Richard J. Liekweg has been named group president of BJC HealthCare and president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, effective Sept. 14. He comes to St. Louis after six years as CEO and associate vice chancellor for the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1,252-bed nonprofit academic hospital, is the largest hospital in Missouri.
Cardinal Health has named George S. Barrett vice chairman of Cardinal Health and CEO of its Healthcare Supply Chain Services sector. Barrett, 52, who is currently the CEO of Teva North America, will join the company at the end of January and report to Chairman and CEO R. Kerry Clark. He served as corporate executive vice president of Teva's Global Pharmaceutical Markets since January 2007, as well as CEO of Teva North America since January 2005. He was president and CEO of Teva USA from 1999 to 2004. Also, David L. Schlotterbeck, 60, has been named vice chairman in addition to his role as CEO of the company's Clinical and Medical Products sector.
Joe Dunn is resigning as the CEO of the California Medical Association, but wants to remain with CMA in some capacity. Dunn said he took the step because of family reasons.
President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress have made the healthcare overhaul their top priority, but many Republicans view fighting the president on the issue as a smart political strategy. Here, the New York Times provides an overview of the main healthcare reform ideas, and what it would mean for those involved.
The tumultuous negotiations and the attitude surrounding lawmakers’ town-hall-style meetings will likely result in the demise of bipartisan healthcare negotiations, according to this article from the New York Times. The rowdy start of the August Congressional recess has galvanized activists on both ends of the ideological spectrum, making it tougher for negotiators to stake out a middle ground, according to the Times.
Expanding preventive medical services may well improve public health, but it is highly unlikely to save the government money, the Congressional Budget Office representatives said in a letter to leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. CBO director Douglas W. Elmendorf said the evidence suggests that the cost of making services such as cancer screening, cholesterol management, vaccinations, and wellness training broadly available would far outweigh any savings ultimately generated.