Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation's healthcare debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate. Many of the parties, from big insurance companies to lobbyists for consumers, doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies, are embracing the idea that comprehensive healthcare legislation should include a requirement that every American carry insurance.
Cleveland-based MetroHealth Medical Center plans to introduce a new point-of service fee, changing the way it charges uninsured patients. The hospital, which is its region’s safety-net health system, said about 37,000 people will be affected by the revamped payment policy. MetroHealth leaders said they expect the new payment system to increase the number of people who get discounted care while at the same time steering those people away from the ER to less expensive forms of service.
Gyrodyne Company of America Inc., a New York-based real estate investment trust, has agreed to buy Fairfax (VA) Medical Center for $13.2 million. Fairfax Medical Center, which includes two four-story buildings on 3.5 acres, is home to 28 medical-related tenants, including imaging center specialists and opticians. Gyrdoyne was attracted to the medical property because of its closeness to an HCA Inc.-owned surgical center and Inova Health System's Fairfax and Fair Oaks hospitals.
As a radiologist in Illinois, Imran Qureshi, MD, won't do procedures such as angiograms without the latest technology. But those medical standards seemed like luxuries when he spent a week in war-torn Gaza. Qureshi was part of a medical relief team made up of Muslim physicians and surgeons from across the U.S. who traveled to Gaza on the heels of a three-week Israeli offensive. Qureshi spent seven days in Gaza with 10 other U.S. doctors organized by the Lombard-based Islamic Medical Association of North America. "It was a broken-down medical care system," said Qureshi, who practices at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. "Compared to what we have here, it was very primitive."
Obstetrics and Gynecology Services, P.A., a six-physician practice in Minnesota, is offering a free preventive visit for current patients who've been laid off and lost their health insurance. K. Anthony Shibley, MD, said he's seeing about two patients a day who've lost their jobs and are rushing to get an appointment before their insurance runs out. "We know that staying current with preventive care not only keeps patients healthy, but also cuts down on future healthcare costs," Shibley told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "None of us at the practice feel it's the right thing to do to just cut them loose."
Massachusetts General Hospital waited four days before alerting Boston health authorities that a wave of gastrointestinal illness was sweeping through patients and staff. The delay is an apparent violation of rules requiring prompt reporting of suspected infectious disease clusters. Anita Barry, MD, the city's director of communicable disease control, said that the hospital "dropped the ball" in failing to report the illnesses sooner. Her agency will have discussions with the hospital about preventing such episodes in the future, she said.