Ohioans who want to know which hospitals fared best for risky and expensive treatments such as open-heart surgery or kidney transplants likely have been disappointed by the Ohio Department of Health. But a new administration, new health director and new state law requiring public health information could move Ohio closer to transparency regarding quality of care at healthcare providers.
Jeff Ashin, chief executive at Mercy Fairfield Hospital in Fairfield, OH, will leave his post in January. Ashin is taking a job overseeing a hospital group in Tennessee with Mercy's parent company, Cincinnati-based Catholic Healthcare Partners.
Dr. Raymond Watts, chairman of UAB's Department of Neurology and president of the Health Services Foundation, will serve as interim CEO of UAB Health System after David Hoidal leaves Jan. 4. Watts joined UAB in 2003 as head of the Department of Neurology.
A San Franciso paramedic is complaining about "frequent fliers" in the city. The term is used by public health officials all over the country for someone who routinely uses ambulance and ER services. Critics say these "frequent fliers" stress the system, healthcare providers and the financial well-being of municipalities.
Americans could save $1.5 trillion in healthcare costs over the next decade while covering the uninsured and improving overall quality, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund. The changes would take widespread reforms to root out inefficiency, however, and would require higher tobacco taxes and other levies.
Helen and Harry Gray have made a $1 million gift toward Hartford (CT) Hospital's cancer treatment center. Hartford Hospital will name the facility for the Grays, longtime hospital donors and well known Hartford-area philanthropists. The $3.4 million Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center-Avon is currently unders construction, and is expected to open in July 2008.