West Penn Allegheny Health System officials have notified the state of Pennsylvania that they intend to enact a "partial termination of work" at Allegheny General Hospital's Suburban Campus, affecting workers "not represented by a union whose jobs support the operations of the hospital." In his Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter to the Bureau for Workforce Investment, Gregory Burfitt, president and CEO of AGH and West Penn Hospital, said the action was the result of plans to discontinue inpatient, emergency room, and surgical services at the Bellevue hospital beginning in mid-August.
Doctors treating Medicare patients will not be hit with a steep pay cut June 15, as previously scheduled, the Obama administration announced. Instead, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is holding claims until June 18, anticipating that Congress will intervene this week. The move is the latest in a string of efforts to prevent Medicare doctors from receiving a 21% pay cut, which technically went into effect June 1. CMS had initially delayed the cut until June 15.
Nashville's Meharry Medical College ranks second in the nation at producing primary care doctors who are minorities or work in underserved areas, but Vanderbilt University ranks dead last, a study shows. A first-time ranking from George Washington University that rates medical schools' "social mission" was designed to get institutions to think about how they can help stop the growing shortage of primary care doctors and increase healthcare access to underserved populations, The Tennessean reports.
SSM Health Care has named Judy Dungan director of Public Policy for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. Dungan will work with local, state, and federal officials on legislative and regulatory issues affecting children's healthcare, as well as general governmental issues affecting the SSM-St. Louis network. She most recently worked in the office of Sen. Christopher Bond (D-CT) as regional director.
Lisa Aurilio has been named vice president for patient services and CNO at Akron Children's Hospital, effective June 7. Aurilio, a nursing director at Akron Children's since 2004, succeeds Grace Wakulchik, who has been named COO for the hospital system. Aurilio most recently served as director of critical care services at the 253-bed pediatric hospital.
Laurie Liles has been named president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, following a national search. Liles, who now leads AzHHA's legislative and regulatory advocacy team, will begin her new role on Sept. 7. Currently senior vice president of public affairs, Liles joined AzHHA in 1991.