The Stark legislation, named after Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark, bans physicians from "self referral." In a recent interview, Stark himself lamented that he had ever made his legislative intrusion into medical practices, and if he could would strip down the fuzzy language so the law simply forbids kickbacks.
Rural family physicians and their patients may benefit from a recently announced Federal Communications Commission's Rural Health Care Pilot Program. The initiative will allocate $417 million for the construction of regional broadband telehealth networks, and aims to increase patient access to acute, primary and preventive healthcare.
University of Iowa Hospitals CEO Donna Katen-Bahensky will become the president and CEO of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. Katen-Bahensky, 54, has been CEO of U of I Hospitals since 2002.
Airports in such cities as Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco are setting up "airside" health stations close to the gates where airline passengers can receive flu shots. Airport health officials said eventually they may offer other vaccinations, too, as well as cholesterol tests and screening for high blood pressure.
Nearly 300,000 Massachusetts residents have obtained health insurance through the state's initiative that mandates all residents to get insurance unless the state determines it is unaffordable for them. The state's initiative is being watched across the nation as other states consider how to move forward in the absence of any federal solution to the growing number of uninsured.