Orlando Health and Florida Hospital, Central Florida's two largest hospital systems, have submitted competing bids to start a heart-transplant program in Orlando. No Florida metro area has more than one heart-transplant program, making it unlikely the state would approve both Orlando applications. But the large east Central Florida organ-transplant district that includes Orlando currently has no heart-transplant program, so it's unlikely the state would turn down both. State regulators will decide by Aug. 22 whether to accept both, neither, or just one of the proposals.
A petition drive to seek voter approval for universal healthcare in Michigan has ended as organizers admitted they were far shy of collecting the minimum number of signatures. Members of Health Care for Michigan said the petition drive would be replaced with a lobbying effort in the state Legislature and U.S. Congress. HCM Chairman John Freeman said the coalition of labor, religious and healthcare provider organizations collected about 130,000 signatures. The number was short of the 380,000 needed to qualify the proposed amendment to the state constituion for the November ballot.
Lee Memorial Health System President Jim Nathan is trying to reassure doctors he's not trying to buy them out. The remarks, made during a board of directors meeting, were in response to a Brett Hickman of PricewaterhouseCoopers suggesting Lee Memorial might want to consider employing community physicians as a means of streamlining care. Some doctors in the area worry it could mean doom for independent medical practices and patient choice.
Highmark Inc.'s contract with the Johnstown, PA-based Conemaugh Health System is set to expire, and those insured by Highmark Blue Shield already have received letters notifying them that their access to the system could be in jeopardy. But even if the two parties can't reach an agreement, most Highmark policyholders who use the Conemaugh system wouldn't see any immediate changes to their access or to the rates they pay. Both Highmark and Conemaugh say they hope to strike a deal on reimbursement rates between now and June 30, rendering moot the letters that have been sent out.
Florida has become the first state in the country to publicly disclose readmission rates of patients who return to hospitals because of errors, infections and other potentially preventable problems. The information was unveiled on the Web site FloridaHealthFinder.gov. State officials say the data can be invaluable for consumers trying to make better choices.
A pain treatment advocacy group has filed suit in federal court challenging restrictions Washington state officials have put on prescription pain medication. The nonprofit Pain Relief Network says that the guidelines for prescribing narcotics have influenced pain treatment across the country and have made doctors afraid to give opiate prescriptions. Representatives from the Network said the guidelines do not take into account the needs of individuals and make doctors afraid to give larger doses when necessary.