Some hospitals in Southeastern and South Central Pennsylvania have had security breaches in their newborn-care units, and an e-mail alert has been sent to hospitals by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The warning, which also was posted on the association's Web site, noted that at one hospital, an obstetrician's white lab coat, identification, stethoscope, and prescription pad were stolen. A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Health Department would not specify the number of incidents or hospitals involved in the security breaches.
Healthcare reform in Massachusetts has increased the number newly insured patients in the state, and the demand for care has gone up as a result. The trend, along with a longstanding shortage of primary-care physicians, is creating a real crunch for community clinics, say advocates of healthcare reform as well as medical professionals. Critics have said healthcare reform should not have been attempted without first addressing the workforce shortages, but state officials and healthcare advocates are starting to address the problem of recruitment. The state Legislature has taken up a bill, for example, which includes a clause aimed at establishing a primary-care recruitment center in the state.
Chinese hospitals already overwhelmed with the injured from the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province now face homeless patients who won't leave. The quake has severely taxed China's medical resources, and many quake victims have been given free treatment. But some patients say hospitals are now pressuring them to leave or transfer elsewhere before they are fully treated, while hospital officials say healthy patients are taking up room needed for others.
The Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that the government had the right to demand fees from patients using the healthcare system. Earlier this year, the Czech government began charging about $1.85 for a visit to the doctor or a prescription and twice that for each day spent in the hospital. The upfront payments were intended to reduce unnecessary visits to the doctor and medications.
Prince George's County's finance chief and the deputy chief of staff to Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley have been appointed by the county and the state to negotiate with buyers for the hospitals in Prince George's hospital system. The next step is appointing an independent seven-member authority that will run the bidding process to find new hospital owners. The hospital system, which includes Prince George's Hospital Center, Laurel Regional Hospital, Bowie Health Campus, and two nursing homes, is owned by the county and managed by the nonprofit Dimensions Healthcare. In the effort to lure hospital bidders, the county and state must agree to pledge operating money and funds to help refurbish facilities.
Six Michigan health systems have announced the creation of a joint venture to offer an emerging and costly type of cancer radiation therapy. The health systems are Ascension Health of Grand Blanc, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit, Henry Ford Health in Detroit, McLaren Health Care in Flint, Trinity Health in Novi, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Each system has agreed to contributed at least $13 million to the project, and they face a Sept. 6 deadline from the state's Certificate of Need Commission to develop a business plan for the facility. Proponents say the joint venture could create a model of cooperation among hospitals that have competed fiercely to promote new technology purchases.