A major push is under way around the country to cut rehospitalizations, in part by arming patients with simple steps to keep their recovery on track, such as getting past harried receptionists for quicker follow-up doctor visits and reducing medication confusion. Less than a year into a Medicare-sponsored "Care Transitions" project in 14 states, participating hospitals already are seeing readmissions start to inch down, says Barry Straube, MD, chief medical officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
With the second wave of H1N1 infections having crested in the United States, leading epidemiologists are predicting that the pandemic could end up ranking as the mildest since modern medicine began documenting influenza outbreaks, the Washington Post reports. Experts warn that the flu is unpredictable, but several recent analyses indicate that the death toll is likely to be far lower than the number of fatalities caused by past pandemics.
Bryan Burklow has joined Brandywine Hospital as the new CEO. Burklow replaces Mark A. Benz, who announced in November that he would be leaving. Burklow last worked at Merit Health Systems in Louisville, KY, where he was vice president of operations since 2007.
Skiff Medical Center has announced the appointment of Steve Long as president/CEO, effective mid-January. Long will take the position that was vacated by Kris Baumgart in early 2009 and subsequently filled in an interim capacity by Francie Jahn, vice president of Patient Care Services.
L. Clark Taylor Jr., president/CEO, Ephraim McDowell Health, has tendered his resignation, effective Jan. 4, 2010. Taylor has served in that role since July 2002. Taylor will begin service as CEO of Hospice of Chattanooga, TN, early next year. He will also serve on the staff of the First Centenary United Methodist Church in Chattanooga.
Michael Long has been named CEO at Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital. He previously was vice president of strategic planning and business development at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton, NJ. Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital is a 49-bed acute-rehabilitation hospital, specializing in stroke and orthopedic rehabilitation. It is owned and operated by Vibra Healthcare of Mechanicsburg, PA, which operates 28 rehab and long-term-care hospitals in nine states.