Five Philadelphia-area hospitals had higher-than-expected death rates among patients undergoing open-heart surgery in 2007, according to a state report. But the quality of care statewide improved for patients who got heart bypass and valve operations even as the number of patients declined, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council's annual cardiac surgery report found. The most dramatic improvement came in surgery to treat diseased heart valves.
The new owners of Blue Island, IL-based MetroSouth Medical Center say the facility is growing thanks in part to capital investments that have helped to draw new physicians who, in turn, are expected to bring in more patients. A group led by Transition Health Care Co. last year bought MetroSouth Medical Center, formerly St. Francis Hospital & Health Center, from SSM Health Care. MetroSouth executives say a $30 million commitment from New York-based Falcon Investors is helping to finance new imaging equipment, an electronic medical records system, and a conversion to all private rooms for patients. The commitment to enhancements has helped the hospital recruit 11 primary-care physicians who are expected on staff by October and will be key to boosting admissions.
In a bid to get parents to take a more active role in keeping their hosptialized kids safe, the Joint Commission is launching a new pediatric effort as part of its long-running "Speak Up" campaign. The campaign encourages patients to say something if they see a potential error or problem with their care.
The California Nurses Association plans protested in San Francisco in the wake of a Sacramento nurse's swine flu death last month. The union wants hospitals to provide better masks, equipment, and protocol to protect nurses from further sickness. The union says nurses across the state are reporting difficulties getting the masks recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and having them properly fitted to be airtight.
One of President Obama's primary goals is extending healthcare coverage to the millions of Americans who lack it. But the answer to just how many million are uninsured could make a huge difference in the billions of dollars it will cost to remake the national system. Obama frequently cites last year's Census Bureau number of 46 million people with no health insurance, but some experts argue that figure is off by tens of millions.
Candidate Barack Obama's campaign proposal to cover America's 45 million adults without health insurance seemed straightforward, says Sg2 Political Analyst James Bradford: offer subsidies for the poor to buy insurance or create a government-administered option available to the uninsured. But for President Obama and Congress, the devil has been in the details, Bradford says, and a new plan to allow formation of healthcare cooperatives may help shore up the foundering health reform bill.