Gov. Rick Scott's controversial plan to overhaul the way Florida hospitals are compensated to treat the state's poorest and sickest residents—which could have cost the facilities some $1.7 billion next year—has failed to win backing from state lawmakers. But hospitals can still expect significant state cuts for their Medicaid care in the new budget year, with the House backing a plan to slash rates by 7 percent and the Senate unveiling a measure on Wednesday that could result in a 10 percent reduction.
Despite wide institutional acceptance of a medical professionalism charter that endorses openness and honesty in physicians' interactions with patients, not all doctors comply, according to a survey whose results are published in the February 2012 issue of Health Affairs, released Wednesday. Although about two-thirds of doctors responding to the survey did agree that they should disclose serious medical errors to patients, about one-third did not completely agree that they should.
The collapse of a deal to buy an ailing Jersey City hospital could renew merger talks in Hudson County, NJ, where a state-authorized report recommended that three hospitals consolidate services to save money. Christ Hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, after a private company, Prime Healthcare, withdrew its offer to purchase the money-losing hospital. The failed bid could lead Christ and two other hospitals—Bayonne Medical Center and Jersey City Medical Center—to combine services as recommended in the market study.
Representatives of New Hampshire's major hospitals fought a proposal that could pave the way for a for-profit cancer facility to come to the state at a hearing Tuesday that was notable for the absence of the company that was the impetus for the legislation: Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). The bill would create a special "destination cancer hospital" classification, which would be exempt from the state's Certification of Need review process for new hospitals, as well as the Medicaid Enhancement Tax on the grounds that it wouldn't accept Medicaid patients.
A document about Steward Health Care System shows rough plans for Landmark Medical Center if Steward eventually gets permission to buy the struggling Woonsocket, RI hospital. The document is an application sent to the Department of Health's "Office of Health Systems Development".
Louisiana's health chief Bruce Greenstein on Tuesday blasted LSU for "irresponsible" cuts to its hospital operations and lack of planning to offset their impact. Greenstein also said LSU overspending—not Gov. Bobby Jindal's midyear budget cuts—is responsible for the reductions. "They got their budget and a whole lot more money," Greenstein said. "They were spending at a rate that would have put them above it." LSU's top officials refused Tuesday to respond to Greenstein's accusations.