A pilot project by Medicare that links hospital payments to the quality of care has helped prevent infections in pneumonia patients and cut death rates in heart-attack patients, according to data. In the project, hospitals compete for cash incentives from Medicare, the government insurance program for the elderly and disabled. Medicare officials are expected to announce that 225 hospitals will divide $12 million in bonuses; three poor performers will be penalized.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey said it will terminate in-network coverage of about 3,000 current and retired state employees at Capital Health's Helene Fuld hospital, prompting Gov. Jon Corzine to propose state intervention in the contract negotiations. The breakdown in contract talks follows several weeks of unsuccessful negotiations between Horizon and Capital Health.
A health clinic in Vallejo, CA, is saving local hospitals thousands of dollars in emergency-room visits by treating uninsured patients who suffer only non-urgent ailments. A watchdog group is now calling on county officials to cut funding for clinic patients who can't prove they are in the U.S. legally. A provision in the House's healthcare overhaul bill rules out federal funding for illegal immigrants.
A screening program conducted by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Genetics Institute is a unique attempt to make broad-scale genetic testing more efficient by targeting ethnicity, a concept called ethnogenetics. Organizers hope to test at least 10,000 of the 30,000 Persian Jews in Southern California for four disorders that are especially prevalent in the ethnic group.
James Madara, MD, has announced that he will resign as chief executive officer at University of Chicago Medical Center. He will return to the faculty on Oct. 1, stepping out of a spotlight in which he faced criticism over his plan to redirect patients with less severe illnesses and injuries to a network of community hospitals and clinics. Known as the Urban Health Initiative, Madara's program drew the ire of some doctors inside the hospital, two national physicians groups, and Rep. Bobby Rush, who called for congressional hearings.
Thirty thousand legal immigrants have begun receiving letters informing them that their state-subsidized health insurance is ending Aug. 31 and will be replaced by a patchwork system of care until Massachusetts officials can piece together a more comprehensive plan for the most critically ill. The state's interim plan only covers emergencies and other limited services, leaving advocates worried about the welfare of these immigrants. Under the plan, immigrants will be receiving emergency care in hospitals and a limited number of other services through community centers under two state programs.