LifePoint Hospitals Inc. might have to wait at least another month to close its purchase of Sumner Regional Health Systems. The state attorney general's office has extended its review of the deal 30 days through July 30. Clearance from the attorney general is the final approval that the Brentwood-based hospital chain needs. The attorney general must review whether the sale is in the public's interest since it involves purchase of a not-for-profit entity by a for-profit company. LifePoint said it still is committed to acquiring Sumner.
Doctors affiliated with the Chargers and Padres are under review by the Drug Enforcement Administration in an attempt to “verify the correctness” of how they regulate prescription drugs. “The physicians under review are affiliated with the San Diego Chargers and San Diego Padres organizations,” the DEA said in a statement. The DEA said no charges currently are pending. On Tuesday, the DEA served 10 administrative inspection warrants issued within San Diego County as part of the ongoing investigation. The move came about five weeks after Chargers safety Kevin Ellison was arrested and charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance after being stopped for speeding . Police said he had 100 Vicodinpainkiller pills in his car.
The University of Miami has spent $40 million to build and maintain two on-campus wellness centers and offer programs to get its employees fit and healthy. It even has offered financial incentives to encourage participation from those less enthusiastic than Auguste, such as $150 medical premium credit for participating in an online health assessment and a 20% rebate on their wellness center membership. But like many other employers, the university still is grappling with whether its investment in wellness pays off and how far to go in coaxing employees to participate.
The D.C. Council voted Tuesday to establish a nonprofit corporation to seize control of United Medical Center at a foreclosure auction next week, even though the District's chief financial officer warned members that the city might not be able to afford it. After months of wrangling between the city and Specialty Hospitals of America, the hospital's owner, Attorney General Peter Nickles plans to auction the Southeast Washington hospital on the steps of the John A. Wilson Building on July 9.
The jobs of up to 1,500 West Penn Allegheny Health System employees will be lost when its two city-based acute-care hospitals are consolidated, officials announced this morning at a press conference. West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield will take the biggest hit, although a breakdown was not available. Most of the layoffs will begin in January. The WPAHS consolidation has Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side providing the system's services in oncology, the neurosciences, critical care, orthopaedics and cardiovascular care, as well as comprehensive clinical and basic research programs.
<p><advertisement>A state investigation into a wrong-site surgery by Children's Hospital of Orange County, the third in four years, found the surgical team failed to follow procedure for preventing such errors. The report by the California Department of Public Health also found two instances where confidential patient records were faxed to the wrong numbers, including an automotive shop. The hospital issued a statement late Friday that said in part: “We take patient care and privacy very seriously and have implemented a number of process and policy improvements. CHOC deeply regrets these incidents, and remains committed to the highest standards of care and safety for all patients we are privileged to serve.”</advertisement></p>