Beth Israel Medical Center milked reclusive copper heiress Huguette Clark for more than $13 million in fees, donations and even a priceless painting during her 20-year stay as a patient—and greedy executives angled for $125 million more, her relatives allege in shocking new court filings over Clark's estate. The alleged shakedown was illuminated in an e-mail in which hospital board member and former CEO Dr. Robert Newman referred to Clark as "the biggest bucks contributing potential we've ever had," according to court papers. He told a colleague her "potential has been overwhelming[ly] unrealized."
The Health and Human Services Department announced more than $160 million in loans Friday to help establish new insurance plans under President Obama's healthcare law. The new loans went to two organizations—one in Massachusetts and one in Tennessee—to establish new, non-profit insurance carriers. The new products, known as co-ops, must reinvest their profits toward providing better care or lowering premiums, and would have to follow the same rules as traditional insurers. The Affordable Care Act initially provided $6 billion for co-ops, but Congress has cut the funding down to about $3.4 billion. HHS has now awarded more than $1.5 billion in co-op loans, covering 20 states, according to a department release.
There are several reasons that boomers—the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964—could have difficulty finding a doctor if they retire to small towns over the next 20 years. First, many primary-care doctors prefer to live and work in urban areas because of greater cultural opportunities, better schools and more job opportunities for spouses. Also, Medicare pays rural doctors less per procedure than urban physicians because their operating costs are supposedly less. That makes rural doctors less likely to accept Medicare patients. Because of cuts to Medicare reimbursement for doctors planned under the federal healthcare overhaul, the shortage is likely to get worse, said Mark Pauly, professor of healthcare management at the University of Pennsylvania.
The CEOs for two Twin Cities major healthcare systems say their proposed merger will mean better quality healthcare for patients at a more affordable cost. Bloomington-based HealthPartners and St. Louis Park-based Park Nicollet will combine operations Jan. 1 if regulators approve. Merging the two non-profits would create a massive health organization with annual revenues of about $5 billion. The combined operations will include Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, four HealthPartners hospitals: Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, Hudson Hospital in Hudson, Wis., and Westfields Hospital in New Richmond, Wis. Officials say patients shouldn't notice any interruption and can expect to use their clinics and health plans as before.
Tufts Medical Center, its physician group, and the publicly-traded parent company of MetroWest and St. Vincent hospitals have been awarded an $88.5-million loan by the federal government to create what would be the state's only member-owned health insurance plan. The nonprofit Minuteman Health Initiative expects to offer coverage starting in January 2014 to individuals and small businesses through the state's virtual health insurance market, the Massachusetts Health Connecter, and through insurance brokers. The organizers say the plan's ownership structure would help it to hold down costs.
The Department of State Health Services has fined Parkland Health & Hospital System $1 million for patient safety and quality-of-care deficiencies. A settlement agreement reached between Parkland and the state is the largest of its kind. It resolves and discharges all potential litigation and enforcement actions for compliance issues before May 31, 2012, according to a statement released by the hospital. Debbie Branson, chairwoman of the Parkland Board of Managers, said in a statement released by the hospital that the agreement with the state allows Parkland to focus on completing the changes spelled out in the Systems Improvement Agreement.