The head of a Michigan hospital denied allegations made in a lawsuit that hospital officials relented to a father's request that African-American nurses not tend to his baby. When the father showed a nursing supervisor his swastika tattoo, it "created anger and outrage in our staff," said Melany Gavulic, president and CEO of Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich., in a written statement. "This resulted in concern by supervisors for the safety of the staff. The father was informed that his request could not be granted," the statement said.
More than 27 million Americans will soon gain health coverage under the health law. But who will treat them all? With such a large coverage expansion, and with an anticipated shortage of primary care physicians available to serve them, some states have or are considering allowing so-called advanced practice nurses—those with advanced degrees—to treat more patients.
A smoking habit could cost you a job opportunity at a hospital or other medical facility under legislation proposed by Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City. It's currently illegal for an employer to discriminate against employees who use a product—such as tobacco—outside of work that does not affect job performance or the safety of other employees. Hardy's measure, Senate Bill 87, would repeal that law.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday strengthened the power of the Federal Trade Commission to block hospital mergers, issuing an opinion that could limit the ability of public hospital authorities to claim immunity from federal antitrust laws. The unanimous decision restored the authority of the F.T.C. to challenge the merger of the only two hospitals in Albany, Ga.
Health insurance stocks wobbled Tuesday after data released by the federal government pointed to possible steep Medicare Advantage payment cuts in 2014, which could lead to reduced coverage or fewer options for people buying the plans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Friday after markets closed that it expects costs per person for Medicare Advantage plans to fall more than 2 percent in 2014, a bigger drop than many analysts who cover the industry anticipated. The government uses the figure as a benchmark to determine payments for these privately run versions of the government's Medicare program that covers the elderly and disabled people, and analysts worry that this might lead to big payment cuts.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the data show a need for more prescription drug monitoring programs at the state level, and more laws shutting down "pill mills"—doctor offices and pharmacies that over-prescribe addictive medicines. Last month, a federal panel of drug safety specialists recommended that Vicodin and dozens of other medicines be subjected to the same restrictions as other narcotic drugs like oxycodone and morphine.