In this opinion piece published in the Boston Globe, Dean Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, makes the case for globalizing American healthcare. There are clear ways to take advantage of lower costs in other countries, making the U.S. system more affordable without diminishing the quality, Baker says.
Michael M. Rachlis, a physician, health policy analyst and author based in Toronto, compares the United States' and Canada's respective health systems. In this article for the Los Angeles Times, Rachlis says the caricature of socialized medicine" is used by corporate interests to confuse Americans and maintain their bottom lines instead of patients' health.
Valinda Rutledge of Greenville, SC, has been named president and CEO of CaroMont Health. She replaces Wayne F. Shovelin, who in February announced his plans to retire. The transition is anticipated in early fall. Since 2003, Rutledge has been CEO of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, a two-hospital system based in Greenville, and part of the Bon Secours Health System in Marriottsville, MD. She has held that position since 2003. Before that, she was president of St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, administrator of Brandon Regional Medical Center in Brandon, FL, and vice president-operations for St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI.
Broward Health North Broward Medical Center has appointed Cheryl Tombo Director of its Neurological Institute. Tombo will oversee the operations of the Memory Disorder Center, Dizziness and Balance Center, Sleep Disorder Center, Neurodiagnostic Lab, Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center, and Joint Replacement Center. Tombo, a Certified Neuroscience RN, has spent the past 30 years working and teaching in the areas of neurological and neurosurgical nursing.
Thomas E. Sibert, MD, has been selected as the new president for Wake Forest University Physicians and CMO for Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, a new position created as part of the reorganization that began two years ago. Sibert will begin work Sept. 1. He will report directly to John D. McConnell, MD, CEO of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Sibert replaces Raymond C. Roy, MD, who stepped down earlier this month as interim WFUP president. Sibert is returning to North Carolina from the University of California-Los Angeles, where he has served as associate vice chancellor and president of the Faculty Practice Group since 2004.
Tenet Healthcare Corp. has named Deborah C. Keel CEO for North Fulton Hospital, a 202-bed hospital located in Roswell, GA, effective Sept. 1. Keel most recently served as CEO for Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, a 400-bed hospital located in Fountain Valley, CA. Before joining Fountain Valley, Keel served as vice president of operations for Tenet's California Region. She also served as chief executive officer at Kenner Regional Medical Center in Kenner, LA.