Sen. Charles Grassley is questioning Amgen Inc. regarding allegations that some doctors received higher rebates on purchases of the company's anti-anemia drug Aranesp. In a statement, Grassley said there were concerns doctors were profiting by getting reimbursements from the government and private insurers that were higher than their actual cost for Aranesp. The drug is currently under scrutiny for safety concerns.
The Tennessee House has passed a bill that seeks to limit frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits. The bill requires defendants be given 60 days notice before a lawsuit is filed, and for attorneys to have an independent medical expert evaluate the merits of a case before filing suit. Representatives from the Tennessee Medical Association said the need for the legislation became apparent several years ago after a study found that roughly 80 percent of malpractice lawsuits in Tennessee end in no payouts to the plaintiffs.
A case where captives were drained of their blood so it could be sold to private medical clinics raises serious concerns about the complicity of the medical establishment and the lack of proper oversight over hospitals and clinics in India. The case could become a problem for the country, which is becoming a leading destination for so-called medical tourism. Some 500,000 Americans travel overseas each year for medical treatment, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. Much of the medical tourism are for treks to Asian hospitals in Thailand, Singapore and India.
Beaumont Hospitals has asked the state of Michigan for permission to build a $204-million emergency department expansion on its Royal Oak campus. If approved, the project would replace Beaumont's emergency center with a 96,000 square foot facility with 173 patient rooms, including an 11-to-20-room pediatric emergency unit. Also included in the expansion would be a 36-bed intensive care unit and four operating rooms.
Northeast Ohio Cardiovascular Specialists has entered into a five-year contract to join Summa Physicians Inc., the physician-practice arm of Summa Health System. "We feel like we're stabilizing the cardiology supply and creating a model that makes it more attractive to come to Akron, Ohio, so we can not only retain the people we have but also recruit new ones," SPI President T. Clifford Deveny, MD, told the Akron Beacon-Journal. The doctors also gain efficiencies with the deal, as well as salaried positions, said NOCS representatives.
Cincinnati-based Christ Hospital faces allegations that could cost it up to $400 million and expose its nationally known heart center as the beneficiary of an illegal kickback scheme. The complaint from a retired cardiologist charges the hospital and the Ohio Heart & Vascular Center with conspiring to steer patients and revenue to each other. The suit comes as the hospital is already spending tens of millions of dollars on new computer systems and other startup costs as it withdraws from the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.