Some hospitals are trying out a new tactic to recoup patients' debts: They're auctioning the debt online. Hospitals have long relied on outside collection agencies to go after debtors, and the agencies receive a percentage of any money they get from a debtor. Now some of the same collection agencies have begun participating as bidders in online auctions, in which they buy the debt or provide guaranteed payments to hospitals for access to the unpaid accounts. Some experts say this gives them more reason to aggressively pursue patients in arrears.
Most medical schools in the United States fail to police adequately the money, gifts and free drug samples that pharmaceutical companies provide doctors and trainees, according to a ranking by the American Medical Student Association. Only 7 of the 150 medical schools included in the rankings received a grade of A, while 14 were given a B. Sixty got a failing grade, and the Association found that 28 schools, or nearly one in five, were revising their conflict-of-interest policies.
Nearly 100,000 Massachusetts taxpayers have been fined for failing to obtain health insurance. Five percent of taxpayers failed to obtain health coverage in 2007, and more than half of those were forced to forfeit a personal exemption after it was determined they could have afforded healthcare. Two percent of taxpayers were found not to earn enough for healthcare and avoided fines. Under Massachusetts law, taxpayers must show they are insured or face penalties.
Marrero, LA-based West Jefferson Medical Center recently joined East Jefferson General Hospital in conducting nearly all board of directors' discussions behind closed doors. Louisiana law provides hospital service districts an exception to the open meetings law when they discuss matters of marketing and strategy, on the rationale that it might create a competitive disadvantage. In April, West Jefferson's directors lumped 23 of 25 agenda items into executive session, including discussions about board officers and their 2008 meeting schedule. West Jefferson board members who support the longer executive sessions said they want to protect the hospital in an increasingly unstable and competitive time for the industry.
Two months into his tenure as chief executive officer of the West Penn Allegheny Health System, Christopher Olivia, MD, is halting certain expenditures, shaking up his executive staff and hiring consultants to help with a consolidation of services and departments. One of the biggest of the personnel moves involved James Rosenberg, chief operating officer and executive vice president of hospital operations. His position has been eliminated.
A new e-mail system will let patients at Rochester, NH-based Frisbie Memorial Hospital schedule appointments, renew prescriptions and communicate directly with doctors online. Called "MyHealth E-Team," the new Web portal could help alleviate the more than 1,500 calls that come in daily with questions on appointments, prescriptions, directions and other topics, officials said.