The California Department of Public Health has issued $25,000 penalties against 13 hospitals for serious violations that, in some cases, led to patient deaths. Each violation comes with a $25,000 fine, part of an ongoing effort to hold hospitals more accountable for placing patients at risk of death or serious injury. The disclosures come as a result of a state law that took effect in 2007 requiring hospitals to inform health regulators of all substantial injuries to their patients.
The question of whether hospital residents should be required to work shorter hours and take naps to avoid exhaustion that can bring harm to their patients has created a surprising divide in the medical community. Other industries in which employees are responsible for the lives of others, such as airlines and railroads, have limits on how many hours of continuous work their employees are allowed to do.
The Jefferson Parish Council is urging Louisiana health officials to reverse emergency Medicaid cuts projected to cost the parish's three largest hospitals $20 million this year. Council Chairman Tom Capella said it is "blatantly unfair" that rural hospitals are exempt from the cuts estimated at $345 million statewide. Department of Health and Hospitals Undersecretary Charles Castille told the council that the exemption is rooted in a 1997 state law requiring health officials to maximize funding for rural hospitals.
A long-awaited federal law that shields people from genetic discrimination starts Thursday, May 28. The measure prevents health insurers from denying coverage, adjusting premiums or otherwise discriminating based on genetic information. Experts say the law could put people at ease about having genetic testing or counseling.
Miami Beach-based Mount Sinai Medical Center's loss narrowed in the first quarter, year-over-year, according to a report. It lost $448,000 on operating revenue of $130.3 million in the first quarter, up from a $1.64 million loss on operating revenue of $128 million in the first quarter of 2008. In both quarters, the hospital received a $2.5 million contribution from the Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation.
Baptist Health South Florida could not climb out of the red in its fiscal second quarter ended March 31 as its investment losses wiped out its operating income, according to a report to bondholders. The Miami-based Baptist lost $24.8 million on operating revenue of $530.2 million in its second quarter. That's improved from a loss of $26.8 million on operating revenues of $470.2 million in the same quarter of 2008.