Beaumont Hospitals has received final approval from the Michigan Department of Community Health to develop the state's first proton cancer therapy center. The $159-million facility will be built on the health system's Royal Oak campus, with operations beginning in 2010. The two-story, 40,000-square-foot facility requires a building nearly as large as a football field to house a nuclear cyclotron that makes the proton particles used in the treatment.
It will be a partnership with Bloomington, IN-based ProCure Treatment Centers Inc., and other hospitals and investors may share equity partnerships in the arrangement.
Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy returned to the Capitol to help the Senate pass legislation that would rescind a 10.6% cut in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients. The White House has threatened to veto the measure because of provisions that would reduce payments to private insurers who participate in Medicare Advantage. Some doctors have stopped taking new Medicare patients until the issue is resolved, saying the reductions would make treating the elderly impossible from a financial standpoint.
Gifts that drug makers have long showered on doctors will be banned from pharmaceutical marketing campaigns under new voluntary guidelines titled the "Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals." The guidelines will ask the chief executives of large drug makers to certify in writing that "they have policies and procedures in place to foster compliance with the code." The code, however, provides no definite limits on the millions of dollars spent on speaking and consulting arrangements that drug makers have forged with doctors. The code was written by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Bullying doctors can make nurses afraid to question their performance and result in medical errors, according to a safety alert issued by The Joint Commission. Outbursts and condescending language also threaten patient safety and increase the cost of care, according to the alert. Hospitals will be required by 2009 to have codes of conduct and processes for dealing with inappropriate behavior by staff, and hospitals without such systems risk losing their accreditation, said Joint Commission representatives.
The board for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, FL, has agreed to increase income requirements for its Vita Health program. The move will allow more people to qualify for low-cost health coverage. Currently, those earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, or $20,800 annually for an individual, can join. By October, people making up to 300% of the poverty level, which is $31,200 annually for an individual, can qualify.
Mt. Lebanon, PA-based St. Clair Hospital is teaming with Cura Hospitality in planning sweeping changes not only in menus but also in the entire approach to shopping for, cooking, and serving meals. Renovations are under way at the hospital that will allow for restaurant-quality takeout food for the staff, a "salads-by-design" bar, and grab-and-go fresh foods that can be ordered via a touch-screen device. A long-term goal for the hospital includes room service dining for patients, which would provide even wider menu choices.