Appendectomies are the most common emergency general surgical procedure in the USA, but a new study suggests many are unneeded. The study, published in the Archives of Surgery, implies that perforated, or ruptured, appendicitis is a different disease from non-perforating appendicitis. As a result, some inflamed appendixes won't burst, no matter how long you wait to remove them, the study found.
The Connecticut State Medical Society is appealing the approval last month by state regulators of UnitedHealthcare's acquisition of renewal rights to Health Net's membership rolls. The Society argued in an appeal filed last week that the Connecticut Insurance Department improperly denied physicians the capacity to intervene in the state regulator's legal proceeding on Nov. 23, thereby denying the rights of physicians. The acquisition was approved Dec. 5, the Hartford Courant reports.
Despite efforts to stop them, medication errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Now, new efforts are underway to quickly spread the word about such errors and offer guidance on how to prevent similar mistakes. The non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists are launching a new National Alert Network for Serious Medication Errors, the Wall Street Journal reports.
This year, 4,400 patients are expected to undergo surgery to replace arthritic or injured ankles with artificial joints made of metal alloys and lightweight plastic, according to industry estimates. Four models are commonly used in the United States, with Food and Drug Administration approval. And demand is expected to grow as more and more baby boomers reach their 60s and 70s with debilitating ankle pain, the New York Times reports.
The Clarian West Board of Managers has selected Matthew Bailey to succeed Al Gatmaitan as president/CEO of Clarian West Medical Center. Bailey is currently CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, IN. He is the outgoing chairman of the Indiana Hospital Association. Doug Puckett, Clarian West CFO/COO, has been serving as interim CEO since the departure of Al Gatmaitan for Clarian Arnett Health in Lafayette in November.
James Levermann has been appointed CEO of St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital, effective Jan. 11. He was also named a vice president of the St. Luke's Episcopal Health System. He was most recently CFO for Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, and has held leadership positions at Texas Children's Hospital.