras

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:54:00 GMT

Rhode Island Hospital's parent company paid its CEO $9.5 million in 2009, but the industry's top lobbyist says that doesn't mean Providence's hospitals can afford to start contributing money to the city budget. "You have to look at the role hospitals play in their community," Ed Quinlan, president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, told WPRI.com on Thursday. "Executive compensation is determined by hospital boards based on the financial performance of the hospital, based on the financial stability of the hospital—there's multiple factors."

NY eyes tough reporting system for dispensing of prescription drugs

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:18:00 GMT

Maybe it's the mounting death toll or the sobering addiction statistics. Or that it's an election year for all state lawmakers. No matter the reason, efforts are taking hold for New York to join other states that require doctors and pharmacists to participate in a real-time reporting system before dispensing prescriptions for painkillers, sleeping pills and other controlled drugs. Stalled for several years, the push is on at the state Capitol to end a system that now permits growing numbers of people addicted to powerful narcotics to physician- and pharmacy-shop for their drug supplies.

Dead on arrival: What sank the Christ Hospital sale?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:15:00 GMT

For Christ Hospital President and CEO Peter Kelly, last week began with a letter to Jersey City Heights residents touting the benefits of the hospital's pending sale to a California-based company that—he promised—would invest millions in the medical facility and save it from closure. By the week's end, the hospital's prospective buyer had backed out of the deal, and the hospital's board of directors had agreed to file for bankruptcy, if necessary.