Despite the need for more doctors in rural areas, a hospital that serves workers and their families in Eastern Washington farm country could fall victim to a crackdown on boutique hospitals that cater to the urban rich. Wenatchee Valley is one of a handful of doctor-owned hospitals nationally that face a substantial loss in money to treat their poorest patients amid a push to curb Medicare payments to such hospitals with specialized services only.
Cases in which doctors were accused of botching operations while undergoing treatment for drugs or alcohol have led to criticism of rehab programs that allow thousands of U.S. physicians to keep their addictions hidden from their patients.
A proposed lease transferring management of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta to a private, nonprofit corporation requires the new board to break even within six years while maintaining Grady's mission to care for the poor.
Vanderbilt Medical Group Westhaven is has announced the opening of a new Primary Care Practice in Franklin, TN. The practice will offer a full range of primary care services and are accepting patients of all ages.
A 14-month pilot program at UCLA taps into the surplus of medical school graduates in Latin America and attempts to address the shortage of Spanish-speaking doctors in the United States. The program is privately-funded, and is seeking to expand enrollment.
Under legislation that has passed in the Senate, physicians will get a six-month reprieve from a 10 percent rate cut when treating Medicare patients. Doctors had warned that a cut in reimbursement rates would lead to physicians taking on fewer new Medicare patients, but now they'll receive a 0.5 percent raise when they treat the elderly and disabled.