Children on Medicaid under the age of three would not be prescribed powerful anti-psychotic drugs without a special authorization, under new rules the state Health and Human Services Commission implemented last week. In response to widespread concerns about the number of impoverished Texas kids being prescribed drugs like Seroquel and Risperdal — medications that can have serious side effects in children — prescribing doctors would have to get a prior authorization from the state, a steep hurdle designed to limit use of the drugs. The changes to state policy, which took effect June 14, are "based on evidence-based clinical criteria and nationally recognized peer-reviewed information," said Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the HHSC.
Friends and family were no closer to knowing what caused a prominent Orange County surgeon to be found dead in her swimming pool after an autopsy Monday proved inconclusive. The body of Dr. Marianne E. Cinat, 45, medical director of the UC Irvine Regional Burn Center, was discovered late Saturday morning by a close friend at Cinat's home in unincorporated Rossmoor, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.Cinat, who was fully clothed, had been in the pool for more than 10 hours before the call came in at 11:15 a.m., he said. Nothing about the case stood out as highly suspicious, and further toxicology tests will determine the cause of death. Results will take five to eight weeks while the department continues its investigation, Amormino said.
What are the biggest perceived sources of wasted healthcare spending? Like opinions of Jerry Lewis's movies and David Hasselhoff's singing ability, answers vary by country — at least according to Deloitte's latest survey of healthcare consumers in different nations. The overall survey covered 15,735 consumers in a dozen countries. People in ten countries (all but Brazil and China) were asked about sources of waste. Most Canadians and UK-ers say the top dollar/pound-waster is lack of responsibility by individuals for their own health. Consumers in the U.S. and six other countries put redundant paperwork at the top of the list. Those two options were also cited by most countries as the second-most wasteful source of spending — except that Belgians ranked unnecessary and extreme end-of-life measures #2.
The nonprofit group that runs three Rhode Island Hospitals including Women & Infants won't say whether its new chief executive will receive a seven-figure pay package that matches his predecessor's. Care New England tapped Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis Keefe as its new president and CEO this week. He will succeed John Hynes, who is retiring, in August. Care New England spokeswoman May Kernan said the organization would not release details about Keefe's compensation. "Other than complying with public reporting requirements as part of the federal [IRS] 990 forms, we do not disclose personal salary information," she told WPRI.com in an email. Hynes' compensation totaled $1.5 million in 2008-09, up from $873,332 in 2007-08, tax records show. Hynes was the region's fourth-highest-paid hospital executive in a survey done last year. Lifespan CEO George Vecchione made the most: $9.5 million in 2008-09, up from $3.2 million in 2007-08, according to tax records. Lifespan's facilities include Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital.
Sheehan Health Network officials say they are working to correct a fiscal gap that left it unable to make payroll for about a quarter of its workforce last week. The hospital notified employees Thursday it would be unable to meet payroll distributed June 10, and would also be unable to meet the payroll to be distributed this Friday, June 24. The memo said the shortfall would not affect all employees, but a number of employees would have their checks returned for insufficient funds. In a phone interview June 21, CEO Mary Kargbo said she was optimistic the funding issue was resolved, but held off on confirming Friday's payroll would be fine until a final report is issued tomorrow by the finance department. Of 156 total employees, 39 workers had checks bounce last week. Funds have been restored to cover all of those checks, and the hospital has pledged to cover all bank fees associated with the bounced checks.
President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed. The change would affect early retirees: A married couple could have an annual income of about $64,000 and still get Medicaid, said officials who make long-range cost estimates for the Health and Human Services department. After initially downplaying any concern, the Obama administration said late Tuesday it would look for a fix. Up to 3 million more people could qualify for Medicaid in 2014 as a result of the anomaly. That's because, in a major change from today, most of their Social Security benefits would no longer be counted as income for determining eligibility. It might be compared to allowing middle-class people to qualify for food stamps.